Do you have writers block? Thinking of taking a break?
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:45 am
Don't.
Breaks are for pussies.
Perseverance is for men.
Did Aron Ralston take a break? No, he cut his arm off with a pen knife.
Did Simo Häyhä take a break? No, he killed 505 Russians in the Winter War.
Did Ghandi take a break? Sure he did... FROM EATING!
Look at that smile on Berlusconi's face. He hires prostitutes and publicly denounces his wife during elections.
That's called perseverance in the face of adversity and that's what puts that smile on his face. You too could be the proud owner of a smile like that.
Did Rocky take a break in Rocky IV? No, he grew a beard and climbed a mountain.
Mantastic!
Question: How many mountains have you climbed today?
Answer: At least one less than Rocky.
Question: How many beards have you grown today?
Answer: At least one less than Rocky.
Does America take a break? No, because if it does the terrorists win.
Did Putin take a break?
RAAAAAAHHHHRRRRR
Doesn't look like it to me. While Putin appears to be 'taking a break from politics' he's actually fighting nature, starting with the greatest of man's nemesis... lakes. Look at him kick that lake's ass. Fantastic.
Here's a list of people who aren't persevering:
1., Everyone that isn't awesome.
2., Some guy nobody's ever heard of.
Anyway, here are some ideas you can try if you're suffering writers block and don't want to follow the standard advice and 'take a break':
1., Schedule your writing for a specific time and stick to it.
Do what suits you, an hour every night, an hour every 2 nights, or even just once a week on Saturdays, the important part is ROUTINE, when it's embedded as a routine it gets easier because you know what needs to be done and you do it. Think of it as keeping fit, if you just run when you feel like it you're never going to be as fit as you want to be and it'll always feel like a chore and it will always be hard, if you schedule it and make it a part of a routine it'll become natural and second nature to keep fit, it'll just become something you do, rather than a chore.
2., Just plain ignore it.
Ignore the crap out of it. Work through it. You won't get results right away. But if you ignore your writers block and just keep working you'll eventually come up with something, it might take 1 hour of fiddling with things, it might take 6, but eventually something WILL come to you, and if you keep doing this every time you get writers block the time it takes for something to 'come to you' will go down.
3., Use a different DAW.
If you're a Fruity Loops user, try Reason, or Renoise, if you're a Cubase user try Logic. Go wild try Reaper. The key is the change, the change can help promote your creativity and get new ideas flowing. Sometimes I find the problem isn't that I'm creatively empty, it's that I'm sick of staring at the same old layout, and the boredom with that layout is bleeding into my creativity.
Equally, you can try using different VSTs, if you're a massive user, try absynth or FM8, or if you use a vast array of daws, try kicking shit down a notch and just use something really basic like the 3xosc in fruity loops.
4., Try a different approach to writing entirely.
If you usually write sitting in front of a DAW then ditch the DAW completely. Try writing something in your head, or try just sitting down closing your eyes for a while in a quiet room and humming melody lines to yourself. Try recording a drum line using things you find around your house, then try recording a bass line you made by blowing into a vacuum. Try sitting in front of your keyboard with your computer turned off and just improvise for a while. Again a change of scene can really kick things up a gear creatively.
5., Try sketching out a song idea on paper before sitting down to turn it into music.
A lot of the time creative problems are created by a lack of direction. Having an overall idea of a song in your head before you start can really kick writers block in the ass.
6., Limiting yourself breeds creativity.
This one always strikes me as an odd one but it does work. Last time I remember having a seriously hindering writers block I took part in one of the DSF sample pack competitions. It was really one of the hardest things I've had to do - creating a track when it felt like I had nothing to work with - but I completely forgot about my writers block, I had a starting point, and the limitation of only being able to use the samples I was given forced me to get really creative to try to make my track interesting. I came up with some interesting new techniques and ideas for sounds that I still use to this day, my track wasn't too terrible either and the sort of buzz you get when you're writing a tune or finish writing a tune endured after I'd finished, which was great, because I was able to transfer that remaining energy into a new serious track.
7., Write in a different genre.
Nothing sparks creativity like giving yourself an entirely new world of musical possibilities to explore. Try writing some pop. It might turn out to be the worst pop ever written, but it might at least get you in that creative mood again, and the 'writers buzz' you get from writing in a new genre might last after you've written your crappy pop song and you can transfer that energy into writing something you really like. Think of this one as a sort of warm up, you don't just jump right into running a marathon, this one's kinda like your pre-marathon stretches.
8., Find a poem or a piece of literature you like, and try expressing it in music. This one is a personal favorite way to work through writers block for me. You read over it and it stirs thoughts and colors and ideas or scenarios in your head and more often than not that's what music does too when you listen to it. It's kind of like the poem has given you a starting point by painting a picture of what it should sound like when it's done and you work towards that picture it's painted in your head.
9., Never put anything you write in the bin. Ever. Even if it's shit. Because when you get writers block you can open it up and fiddle with it and see if there's anything to salvage and use in a new song.
10., Try writing a song for yer wee mum. Mum, dad, sister, girlfriend, dog, brother, best friend, whatever, write a song for somebody. Just keep them in mind while you try to write. Sometimes when your lacking inspiration, the easiest source of inspiration to draw from is the one we all forget, our families, friends and loved ones. They're constantly up in our faces so you kinda just forget they're as valid a source of inspiration as going for a walk in the park or doing something you don't normally do. Give it a try.
11., This is something nobody ever does. (inb4 I do that!) Next time you're creative and you're in full flow writing banger after banger, record what you're actually doing, keep a bit of A4 paper beside you and write down what you're doing in every stage of the process. 1., Opening daw, 2., Added piano vst, 3., Writing a bass line, 4., Adding chords, 5., Adding FM8, 6., Having the chords played in FM8...etc - Literally write every detail no matter how insignificant. That way, next time you need to write a song and you're just not feeling it, you can read over what you did. I used to open my daw and think "how the fuck do I even start a song" every single time I went to write a tune until I did this. Now I have a few set routines I can read through and emulate when I feel lost and uncreative.
12., Break up with your girlfriend. Pfft, let's face it, you can do better, you know it, I know it, your friends know it, ditch her ass. Now you've got something to write about.
13., Don't freak out. The worst thing you can do if you have writers block is freak out. If you start thinking "oh my god, I've lost it, I'll never write a great tune again, it's all over, the music is gone...etc" like a worried nancy you're going to entrap yourself in a snare of fear and panic, neither of which are conductive to writing unless they're focused, which, while in a state of fear or panic, they won't be. So calm down, accept that it's just temporary and start thinking positively. Instead of thinking "I'll never write a song as good as my last," think "Every time I write a song it tops my previous ones, I can do this." And remember:
I'm not going to say implementing these will work for everyone, but I can say implementing them myself has seriously decreased the number of times I get writers block, I like everyone still get it, but when I do get it I have a real choice now. I can take a break, or I can work through it and come up with something good. Taking a break is no longer mandatory for me and it's nice having that option to work through the block (maybe one day, once again, I'll get hit with a real writers block I can't combat, but for now, and for a long time now, this statement is and has remained true). Anyway, if even one of these techniques works for somebody even on a one off basis then I consider this thread a winrar success.
Breaks are for pussies.
Perseverance is for men.
Did Aron Ralston take a break? No, he cut his arm off with a pen knife.
Did Simo Häyhä take a break? No, he killed 505 Russians in the Winter War.
Did Ghandi take a break? Sure he did... FROM EATING!
Look at that smile on Berlusconi's face. He hires prostitutes and publicly denounces his wife during elections.
That's called perseverance in the face of adversity and that's what puts that smile on his face. You too could be the proud owner of a smile like that.
Did Rocky take a break in Rocky IV? No, he grew a beard and climbed a mountain.
Mantastic!
Question: How many mountains have you climbed today?
Answer: At least one less than Rocky.
Question: How many beards have you grown today?
Answer: At least one less than Rocky.
Does America take a break? No, because if it does the terrorists win.
Did Putin take a break?
RAAAAAAHHHHRRRRR
Doesn't look like it to me. While Putin appears to be 'taking a break from politics' he's actually fighting nature, starting with the greatest of man's nemesis... lakes. Look at him kick that lake's ass. Fantastic.
Here's a list of people who aren't persevering:
1., Everyone that isn't awesome.
2., Some guy nobody's ever heard of.
Anyway, here are some ideas you can try if you're suffering writers block and don't want to follow the standard advice and 'take a break':
1., Schedule your writing for a specific time and stick to it.
Do what suits you, an hour every night, an hour every 2 nights, or even just once a week on Saturdays, the important part is ROUTINE, when it's embedded as a routine it gets easier because you know what needs to be done and you do it. Think of it as keeping fit, if you just run when you feel like it you're never going to be as fit as you want to be and it'll always feel like a chore and it will always be hard, if you schedule it and make it a part of a routine it'll become natural and second nature to keep fit, it'll just become something you do, rather than a chore.
2., Just plain ignore it.
Ignore the crap out of it. Work through it. You won't get results right away. But if you ignore your writers block and just keep working you'll eventually come up with something, it might take 1 hour of fiddling with things, it might take 6, but eventually something WILL come to you, and if you keep doing this every time you get writers block the time it takes for something to 'come to you' will go down.
3., Use a different DAW.
If you're a Fruity Loops user, try Reason, or Renoise, if you're a Cubase user try Logic. Go wild try Reaper. The key is the change, the change can help promote your creativity and get new ideas flowing. Sometimes I find the problem isn't that I'm creatively empty, it's that I'm sick of staring at the same old layout, and the boredom with that layout is bleeding into my creativity.
Equally, you can try using different VSTs, if you're a massive user, try absynth or FM8, or if you use a vast array of daws, try kicking shit down a notch and just use something really basic like the 3xosc in fruity loops.
4., Try a different approach to writing entirely.
If you usually write sitting in front of a DAW then ditch the DAW completely. Try writing something in your head, or try just sitting down closing your eyes for a while in a quiet room and humming melody lines to yourself. Try recording a drum line using things you find around your house, then try recording a bass line you made by blowing into a vacuum. Try sitting in front of your keyboard with your computer turned off and just improvise for a while. Again a change of scene can really kick things up a gear creatively.
5., Try sketching out a song idea on paper before sitting down to turn it into music.
A lot of the time creative problems are created by a lack of direction. Having an overall idea of a song in your head before you start can really kick writers block in the ass.
6., Limiting yourself breeds creativity.
This one always strikes me as an odd one but it does work. Last time I remember having a seriously hindering writers block I took part in one of the DSF sample pack competitions. It was really one of the hardest things I've had to do - creating a track when it felt like I had nothing to work with - but I completely forgot about my writers block, I had a starting point, and the limitation of only being able to use the samples I was given forced me to get really creative to try to make my track interesting. I came up with some interesting new techniques and ideas for sounds that I still use to this day, my track wasn't too terrible either and the sort of buzz you get when you're writing a tune or finish writing a tune endured after I'd finished, which was great, because I was able to transfer that remaining energy into a new serious track.
7., Write in a different genre.
Nothing sparks creativity like giving yourself an entirely new world of musical possibilities to explore. Try writing some pop. It might turn out to be the worst pop ever written, but it might at least get you in that creative mood again, and the 'writers buzz' you get from writing in a new genre might last after you've written your crappy pop song and you can transfer that energy into writing something you really like. Think of this one as a sort of warm up, you don't just jump right into running a marathon, this one's kinda like your pre-marathon stretches.
8., Find a poem or a piece of literature you like, and try expressing it in music. This one is a personal favorite way to work through writers block for me. You read over it and it stirs thoughts and colors and ideas or scenarios in your head and more often than not that's what music does too when you listen to it. It's kind of like the poem has given you a starting point by painting a picture of what it should sound like when it's done and you work towards that picture it's painted in your head.
9., Never put anything you write in the bin. Ever. Even if it's shit. Because when you get writers block you can open it up and fiddle with it and see if there's anything to salvage and use in a new song.
10., Try writing a song for yer wee mum. Mum, dad, sister, girlfriend, dog, brother, best friend, whatever, write a song for somebody. Just keep them in mind while you try to write. Sometimes when your lacking inspiration, the easiest source of inspiration to draw from is the one we all forget, our families, friends and loved ones. They're constantly up in our faces so you kinda just forget they're as valid a source of inspiration as going for a walk in the park or doing something you don't normally do. Give it a try.
11., This is something nobody ever does. (inb4 I do that!) Next time you're creative and you're in full flow writing banger after banger, record what you're actually doing, keep a bit of A4 paper beside you and write down what you're doing in every stage of the process. 1., Opening daw, 2., Added piano vst, 3., Writing a bass line, 4., Adding chords, 5., Adding FM8, 6., Having the chords played in FM8...etc - Literally write every detail no matter how insignificant. That way, next time you need to write a song and you're just not feeling it, you can read over what you did. I used to open my daw and think "how the fuck do I even start a song" every single time I went to write a tune until I did this. Now I have a few set routines I can read through and emulate when I feel lost and uncreative.
12., Break up with your girlfriend. Pfft, let's face it, you can do better, you know it, I know it, your friends know it, ditch her ass. Now you've got something to write about.
13., Don't freak out. The worst thing you can do if you have writers block is freak out. If you start thinking "oh my god, I've lost it, I'll never write a great tune again, it's all over, the music is gone...etc" like a worried nancy you're going to entrap yourself in a snare of fear and panic, neither of which are conductive to writing unless they're focused, which, while in a state of fear or panic, they won't be. So calm down, accept that it's just temporary and start thinking positively. Instead of thinking "I'll never write a song as good as my last," think "Every time I write a song it tops my previous ones, I can do this." And remember:
I'm not going to say implementing these will work for everyone, but I can say implementing them myself has seriously decreased the number of times I get writers block, I like everyone still get it, but when I do get it I have a real choice now. I can take a break, or I can work through it and come up with something good. Taking a break is no longer mandatory for me and it's nice having that option to work through the block (maybe one day, once again, I'll get hit with a real writers block I can't combat, but for now, and for a long time now, this statement is and has remained true). Anyway, if even one of these techniques works for somebody even on a one off basis then I consider this thread a winrar success.
) and stick 'em on top of it only to remove them afterwards. If that doesn't work, change 'em around (but stay in the same key) every couple of minutes. That way your ears won't get bored.
STOP
IS FOR PUSSIES
ALL HAIL KAIORI BREATHE
