Dry Times

(or Once Around The Block)

by Rob Woodard

Many (I wonder if it's most) writers, whether they work with songs, poems, short stories, novels or plays, suffer a 'dry spell' or 'writer's block' at some point in their careers.

There are many reasons for this (perhaps as many reasons as there are writers!) and certainly too many to list here, but I guess some of the principal and recurring ones are pressures and demands on a writer's time by work or family commitments; a change in the writer's lifestyle, attitude or environment; being emotionally distressed; a loss of confidence or a lack of success; being stuck in a rut etc. etc. For a lot of writers the reason may be totally inexplicable! You just lose the songwriting muse; the spark fails to ignite you anymore.

Whatever the reason though, and depending on the length of the inactivity, a dry spell is worrying to the writer. A writer may sense that he/she is completely burnt out/dried up and may despair that he/she will ever write again. For a writer then who genuinely loves writing and needs that outlet for emotional release and self expression, a writer's block can be extremely traumatic and genuinely distressing.

What about the experiences of professional songwriters? Their very livelihood depends on their ability to keep writing good songs. Perhaps their experiences may offer us some explanation or consolation. One of the best brief discourses on writer's block comes from American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega:

I hadn't written in two years, since I wrote 'Luka'. 'Cause so much had happened in my life that it took a while to find the rhythm of writing again and get my confidence back. My career had gotten in the way of work. I was trying to write, and I couldn't come up with anything, and I felt horrible and horribly impotent. 'Cause the more I would try to write the more I would feel like I was just doing nothing.

From the article 'Vive La Vega' by Steve Pond, Rolling Stone magazine (n.d.)

Certainly the case with Vega is that her songwriting muse came back. Writers always hope that it will, but with many there is that nagging doubt in the backs of their minds that they've lost it forever. There is no sure-fire remedy for the cursed block but there are techniques and practices which may help.

1. Force yourself to write. Set aside a regular time to write, either with pen and paper or with a musical instrument. At these times go over some of your older, completed songs. Recall how, why , where and when they were written. Read them. Play them. Sing them. Look in your notebook at any unfinished lyrics or tunes. Can they be reworked or edited? Can a number of unfinished songs be combined to make one song? While the inspiration to write new songs might not be coming you may still be able to 'polish off' incomplete older material.

2. Immerse yourself in different/new kinds of music. Seek diversity! Be eclectic. New melodies, rhythms, styles and instruments may create a spark, lyrically or musically.

3. Do lots of walking! Many writers from William Wordsworth to Virginia Woolf have been devoted walkers. Plenty of songwriters have been too. Oscar Hammerstein II was a devotee of walking and has said so in print. The relaxation, change of scenery, new observations etc. may be beneficial to your songwriter. And it'll help your fitness too! Pete Townshend believes in the benefits of walking but he obviously doesn't believe in writers' block:

But ideas for songs come from an inner thing. You have to need to share, to communicate for some reason. What you write about comes from what you see and do. It doesn't come from space. If you're short of ideas get your ass up and go walk around in the city. You'll get an idea in fifteen seconds.

From the book Written in Your Soul by Bill Flanagan (Contemporary Books, Chicago & New York 1987)

4. Watch 'live' performers, especially those performing new or original music - like at SCALA's performance venue. You may hear a line, a title, a riff, a tune, a whole song which really affects you, moves you, inspires you.

5. Take a breather, a change of scene, a short holiday (and that's not always easily done), or even just a Sunday drive somewhere completely different.

6. Talk to other songwriters. Again, they may motivate you, encourage you, collaborate with you etc. etc.

7. Don't get too despondent and think you'll never write another song. Believe it's only a period of inactivity which will pass and that your writing talent will re-emerge. Perhaps you might try a new hobby, pastime or interest while your songwriting is 'on hold'.

8. Read widely - fiction, history, current events, poetry, biographies of musicians and songwriters you admire etc. A line, idea, comment, piece of knowledge may enthuse you to write about it. Try reading interviews with and articles on songwriters and see how they approach their writing. You may find out how they deal with song writing droughts and come across pearls of wisdom like this one from Sting and which seems like a good place to cease my waffle:

I see songwriting very much as a craft, which is learned by trying to handle almost every style. And once you've got your chops together, songwriting is a modular system. You chop, you change. I'm quite adept at writing songs. What you can never be adept at is being in tune with inspiration. That's the Great Accident, the Great Imponderable. I used to get so terrified of not being able to write a song. "What am I going to write about? I'm totally empty of ideas and inspiration." And then I realized after about five years of this terrible block that some of the time you have to be on 'input'. You just have to receive and then retransmit it and hope it comes out as something else.

From the article 'The Rolling Stone Interview: Sting' by David Fricke Rolling Stone magazine. n.d.

© Copyright Rob Woodard. October 1990