Blocked Out and Loaded: How to Curb Writer’s Block

The number one comment I get as an artist is “Hey, you look a lot like Seth Rogen!” and after that, it’s something about how amazing it is that I’m able to write every day.  I don’t want to take anything away from people’s busy schedules, and sometimes people write better when they don’t force themselves to write every day.  But this talk is going to be centered around some ways that you can curb that dreaded block, and we’ll then break off into groups to put some of these techniques into practice.

I first started writing every day after my friend bought me a calendar for Christmas.  For some reason, I got it in my head that it would be cool to keep track of all the songs I wrote that year, so I used the calendar to write down the titles each day.

1. Take a look at an existing song title with a vague direction.  Think to yourself, “Where do I think this song is going based on the title?”  Then, look at the lyrics and go in the opposite direction.  

Groups: 

1. “I Break Everything I Touch” by Jason Aldean

https://genius.com/Jason-aldean-i-break-everything-i-touch-lyrics 

2. “Startin’ with Me” by Jake Owen

https://genius.com/Jake-owen-startin-with-me-lyrics 

3. “Stupid Song” by Olivia Rodrigo

https://genius.com/Olivia-rodrigo-stupid-song-lyrics 

4. “What’s Wrong with Me” by Olivia Rodrigo feat. Robert Smith

https://genius.com/Olivia-rodrigo-and-robert-smith-whats-wrong-with-me-lyrics