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Guys, I'm confused You know when you have all your ideas lined up in your head, you have a story you want to tell, you can almost see it on the paper, in fact you already know exactly what you want to say...BUT NOTHING COMES OUT! Nothing feels right, nothing looks right, nothing can compare to what's going on in your head. What do you do, how do you get it out?I seem to have so many mystery lyrics trapped up inside and I can't help think I'd feel better off without them. Looks like I might be fighting the perfectionist again. I don't think this is writers block it's just the pain I experience when I'm trying to say something that doesn't want to be said.Any thoughts? I'm baffled. PS - Don't Cha Just Hate Creative Thinkers!!!Blah blah blah, melt down, ignore all that -I WILL FIND THE WORDS

Accept yourself as baffled, you're perfect just the way you are. And then, allow the right words to find you. I have magic over here at my house, and I just sent you some. Answer the door...

Thank you Steve. Thank you

Quote:Nothing feels right, nothing looks right, nothing can compare to what's going on in your head. that right there is your problem. you are editing yourself before you've started. the answer is, I think, to do some freeform, stream of consciousness writing. don't think about song form or the end result. Set an alarm and write for 5 minutes without stopping to think. If you can't think of the word you want, put "?". If you spell something wrong, keep going.here's a sample:....nothing feels right, that's right, nothing, nothing is a void a void is black in space like my head at midnight exploding with the sound of the snores from the bearded man on my bed and my fingers move on the keyboard in the dark, tears wetting my hands as I talk to cyberspace asking why why there is this black black weight in my heart....believe it or not, I could definitely pick stuff out of that stream of junk and use it to inspire a song check back with me later

Aug 21, 2008, 4:47pm, sgs4u wrote:Accept yourself as baffled, you're perfect just the way you are. And then, allow the right words to find you. I have magic over here at my house, and I just sent you some. Answer the door...God bless you. You are THE coolest...

In an interview years ago, Paul McCartney talked about using "placeholders" when writing lyrics.For example, when composing "Yesterday," he started with:"Scrambled eggs . . . all my troubles seemed soscrambled eggs . . . now I need a place to . . . " etc.That way, he didn't interrupt the creative flow -- just recorded the parts he knew for certain at the time, filled the rest with something with the number of syllables that felt right, and then edited and filled in the rest later.I like the idea of starting with complete flow, and THEN revisiting the song from a more linear place. ,Suz

Well everyones said it basically. I do one of two things a. just write whatever I feel at the time even if it sounds like nonesense or b. Just leave it alone and then when you least expect it it hits you.Bless

Try outlining the bones of your song. If you don't yet have the words, write what the words are meant to do; tell a story, portray a character, send a message either personal or universal. Make a sketch first, then try clothing the bones with flesh. And turn off the editor until you have some pages, only then ask which words or lines move the song forward.

Thank you all, I hit a personal rock bottom last night and my eyes are so heavy today. I have an emotional weekend coming up and I guess it got the better of me. I do very often struggle to write when I know what my heart wants to say, it's as if my heart and head don't get along very well because I just get bogged under!Remember the thread about support, I remember saying black coffee was my biggest. That was SO not true! If it weren't for the backup I get here I'm not sure I'd be writing with such determination. Coffee just gives me the shakes nowadays, but you guys are my rock.Thank you, wonderful ideas and words above. I love the scrambled egg idea, I'm going to try that just for the fun of it. Just a little breather over the weekend and I'll be back in gear again. Linzi

Hey, Lindz, here's what I do. Like Mojo said, I get the bones of the song down first. I tend to write a song a week, but I don't finish a song until three or four months later if that makes sense. In other words, I have all these songs simmering until they're ready to be fully completed. Right now, I have ideas for about 30 songs, but most of them won't be completed until November or later (really no time limit), and other ideas will pop up as well. So I'm constantly using my 'ole yellow tape recorder to record those ideas, lines and melodies, so I don't forget them. Then eventually, they evolve into a fully completed song.I think the best writing is from our subconscious....sometimes, it takes a while for your best lines to surface. I am writing a song that just doesn't want to be written for some reason....for the last several months, it's been giving me fits. Sometimes, the song just wants to write itself no matter what you want for it. Anyway, because I let songs simmer and let the words come to me, (not me try to force anything) I ended up with one of the best lines I've ever written...it just popped into my head yesterday after weeks of struggle.I agree about taming the inner critic at first...Vikki had really good points about the stream of conciousness idea (Suz's post about Paul McCartney too)....just get the song out there if you can....you can work on fine tuning it along the way.The one thing we songwriters suffer from sometimes is being too anxious. If I find myself getting too anxious, I go out and take a walk or do something relaxing....I remember that music isn't my whole life, and that it's not the end of the world if I couldn't come up with a line on a particular day. I find that if you don't force your creation, your best lines will surface eventually.