WRITERS BLOCK -What do you do?

[tpp]

hey friends.

i have a serious writers block. i just recently finished up recording my sophomore CD...by the way go check it out at www.groovproject.info
however, i want start working on more material, but i have run into a BRICK WALL. i can't come up with any melodies or lyrics for anything.

HELP! does anyone have any suggestions on how to remove my "writers block"?

thanks in advance.
Groov

[yourockradio]

There are only two cures.

One... Get away from it for awhile. Do something else. The muse will come back. External life stimuli, get out and about and let life happen.

Two... Take a hit of Acid. That always worked for me.

Getting away from it is safer though I guess.

Having multiple orgasms might help, hmmmmm...

[ruthanna_pearl]

Hey, Groov
I just checked out your website and did a listen to your latest album. Very nice work! I loved the intro line from "Groov's Joint" (made me laugh), and I also enjoyed "Backbone". I can tell that you really put your heart and soul into this collection of work...and devoted a whole lot of hours to it's creation. You probably ate, slept, and breathed it. So why not relax, and enjoy your finished work for a time? God himself established a Sabbath, a time of rest, for after the work was done. In our society we forget this. We consider it laziness if we're not just going at it 24/7. No, no, no. We will actually accomplish so much more if we accept that, as human beings, we NEED a time of rest, relaxation, and refreshment. This is true with every endevour. So, that is my first piece of advice: Take a Sabbath rest.

Then, after you have enjoyed the work you have completed - because it is good - you will be ready to set about creating another work of art. Oftentimes a song will come from what seems like nowhere...you just reach up and grab it out of the air. Songs like that are simply a gift. But most of the time, there's more to it than that. For instance, there are times when we are deeply affected by something. In order to be deeply affected by something, we can't be spending our time couped up in a little room looking at a blank piece of paper. We have to put ourselves out there. When we get mad at someone - write about it. Think something is wrong or unfair? Write about it. Our relationships are always an inspiration...how do we REALLY feel about our partner, our children, our parents, our brother, sister, society, or God?

Read some poetry...playing with words can lead us to some amazing insights. Definately listen to other people's music. We sharpen each others skills. Read something from the bible. It is timeless, eternal. Those ancient words still apply to us today because it is all about the human condition - which never changes. I noticed that your intro and outro came from Corinthians' verses on love. There is an endless wealth of inspiration in that inspired book. And not just in the bible, but any other book that holds truth, goodness, nobility. Afterall...aren't those the things that most of us seek?

Pray.

I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Ruthanna

[Reconsiderate]

[ruthanna_pearl]

That's incredibly insightful, Reconsiderate. I had the same thing happen to me and I noticed it most in the area of my poetry. I used to write some really incredible stuff because I was young, strung out, angry at society in general, and I was trying to figure it all out. My poems were full of angst, technical word plays, and condemnation. And then something happened to me. I changed -- and my life did begin again. So I definately relate to that blank slate kind of feeling. My poems, and my songs, are now much more sedate. I have passed the angst hat off to my son - he's 21 and an excellent poet. But it's true that, in order to write (write WELL, anyway) we have to have something meaningful to say. We COULD say the same thing over and over again in a different key with a different beat, as we've seen countless artists do, but it does get a bit redundant. The goal is to be creative - which indicates "fresh" and "new". Patience is definately a virtue. I knew that my own writing had changed immensely through the years, but I had never stopped to consider Reconsiderate's outlook. It does explain a lot, and it makes the writer's block much easier to accept. We can now look forward to the next chapter - or next book, next verse, next song - whatever the case may be. Maybe it is this particular phase that inspired the song "Anticipation". Have a good one...
Sincerely,
Ruthanna

[Stoneman]

There is material all around you. Just open your eyes and ears and you will hear it in your brain. Listen closely to the conversations you have with other people. For instance my girl and I werre talking about a freind of ours one day. I mentioned that our friend and her boyfriend were freaks. My girl said "Freaks Of A Feather Freak Together" Ding! a light went on in my head. Within 3 hours a new song had been produced and recorded. It wound up winning a top twenty award in last years Unisong contest. Last week I passed by the TV and heard Janet Jackson (on the Tyra Banks show) say she remembered the event that Tyra was referring to but she didn't remember Tyra. She said "I remember the French Toast but I can't remember you" Ding! the bell rang again and within a few hours a new song was born. A few years back (2004) I was reading the newspaper about the government trying to hide the bodies of soldiers returing from the Iraq war. The picture in the article had flag draped coffins. Ding! Flag draped coffins became a big hit on my second solo Cd and was a finalist in the "Song Of The Year" contest. Amother thing I like to do is pick out melodies on my keyboard or guitar. But the most reliable source for ideas for me is to reflect on events in my life. The traumatic or the uplifting moments that stood out for me. "Danger" my Reggae song that won first place in the Unisong contest came from reflecting on a time when I was forced to lay faced down in the street, handcuffed and beaten by the police for no reason at all. It was racial profiling and a mistaken identity. While thinking about that day I realized how dangerous it is just to be a Black man in America. Hince the title "Danger". In order to take some of the bite out of it I added a bit of humor.

I seldom run out of ideas. I see everything in life as potential song material. I keep my eyes and my ears open for possibilities. I have written songs inspired by watching birds, observing a one legged dog, Walking amongst the homeless population, cruising the bay, watching movies, TV, Weddings, funerals, school, church, everywhere I go I see and hear great ideas for material. I average about 12 songs a week and I usually throw away about 70 percent of those songs for one reason or another. I now own copyrights for over 800 songs in 12 musical genres.

So my advice is that you just become more aware of the world around you. The material is there. You just have to see and hear it. If something effects you in any way, right a song about it. Life becomes your voice and your voice becomes life.

Respect,
Stoneman

[Greg]

I pick up a different instrument. The talent I have on piano vs that of guitar are in two very different places, and jumping to a different instrument puts me in a place I probably wouldn't have found in my normal comfort zone.

[graciousdeeds]

Hi, sorry to hear about that. Don't try too hard - do some other stuff. "Life is what happens to you when you're busy doing something else.". Lennon. All the best - Kev

[Fendicator]

Whenever I get writers block I always go do something else to take my mind off of it. Play video games, watch TV, go play basketball or something. Sometimes when i'm watching TV ill hear a lil commercial jingle or some song from a movie then ill take the song in my head and hum diffrent things to it maybe change around the lyrics to something funny or just plain stupid. Then from doing all this ill go back to my guitar and just start playing and next thing you know all kinda of new songs and ideahs are happening.

Anything that can clear your head is a good ideah. Except for that doing acid comment ..I'd stay away from that one lol.