Songwriter's block? Here are three ideas to get you started again.

The Sound Bite trick

Go to the radio, and make sure it's tuned in to a music station - preferably one which you're not familiar with. If you play mostly country, pick an Urban station. If you're into rock, pick a country station. Switch the radio (or PC, or TV) off, making sure it will come back on to the same station. Alternatively, you could turn the volume down. Wait a few minutes, so the song that was playing when you found the station has long gone.

Get yourself ready to write. Pick up your guitar, or have your mini-recorder ready. At least have a pen and paper handy. Now, switch the radio on, just for a couple of seconds. Long enough no more than a line or two. Now switch off. Pick up your guitar or pen, and using your recollection of that one line as a starting point, start writing.

This will only work if you don't know the song - and of course, if you catch an ad break, or the news, you might need to try later. Or maybe not...

The idea is, you'll get at least one line - you won't remember it exactly, so it's already got your spin on it, and often,
it's just enough to get you started. If it works, and you get a song out of it. just make sure you take out the stolen line.

Steal lyrics from another song

Yes, I mean it - steal the lyrics - not just a line or two. All of them! Find a CD that you don't know very well.
Maybe you bought an album because you liked the single, but the rest of the tracks weren't that great. Ideally, use someone
else's CD collection. Take out the booklet, and flick through the lyrics. Pick one at random, and copy the first verse and

chorus by hand into your notebook.

That's it - pick up your guitar, or sit at your piano, and start writing a new tune to the lyrics. Once you've done the verse and chorus, the rest should follow. Then, you can either some spare lyrics to fit your new tune, or just add your own verses, and a new chorus, to what you've got. As long as you get rid of the source lyrics, you're in the clear!

 Songwriter's block? Here are three ideas to get you started again.

The Sound Bite trick

Go to the radio, and make sure it's tuned in to a music station - preferably one which you're not familiar with. If you play mostly country, pick an Urban station. If you're into rock, pick a country station. Switch the radio (or PC, or TV) off, making sure it will come back on to the same station. Alternatively, you could turn the volume down. Wait a few minutes, so the song that was playing when you found the station has long gone.

Get yourself ready to write. Pick up your guitar, or have your mini-recorder ready. At least have a pen and paper handy. Now, switch the radio on, just for a couple of seconds. Long enough no more than a line or two. Now switch off. Pick up your guitar or pen, and using your recollection of that one line as a starting point, start writing.

This will only work if you don't know the song - and of course, if you catch an ad break, or the news, you might need to try later. Or maybe not...

The idea is, you'll get at least one line - you won't remember it exactly, so it's already got your spin on it, and often,
it's just enough to get you started. If it works, and you get a song out of it. just make sure you take out the stolen line.

Steal lyrics from another song

Yes, I mean it - steal the lyrics - not just a line or two. All of them! Find a CD that you don't know very well.
Maybe you bought an album because you liked the single, but the rest of the tracks weren't that great. Ideally, use someone
else's CD collection. Take out the booklet, and flick through the lyrics. Pick one at random, and copy the first verse and

chorus by hand into your notebook.

That's it - pick up your guitar, or sit at your piano, and start writing a new tune to the lyrics. Once you've done the verse and chorus, the rest should follow. Then, you can either some spare lyrics to fit your new tune, or just add your own verses, and a new chorus, to what you've got. As long as you get rid of the source lyrics, you're in the clear!