SIGN UP FOR A NEWSLETTER
Sometimes we just need something outside our usual sphere to get ourselves thinking. I've found that just joining a musical group that sends out email newsletters with a word of the day, motivational/inspirational quotes and messages, and creative writing or music writing groups can really be great sources of information that can give you ideas. One I'm particularly fond of often includes a series of nature photos that fade into each other in time to music with inspirational messages fading in and out at the same time. Just the pictures can often have just as good an effect on me as a good nature walk as far as inspiring me to write similar music that makes me think of those pretty views. Sometimes a quote by someone that is particularly clever can make you think of some great new lyrics, even if you disagree with the quote-it made you get past your writer's block, and that is the idea. Sometimes, it can just be an offhand comment someone in a newsgroup might have made during a chat that might get your imagination going. This is a great way to get out in public without even leaving home, and still keep in touch with fellow songwriters, too, even in bad weather that keeps you housebound.
DO SOMETHING ELSE CREATIVE
Creativity is creativity. It seems that most songwriters are artistic in some other way besides their music, and sometimes distracting yourself with some other fun endeavor can unclog your music pipes as well and get that creativity flowing again. Try your hand at woodworking, painting, handcrafts, or whatever you prefer to do. If you feel you just don't have any talent in this area, try something you do like doing or need to do, like just washing and polishing your car, painting a room, or mending/repairing something around the house. Sometimes, just doing something that seems useful can help get those music juices going, too, and can often, by themselves, give you some ideas for a new lyric.
CLEAN YOUR GEAR
Sometimes, just going to your equipment and giving it a good cleaning can get you to at least pick it up and that is often half the battle. Going through your notebooks and sorting your lyrics out alphabetically and/or by genre can often at least get you to see little snippets you might have forgotten you'd written, and get you to think up a new way to write one line, or add perhaps a new section. I've found great inspiration in going through old cassettes of practices I'm transferring to CD soon, and finding some great tidbits that could be pretty fun if updated and perhaps done on a different instrument and even genre. You never know what you might find when you start cleaning up your old messes-look out-you might find a great tune that you forgot to finish in time for a deadline and just let sit when other projects came up that just needs ripping to .MP3.
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