Writer's Block, and Not The Good Kind...
So for the past week or so, I've sat down with a clean sheet of paper and a dozen ideas. I told myself I was going to write some killer new stuff this week. Well wouldn't you know, that paper is still blank and the ideas are in my head as I have been hit with another case of writers block. But this is the bad kind of writer's block. I don't mind the writer's block when you have no ideas, period. In fact, I prefer that kind of writer's block! Because when you have that kind of writer's block, the possibilities are endless. When you have that kind of writer's block, you can just have fun. It's like taking a road trip without a map. You just go wherever the road takes you. You stop wherever you want to stop. If you see a sign for a whiskey distillery, you say "Hell yeah!" and jump on the exit. That kind of writer'd block rocks!
But I don't have that writer's block. Oh no, I have the bad writer's block. The kind where you know where you're going, but it seems like the maps are outdated and Siri is on crack, and meth, and LSD!!!! Where you have been driving for hours and suddenly you're like "Hmm...that's a cool old tree. Where have I seen that old tree? Maybe it was in a picture somewhere? OH WAIT! I passed the same damn tree three times already!!"
Yeah, that's the kind of writer's block I'm dealing with. And it seems like that kind of writer's block comes with side effects. A hint of doubt, pangs of frustration. This writer's block sucks. I planned on trying to push my way through it, but it seemed like I was going nowhere...so I decided to go out. There's a local band that I've been meaning to check out, so I called my ole show choir buddy up and we headed to the Bluebird (Nightclub, not Cafe'. Oh I wish it was the Cafe'. Their chicken sandwich is amazing. Oh and the cheesecake I got last time was PERFECT!! But I digress...). I not only wanted to go out because I was in the mood to dance. This band performs one of the songs I co-wrote with Layton James. Technically I think Jake might be a co-writer on it too because it sounded like he changed some things. I should probably find that out for sure? Okay, back to the story. (Can you see why I've had a hard time focusing on new songs? )
So we had a good old time dancing to All Access Band, then Jake Dodds and Stagecoach Revolver came out and rocked the stage. It was a great night. Unfortunately, I'm old so around 12:30 I was ready to head out. Even though I hadn't heard Jake's rendition of Longshot At Best, I figured I'd just catch them some other time. After all, it was my weekend to work and 6:30 comes around way too fast. For my co-worker's sake, I figured it was time to get some beauty sleep. As he finished the previous song I told Mikey "I just want to see if he kicks it off"... So we stood there as Jake talked for a minute (I couldn't hear what he said. Something about a girl. Then I heard "oh, she left". And I was super confused). Then they kicked it off! I raced back down there and stood with Layton (And tried to take a picture so I could post some goofy "Just two cowriters chillin' while the band rocks out to our song" status, but I looked at the picture and decided not to post it for his sake. You're welcome dude!).
As I stood there taking a video, grinning ear to ear, I remembered why I do this. They were so amazing! People were dancing. Drunk girls were screaming. It made me think back to when we initially started writing Longshot At Best. Layton and I were just sitting around, playing songs back and forth. I decided to play "Woman of Your Dreams", which goes "She's a flight risk, a longshot at best...". When I finished playing, he gave me that old "That's cool"...which I'm guessing translates to "Okay, she really is a beginner", but then he said that he liked the whole "Longshot At Best" idea. So we ran with it and wrote it to his liking (since at the time he was the artist we were writing for). I must say, turning that line into a song was an awesome idea my friend! I really liked it when Layton originally played it out...but I LOVED hearing Jake and Stagecoach Revolver's take on it!
All day I've been thinking about last night, and I've been reminded why I do this. Now, I'm still fighting this stupid writer's block. But instead of getting frustrated, I think I'll just call Siri names and keep on trucking. Heck, that tree is kinda cool looking. And I'm bound to get somewhere eventually, right?
But I don't have that writer's block. Oh no, I have the bad writer's block. The kind where you know where you're going, but it seems like the maps are outdated and Siri is on crack, and meth, and LSD!!!! Where you have been driving for hours and suddenly you're like "Hmm...that's a cool old tree. Where have I seen that old tree? Maybe it was in a picture somewhere? OH WAIT! I passed the same damn tree three times already!!"
Yeah, that's the kind of writer's block I'm dealing with. And it seems like that kind of writer's block comes with side effects. A hint of doubt, pangs of frustration. This writer's block sucks. I planned on trying to push my way through it, but it seemed like I was going nowhere...so I decided to go out. There's a local band that I've been meaning to check out, so I called my ole show choir buddy up and we headed to the Bluebird (Nightclub, not Cafe'. Oh I wish it was the Cafe'. Their chicken sandwich is amazing. Oh and the cheesecake I got last time was PERFECT!! But I digress...). I not only wanted to go out because I was in the mood to dance. This band performs one of the songs I co-wrote with Layton James. Technically I think Jake might be a co-writer on it too because it sounded like he changed some things. I should probably find that out for sure? Okay, back to the story. (Can you see why I've had a hard time focusing on new songs? )
So we had a good old time dancing to All Access Band, then Jake Dodds and Stagecoach Revolver came out and rocked the stage. It was a great night. Unfortunately, I'm old so around 12:30 I was ready to head out. Even though I hadn't heard Jake's rendition of Longshot At Best, I figured I'd just catch them some other time. After all, it was my weekend to work and 6:30 comes around way too fast. For my co-worker's sake, I figured it was time to get some beauty sleep. As he finished the previous song I told Mikey "I just want to see if he kicks it off"... So we stood there as Jake talked for a minute (I couldn't hear what he said. Something about a girl. Then I heard "oh, she left". And I was super confused). Then they kicked it off! I raced back down there and stood with Layton (And tried to take a picture so I could post some goofy "Just two cowriters chillin' while the band rocks out to our song" status, but I looked at the picture and decided not to post it for his sake. You're welcome dude!).
As I stood there taking a video, grinning ear to ear, I remembered why I do this. They were so amazing! People were dancing. Drunk girls were screaming. It made me think back to when we initially started writing Longshot At Best. Layton and I were just sitting around, playing songs back and forth. I decided to play "Woman of Your Dreams", which goes "She's a flight risk, a longshot at best...". When I finished playing, he gave me that old "That's cool"...which I'm guessing translates to "Okay, she really is a beginner", but then he said that he liked the whole "Longshot At Best" idea. So we ran with it and wrote it to his liking (since at the time he was the artist we were writing for). I must say, turning that line into a song was an awesome idea my friend! I really liked it when Layton originally played it out...but I LOVED hearing Jake and Stagecoach Revolver's take on it!
All day I've been thinking about last night, and I've been reminded why I do this. Now, I'm still fighting this stupid writer's block. But instead of getting frustrated, I think I'll just call Siri names and keep on trucking. Heck, that tree is kinda cool looking. And I'm bound to get somewhere eventually, right?
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