Why you have mountains of unfinished songs
How to know when you're resisting inspiration, and what to do about it.
Hi, me again.
On occasion, I have a great hook or catchy chorus that sits dormant for years before I know what to do with it.
Sometimes this is because the idea and I need space from each other. Other times, I'm the only one doing the distancing (aka avoiding).
I've come to understand there are a few common reasons why I (and my clients) resist making work that wants to be made. This week, I'm sharing those reasons, as well as what to do about them.
Stay warm,
~ Lucy
WHY YOU'RE RESISTING INSPIRATION
(& WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT)
It’s a tough topic, and you don’t want to go there. Writing from our murky depths can be exhausting and painful. It can leave us feeling split open, raw, and uncertain if we want to expose our most vulnerable selves.
If this happens: give yourself a short window of time in which to ‘go there’ and then allow yourself space from the song.
You’re wary of “getting it wrong”. Sometimes when we have a young idea we know is good we stall on finishing (and starting) because it’s not clear to us how to get the song out of our heads in its most perfect form.
If this happens: allow yourself to experiment and quickly write 2 - 3 “rubbish” versions of the complete song.
You don’t know what else to say. Sometimes we get a lightning strike kind of idea—an opening line, a hook—but that’s it. Our inspiration runs dry (that’s what’s going on!) and the song starts to feel like a dead end.
If this happens: imagine how someone else might finish the song and try finishing it that way until you find your own voice again