How do you guys get back into songwriting after a long time?
It has been a year since I've been a habitual songwriter. Every time I try to write a song or a poem I fail. I can't even get a melody or chord progression under my fingers anymore. How do I do it again?

Whenever I get in this position I spend a few days just playing guitar for about an hour and then I tell myself that i'm going to write a riff in the style of such and such or that i'm just going to try and write part of a song and try not to overthink it.You may like it, you may not but don't be afraid to fail, there will be more music, you just have to get back into the idea of writing until hopefully some sonic gold will come from it.

i'm undergoing the same process, except with a ~6 year break.

don't really have something helpful to add except keep trying, try to (re)establish some routine

Take the pressure off yourself by a) remembering that the nature of songwriting makes it INCREDIBLY difficult. We all have music that we think is brilliant, that excites or moves us, but we also know that the majority of songs don't, so don't expect miracles right out the gate b) a lot of great songs are incredibly simple, using simple standard chord progressions to say "I love you", "I feel sad", "Fuck you" etc. Again, lower your standards. c) set yourself an "exercise" - eg use a bog standard I-IV-V chord sequence to come up with something you like, whether a melody or a lyric. It's WAY easier to sit down to do an "exercise" than "writing a good song". Like resuming a sport or playing an instrument, you've got to build up strength, remind your muscles what to do b) if all else leaves you frustrated, play and sing a song you like. Enjoy it. It's a really great way of appreciating the combination of simple everday stuff and "brilliance" or whatever in the music we like.

Don't allow yourself to beat yourself up over this. You're trying to do something really difficult.

Just write. Do something. Dismiss all expectations. Set an hour or two aside and do nothing other than something.

The overwhelming majority of creation comes out of habit.

will I ever write again?
I count the years from one to ten
when nothing ever happened
as I tried to move my pen

Write in character either as an established writer, or one you've invented. Try to make creative decisions they'd make rather than ones you would make.

When you can't stand being them anymore, be you again.

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 4:26 am Just write. Do something. Dismiss all expectations. Set an hour or two aside and do nothing other than something.

The overwhelming majority of creation comes out of habit.

All great responses so far but I like this one the best.

Just play. Just strumming some simple chords on a guitar feels good, for me it's really therapeutic. Just find a couple you like and zone out on them for awhile. Maybe that inspires a melody.

For me, the hardest part of anything is getting started. I might not feel like playing guitar, but guaranteed if I pick one up and just start fucking around, within 5 minutes I'll be doing something amusing, and after that it's easy for an hour to roll by.

If you sit down thinking "I gotta write something today" you're already fucked. Just sit down and play every day. At the end of a month you're gonna have some bits to work with.

If you're bored with all your usual chords, try some alternate tunings.

Learn some covers, or just try to play in a style different from what you normally do, this can be really helpful IMO. I learned a lot doing a bunch of the PRF cover song thingies a few years ago.

MoreSpaceEcho wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 10:27 am For me, the hardest part of anything is getting started. I might not feel like playing guitar, but guaranteed if I pick one up and just start fucking around, within 5 minutes I'll be doing something amusing, and after that it's easy for an hour to roll by.

I can relate to this, and it's not just guitar, it's drums, working at my job, cleaning the house, etc. I feel like there's just something with how I'm wired where I need 15 minutes or so for my mind to get focused on whatever I'm starting. And conversely, until I start something, there's this inertia working against beginning stuff that requires some mental focus.

^^^^^ Right, yeah, it's literally everything, cleaning the garage, whatever. I'm always fighting the inertia of laziness and oh, I'll just watch another stupid video on youtube for awhile. Once I get going, I'm totally fine and I'll get into whatever it is, even drudgery stuff like yardwork. It's just the getting going.

Today's thing that I don't feel like doing is repainting the bathroom ceiling, which actually won't take very long to do and won't be terribly difficult. It's just not nearly as fun or easy as strumming a guitar. So hey, maybe use this as inspiration, if anyone's feeling creatively stuck and uninspired, think of all the drudgey household tasks that need doing and how unfun they'll be, then sit down at the piano or whatever and see how much more fun that is!