Ahh, variety is the spice of life
I received another article from Ron Balagot a couple of days ago and this time it's about beating writers block by doing more than one project at a time.
The premise of the article is...
When you get stuck on one thing, work on another project that you have on the go.
I found this article interesting because it advocates having more than one project going on and swapping attention between projects when one is stuck.
I personally am an advocate of doing 'one thing at a time' however, if the swapping of attention is done in a way that is purposeful, strategic and not confusing then I can see how this can work.
Ron tells me that this article is a rewritten version of an article that he has on his new website www.unlimitedcreativepower.com. Here is how he describes what his website is about.
"Here you will discover creativity strategies, insights and more that can help you on your way to creative freedom, personal fulfillment and inner harmony"
Sounds good to me.
The site has just been put up so I will be keeping a close eye on how Ron's site develops.
Anyway, here is the article "Eliminate Writer’s Block And Become A More Productive Songwriter" by Ron Balagot.
By Ron Balagot
Would you like to learn a simple method that can help eliminate writer’s block, thus allow you to become a more productive songwriter?
If so, read the following quotes by prolific author, Bob Bly (author of more than 50 books and one of today’s top copywriters)…and discover what method he has consistently used over the years to become the successful writer he is today (in a short while, I’ll explain how you can use this method in your songwriting):
and avoid writer's block is to have
many projects on various subjects
and in different formats.
The variety keeps you fresh and
prevents you from getting bored or fatigued,
which are the key causes of writer's block.
For instance, if you hit a snag on a particular project
you can put it down and work on something else.
This keeps you moving and keeps the fresh ideas flowing.
I can put it aside and switch to the direct-mail package
I'm writing for a software company.
If I get to the point where I need more information from my
software client to proceed with their sales letter,
I can put that aside and work on an article or book.
As you can see, what Bob does is he works on many projects at a time. witching between them throughout his writing sessions. In fact, this method works so well that it has never failed him (and his success as a writer/copywriter certainly proves this).
I, for one, know it works.
The truth is, since discovering this method, I’ve been using it consistently, and I can say that my output has greatly improved as a result.
Now, you might say, “That sounds wonderful! But what if I don’t have different writing projects or formats to work on? What if I only write songs? How can I benefit from this method?”
In that case, I suggest you try something I also found highly effective.
What I would do at times is this: Instead of switching between different writing projects or formats (meaning, going from a song to a letter…then to an article…and so on), I’d switch between different articles (my writing session would consist of articles only), or different letters (letters only), or different songs (songs only).
So, basically, if all you have are songs to work on, you would take a set of songs, work on one of them and when you get stuck or bored, switch to another song (and continue this process throughout your writing session).
This way, you’d still have "variety" (since you’re working on totally "different" songs).
(The truth is, other writers, when stuck on a particular writing project, even switch to another activity like “researching” just to keep things moving. In other words, they switch from a “writing” activity to a “non-writing” activity. And you can do the same. Again, the key is “variety.”)
Of course, you don’t need to take my word that this method works. Feel free to try it out.
Experiment with the mix of projects and workloads and find out what works best for you.
And when you discover what works best for you what gets you the results you want just use it consistently.
He is also the editor/publisher of the website, Unlimited Creative Power. Feel free to visit www.unlimitedcreativepower.com for creativity strategies, insights, and more.
Ahh, I see. Have more than one song going at a time and swap between them when the going gets a bit tough. In my own songwriting process I do this anyway as I can come up with musical ideas very easily.
I music pay more attention to it now and see what happens.
Thanks for the article Ron, keep them coming.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
www.coreystewartonline.com
www.orangutangmusic.com
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11 Ways To Eliminate Writers Block FOREVER!!
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