BUST THROUGH YOUR SONGWRITING ROADBLOCKS

There are so many ways a Songwriting Day can be stalled by roadblocks. You start out with good intentions to write a new song and then the phone rings, or you remember an errand you forgot, and there’s that email you need to answer. Before you know it you’ve spent the whole day doing anything and everything else but writing? Here’s some tips on how to stay focused and start a new song!

Make an appointment to write with a co-writer. This is the top thing that helps me show up to write. By making a commitment to write with someone at a specific time and place, it is twice as likely to happen. If you’re home by yourself there are projects around the house that need attention, emails to answer, etc. All easily become distractions that keep you from writing today.

Set up a room or section of your home that is only for writing. You know that when you step into this space it’s time to be creative. Set it up with posters of people who might inspire you. I had a John Lennon “Imagine” poster in my writing room for years and wrote quite a few hits staring at John’s wire rimmed glasses. It really works. Your room might include your favourite instrument. I know some folks that like to have candles burning in their writing room and the lights dim, but the point is to add things that make you feel creative.
 
Have all the tools you will need to write close at hand. The worst thing you can do when you hit upon a great idea is to get up and search your house for your guitar tuner, picks, or a notepad. I keep extra guitar strings around so if I break one I’m not running out the door to buy more. I even keep bottles of water available, so I can stay in my sanctuary for a few uninterrupted hours!

Turn off technology and tune in to your creativity. Text messages, emails, phone calls, etc. These all pull you out of the mind space you must inhabit to write songs. They seem harmless enough, but all of these keep you from tapping into the deeper place where the good stuff waits.
 
Writing the same time each day. This can be hard with busy schedules, but if possible, it’s the biggest single thing we can do for our creative minds. Studies have shown that our creative brains really like a routine. It doesn’t matter if you’re strumming your guitar every morning at 8 am, writing lyrics on a legal pad during your lunch break at work, or working on your next melody line in the garage each night after the kids are all asleep; the important thing is that your creative brain likes working at the same time each day. It loves finding the groove. Being in a groove cuts down the number of days you sit down, and nothing happens.
 
These are a few ideas that will help you eliminate the road blocks to your creative writing. Focused writing can be a challenge in today’s busy world but gets easier with practice and the rewards are great. When you find your groove and start creating new songs, your heart and soul will thank you!

Author

Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 14 years of experience in music production, mix and mastering, recording engineering, live sound designing/engineering, lyrics writing and music arrangement. He has produced more than 550 and written more than 900 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.