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Hey Taxi friends,If you already know about “The 20-Song Game” then read no further. BUT IF YOU DON”T….I have been suffering horrible writer's block for the past 6 months or so. It got so bad that I bought a book at Border's called "The Frustrated Songwriter's handbook." (I’m a nerd, what can I say.) The basic message of the book is that by focusing on quantity/a time crunch rather than quality, you trick your brain into creating. The gist of the game is to set aside a 12 hour block of time, with NO INTERRUPTIONS. (Ideally it would be a day you can have the house to yourself. At the very least, explain to your family or roommates that you are on lock down!) You then make it your goal to write 20 songs in those 12 hours. It doesn’t matter how short, how long, how good, or how bad those songs are. Just keep kicking them out until the 12 hours is up! They certainly don’t need to be finished – just get them started and move on to the next song. (A verse and a chorus count as a song. Or even just a verse.. Or even just a chorus. Or even just nonsensical ramblings over a chord progression. You get my point…)Of course you can eat during the 12 hours, but don’t do anything that takes you away for too long. Don’t cook (stock up on food the day before) and don’t take long breaks (a short walk is fine, but don’t make it too long). Do NOT check email and do NOT answer your phone.The main point of the exercise is DO NOT EDIT YOURSELF and DO NOT JUDGE YOURSELF while you are creating/writing. If you are thinking critically about a song, you are taking too long – move on!I tried this and wrote 12 songs that day! So it wasn’t 20, but it was 12 freakin' songs! 3 of them are possibly the strongest songs I’ve ever written. My approach was to record one take of each song and then move on to the next song, regardless of how bad the take sounded. I also wrote down the chords/tuning for each song so I wouldn’t forget them and could work more with it later.I have been re-inspired and on fire ever since I tried the 20-song game. So I couldn’t NOT share this with you all. But, I must say, if we all start working like this, it just might raise the bar to an astronomical level…I’ve been a member of this forum for years, but I don’t post all that often. I hope the value of this post makes up for that. TRUST ME – TRY IT!See you at the Road Rally,Adriannep.s. This approach is also called the Immersion Music Method.p.s.s. The book goes on and talks about creating “songwriter lodges.” These are groups that do their 20-song game on the same day and then get together afterward and share what they did. I’m not so much into that aspect due to lack of available time, but some folks might like that part best.

good post. this is exactly why I participate in writing challenges like "50 songs in 90 days". I've learned to let go, and just let things flow out of me without editing or worrying about final production, or even whether it's "good enough". I needed to learn that, I knew I was too concerned with the end result, and therefore limiting my access to the creative flow.

It seems to me that anyone with enough discipline to follow through on the above will need never fear any writer's block. A strong post indeed, thanks.

Wow, 50 songs in 90 days. I'll have to try that one next!

Hi Adrianne, i have this book and LOVE this exercise!!! i've only done it twice but had so much fun. some of the songs i wrote on that day were so terrible that i will still listen to them just to get a good laugh! but i also came up with a few keepers both times, and best of all, i found the process to be extremely liberating. sometimes i start to put too much pressure on myself to create a "great" song, to the point i can't even write one line without judging it. so this is great therapy for me. in fact i really want to do it again as soon as i'm done with this huge and exhausting project i'm working on right now (my first cd!). yeah i only made it to 12 both times as well, but that is still A LOT for one day!! i didn't have any friends who were willing to do it so at the end i had a listening party by myself which made it worth all the exhaustion in the day. i grabbed a bottle of wine, sprawled on the couch and got to listen to my creations for the day and had a blast. thanks for posting this, it makes me pumped to try it again. see you at the rally!

What a cool idea, Adrianne -- thanks for sharing it!The book "The Artist's Way" by Julian Cameron suggests daily "free-writing" as a way to practice writing and other forms of creativity from a place of flow rather than a place of editing. Sounds like your 20 song game is a similar idea. Sometimes I lead workshops in "On-the-spot Songwriting," in which everyone makes up songs together in real time. It sounds odd, but is a fun way to experience songwriting from a place of complete PLAY and FLOW (without the editing mind) -- and its amazing what kind of things spring forth when the creative process is all about surfing the flow . . !! ,SuzP.S. (Viva la Nerds!)

Sept 18, 2008, 11:47pm, suzdoyle wrote:P.S. (Viva la Nerds!)yeah Suz, i'm proud to be a music nerd!! the book Adrianne is talking about is called The Frustrated Songwriter's Handbook http://www.amazon.com/Frustrated-Songwr ... 879308796I LOVE the artist's way too. that book changed my life about 8 or 10 years ago in a wonderful way, maybe it's time i pulled that one off the shelf too and had a reread, it's a great one! i also read Julia Cameron's follow-up book, the vein of gold, but i prefer artist's way.PS- i just got on amazon and see a newer book by Julia Cameron called Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance. Sounds like another inspiring book, has anyone read it?

I haven't ever tried a challenge but I guess it's a good idea. Generally when I have block I just ride the wave and relax. I used to get frustrated and fight but I would get more frustrated. So I've learned to just wait and be patient and I always get a floods of ideas later. Ideas for songs from my previous flood or new ideas all together. My ten dollars worth...

yeah i use the 30 bad ones rule, me and a friend where at a convention, and there was like 8 grammy winning songwriters on the stage giving speeches, and at the end, this one girl, bless her heart, asked "how can i write a good song" and two of them, at the same time, without even a pause, said "go home and write 30 bad ones." so from then on, we always joke about writing the 30 bad ones inbetween, but it really holds true.

Well right now I'm in one of my zones where inspiration is no problem and song ideas flow. I write whatever comes then the flow slows and sometimes dries up. I just work on them until the next flood. When that flood comes it's sometimes for editing or completing the last flood. Like today I was just sitting playing my keyboard and singing. Then I had and idea and completed a song I started writing since the late 90's. So I guess even though I never took up a challenge or follow the write thirty bad one to get one good one, I still follow these things in some way when the flood hits. Hope I'm making some sense here and not just rambling...