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6 ways songwriters can motivate themselves to write


Emeraz

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Nice list. I have to be honest though and say that not a single one of those really helps me. Not to contradict the ideas, cause if they work, they work. That's GREAT! What works for me? Committing myself publicly, among either peers or an audience. My days of having an audience before me are less frequent so... peers it is.

Which is why I've been using and abusing this very forum for a few years now. If I post a working lyric... in my mind, I've just signed a contract to finish it. It's like at work with deadlines. Right now I have stuff I need to do for a Ford pilot marketing campaign. And stuff that's waiting for me to finish up for web portal tool for auto dealership service bays. These are both things that I take very seriously and have to complete. Like yesterday.

I try to put my songwriting into that same grinder. That same "have to complete" mentality. It works for me.

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Quote Originally Posted by Lee Knight View Post
Nice list. I have to be honest though and say that not a single one of those really helps me. Not to contradict the ideas, cause if they work, they work. That's GREAT! What works for me? Committing myself publicly, among either peers or an audience. My days of having an audience before me are less frequent so... peers it is.

Which is why I've been using and abusing this very forum for a few years now. If I post a working lyric... in my mind, I've just signed a contract to finish it. It's like at work with deadlines. Right now I have stuff I need to do for a Ford pilot marketing campaign. And stuff that's waiting for me to finish up for web portal tool for auto dealership service bays. These are both things that I take very seriously and have to complete. Like yesterday.

I try to put my songwriting into that same grinder. That same "have to complete" mentality. It works for me.
The bold is so true for me, and a big reason why I tend to over-post at times. A lot of those inquiries are for me as much as anyone else, they just make it more serious.
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The list is good.....most are what I incorporare, but what inspires / motovates me most are the things that strike me as beautiful....ie:
- a beautiful woman
- a beautiful piece of music
- a beautiful picture
- a beautiful sentiment or thought

-Tom

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I only wish I was able to set quiet time alone.

One of my most useful:
Replace the word "need" with the word "want".

"I really need to sit down and write."
"I really want to sit down and write."

It serves to remind me that "oh yeah, it really IS want, not need." and in a subtle way turns the process into a reward and not a stressful thing bearing down on me.

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Quote Originally Posted by ShadowsofBirds View Post
I only wish I was able to set quiet time alone.

One of my most useful:
Replace the word "need" with the word "want".

"I really need to sit down and write."
"I really want to sit down and write."

It serves to remind me that "oh yeah, it really IS want, not need." and in a subtle way turns the process into a reward and not a stressful thing bearing down on me.
smile.gif That is awesome^^^. My trajectory as a writer went along a similar path. Then it hit me... if I'm feeling guilt... if I'm feeling I should... I really need to get on this... then what does that mean? That maybe I love it? But maybe this "should" thing isn't so much a should thing as much as something I want for myself. Either we do or we don't want this. Either choice is correct. So...

...if I want it, maybe if I just sort of ease into the idea of it being a pleasure rather than some sort of... chore? Maybe. So now, though I have little tricks to bring a sense of urgency to me working on a particular project, in my heart it is very clear. This is what I love. So maybe...

... like that cool instructional book that says in its Preface, "You don't have to read this book in order. If you see something that interests you, jump right to that." Maybe... letting ourselves off the hook from all those chapters we have to plod through first, we see that we can just jump right over to the bit we want.

It's not a chore for me. It's something I love. And the more I accept that, and I have for a few years now, the more I just jump right to the cool bit. All the rest follows. That stuff is now fun too for me. New ideas and "best practices" are not so much a chore anymore as much as a cool buddy giving you a lift over the fence. You can take it or leave it. You wanna get over the fence? Sounds fun.
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Has anyone ever read 'Songsmith' by Jimmy Webb?

He had a great tip - go to a pub (no shortage of them here in Ireland) and listen to a conversation between two slightly drunk people. Not that I deliberately aimed to eaves drop but not long after read the book I overhear a cracker!! I typed a couple of notes onto my phone and the next day wrote something I considered to be pretty good. Sometimes a little inspiration comes from the strangest places smile.gif

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