I have been writing lyrics for a while now but for some reason I have hit a road block. Anyone here write or have suggestions of where I can draw some inspiration from?
Any lyrical writers around here?
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TheSixthWheel
bangetzit
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I think it depends on what you like to write about. Maybe do something to conjur up the imagery of what you like to write about. For example, if you write country lyrics, kick your own ass and put some Floyd on. If you write metal lyrics go get yourself stuck in 5 o'clock traffic or in a medieval cosplay meet - there'll be swords! 
But on a serious note - Do something outside your day to day lifestyle. Go somewhere unusual. Do something unexpected. I find that going away on a holiday helps put my life in perspective, and makes me want to create more than anything. Once returned though, I find it hard to take a step back. I would also like to mention at this point that I in no way whatsoever consider myself a lyricist. So all lyrical advice offered by me should for all intents and purposes be considered null and void
But on a serious note - Do something outside your day to day lifestyle. Go somewhere unusual. Do something unexpected. I find that going away on a holiday helps put my life in perspective, and makes me want to create more than anything. Once returned though, I find it hard to take a step back. I would also like to mention at this point that I in no way whatsoever consider myself a lyricist. So all lyrical advice offered by me should for all intents and purposes be considered null and void
^
Myself... I'm not much of a lyricist at all, but I draw a lot of ideas for music from stories or anything I read (fictitious and otherwise). Like, hearing or seeing things through somebody else's eyes... "outside" of what I'm normally used to experiencing colors my thinking in such a way that the ideas pretty much create themselves.
Myself... I'm not much of a lyricist at all, but I draw a lot of ideas for music from stories or anything I read (fictitious and otherwise). Like, hearing or seeing things through somebody else's eyes... "outside" of what I'm normally used to experiencing colors my thinking in such a way that the ideas pretty much create themselves.
winterlover
Banned
i sit alone in the woods or watch some black metal dvds
ZXIIIT
XIII
Mr. S
tacos?
I cant come up with lyrics for shit if I'm listening to the track I'm supposed to be writing for but fetch me a book and some classical music relevant to the mood I'm trying to convey and I'm away 
^
Myself... I'm not much of a lyricist at all, but I draw a lot of ideas for music from stories or anything I read (fictitious and otherwise). Like, hearing or seeing things through somebody else's eyes... "outside" of what I'm normally used to experiencing colors my thinking in such a way that the ideas pretty much create themselves.
Same here basically. Now if I could only sing.
Hmm. That's kind of a tough recommendation without knowing more about what you write - are your lyrics of the storytelling type? Introspective? Observational?
SevenDeadly
Loomis Brotherhood
just sit down and write, especially for metal lyrics. watch this
Torpid disruption putrefactive mortal disfiguration
heavens herecy thirsts for the recesses of your heart
or for power metal stick with elements
as the tears of heaven melt the skin of the earth
and the dancing drops of the rain tiptoes upon the land
the loneliness of your solitude cannot be solved by death
the piercing pain in your head cannot be led astray
mountains crumble down before your knees
as the sky falls to the spreading disease
ripples of waves embrace the naked sands of sins
you get the idea, there are no real rules. alliteration, rhyme scheme, beat
Torpid disruption putrefactive mortal disfiguration
heavens herecy thirsts for the recesses of your heart
or for power metal stick with elements
as the tears of heaven melt the skin of the earth
and the dancing drops of the rain tiptoes upon the land
the loneliness of your solitude cannot be solved by death
the piercing pain in your head cannot be led astray
mountains crumble down before your knees
as the sky falls to the spreading disease
ripples of waves embrace the naked sands of sins
you get the idea, there are no real rules. alliteration, rhyme scheme, beat
TonyFlyingSquirrel
Cherokee Warrior
For me, inspiration comes when I least expect it.
My wife and I were having a conversation on our balcony watching the sunrise a few weekends ago & something she said just sparked some phrases for me to take off with. I just finished those lyrics about a week or so ago, & already have a song recorded around it, (Talk to Me) on the soundclick link.
Other times, I just write down phrases that come to me, & sometimes it takes me months to complete. I have a laptop bag that I haul around with me that has a folder with specs & drawings for my own guitar designs, and then I have a binder with my lyrics printed out, & a notebook of phrases & stuff that I keep adding to.
When something comes to mind, I write it down as quickly as possible so I won't forget it, or drive myself crazy trying to remember it. That way I can come back to it fresh.
My wife and I were having a conversation on our balcony watching the sunrise a few weekends ago & something she said just sparked some phrases for me to take off with. I just finished those lyrics about a week or so ago, & already have a song recorded around it, (Talk to Me) on the soundclick link.
Other times, I just write down phrases that come to me, & sometimes it takes me months to complete. I have a laptop bag that I haul around with me that has a folder with specs & drawings for my own guitar designs, and then I have a binder with my lyrics printed out, & a notebook of phrases & stuff that I keep adding to.
When something comes to mind, I write it down as quickly as possible so I won't forget it, or drive myself crazy trying to remember it. That way I can come back to it fresh.
friday11
Well-Known Member
I for myself take always a small book with me, where I wrote all things down that impose or scared me.
Last week for example I walk through the city (don't now why...) and I saw two ugly girls, probably the most uglist girls in the world, leaving mc donalds, cross the street and enter burger king. that was so funny and also nasty that I wrote it down immediately...
For me this is a good way to get inspiration for lyrics...
Last week for example I walk through the city (don't now why...) and I saw two ugly girls, probably the most uglist girls in the world, leaving mc donalds, cross the street and enter burger king. that was so funny and also nasty that I wrote it down immediately...
For me this is a good way to get inspiration for lyrics...
Sorry for not being more specific. Most of what I write is of an introspective nature but at times observational as well. As for the music that is backing it, it is usual of a heavier nature but not so brutal that the lyrics would have to be screamed to be heard over it. After all I am the one singing the stuff that I write.
I am in the habit of carrying around a spiral bound notebook to write down things as they come to me so I guess I am on the right track in that respect. Now if I could just find something that inspires me.
TonyFlyingSquirrel
Cherokee Warrior
Look at it this way.
What would spark a conversation if you were sitting on a bench with someone? When you respond to a thread on a forum, you are essentially expressing yourself the same way.
Writing lyrics is kinda like having a dialogue in your head, just writing it down.
What would spark a conversation if you were sitting on a bench with someone? When you respond to a thread on a forum, you are essentially expressing yourself the same way.
Writing lyrics is kinda like having a dialogue in your head, just writing it down.
Whenever I hit a road block, I always try to imagine myself in an extraordinary situation. I take everything in my head and how I feel, and multiply it 10 fold. Use your words to convey the most unprobable situation you could see yourself in.
Alot of times it's not the words themselves that matter, but rather the sounds of the words. That's always something I keep in my mind. Writing in mild riddles tends to help.
Me personally, (this is just me, maybe not the most healthy thing to do) I always take all my frustrations, hate, anger, sadness, etc. and I just increase them as much as I can. When I do that, I begin to think of things that would never happen unless I was totally mentally broken. Confusion, anger, and sorrow create a sphere of really scary ideas, but ideas that make you think. For example, "What would I do if I had the chance to kill someone that I hated? What's going through my mind? How did I get to this point? Who is on my side? What is the end result?"
Fantasy is a big name of the game to me.
As you are a more observational/introspective writer, one of the best things I always did when I was writing in that style was people watch. Human behavior is a truly interesting thing to me, and when you begin seeing people, realizing that they feel their life is just as important as you feel yours is, it really puts things into perspective. Take their concept of their life, and stretch it to a bigger picture. Relate it to yourself. What would happen if they were all gone?
This is just my advice, I hope it helps a little.
Alot of times it's not the words themselves that matter, but rather the sounds of the words. That's always something I keep in my mind. Writing in mild riddles tends to help.
Me personally, (this is just me, maybe not the most healthy thing to do) I always take all my frustrations, hate, anger, sadness, etc. and I just increase them as much as I can. When I do that, I begin to think of things that would never happen unless I was totally mentally broken. Confusion, anger, and sorrow create a sphere of really scary ideas, but ideas that make you think. For example, "What would I do if I had the chance to kill someone that I hated? What's going through my mind? How did I get to this point? Who is on my side? What is the end result?"
Fantasy is a big name of the game to me.
As you are a more observational/introspective writer, one of the best things I always did when I was writing in that style was people watch. Human behavior is a truly interesting thing to me, and when you begin seeing people, realizing that they feel their life is just as important as you feel yours is, it really puts things into perspective. Take their concept of their life, and stretch it to a bigger picture. Relate it to yourself. What would happen if they were all gone?
This is just my advice, I hope it helps a little.
In that case, when I find myself blocked on something, I'll generally take whatever the subject matter is (I tend to come up with titles first) I'm writing about and take it from a different angle than I would normally look at it. A different perspective can be very enlightening.
Petef2007
Well-Known Member
I generally take life experiences with both myself and others, dress em up somewhat so its not woe is me whining, use a few metaphors n such n take it from there. The biggest bit of advice i have is try n do your own thing, n not rip off other lyricists just because they have a knack for it. My influences lyrically are Maynard James Keenan, Tom Englund, Mike Akerfeldt and Davey Havok, although you wouldn't be able to tell from the lyrics.
TonyFlyingSquirrel
Cherokee Warrior
Whenever I hit a road block, I always try to imagine myself in an extraordinary situation. I take everything in my head and how I feel, and multiply it 10 fold. Use your words to convey the most unprobable situation you could see yourself in.
Alot of times it's not the words themselves that matter, but rather the sounds of the words. That's always something I keep in my mind. Writing in mild riddles tends to help.
Me personally, (this is just me, maybe not the most healthy thing to do) I always take all my frustrations, hate, anger, sadness, etc. and I just increase them as much as I can. When I do that, I begin to think of things that would never happen unless I was totally mentally broken. Confusion, anger, and sorrow create a sphere of really scary ideas, but ideas that make you think. For example, "What would I do if I had the chance to kill someone that I hated? What's going through my mind? How did I get to this point? Who is on my side? What is the end result?"
Fantasy is a big name of the game to me.
As you are a more observational/introspective writer, one of the best things I always did when I was writing in that style was people watch. Human behavior is a truly interesting thing to me, and when you begin seeing people, realizing that they feel their life is just as important as you feel yours is, it really puts things into perspective. Take their concept of their life, and stretch it to a bigger picture. Relate it to yourself. What would happen if they were all gone?
This is just my advice, I hope it helps a little.
I've done that quite a bit, but nowadays, I think I'm more personally retrospective and vulnerable with my lyrics. Rather than narrating analytically about a topic, I'll expose my experience and feelings in relation to how I've been affected personally about an experience, or my own contemplative reflections. I've just started to be more personally honest in my lyrics than just relating to someone else's story. It's been good therapy, a form of journaling if you will.
TonalArchitect
Augmented Chords!
Inspiration can be difficult to find.
I find that walking helps. I am prone to lone walks, though. Perhaps saturate yourself with music-- not forcing it on yourself, but just having it on whenever possible. Not necessarily music whose lyrics appeal to you, but that whose mood resembles the feelings you want to evoke in your poetry.
This goes for other kinds of art, read poetry, look at art, watch films, maybe turn the channel to Turner Classic Movies.
Also be wary that inspiration comes in many forms, so that notebook you carry will be a great aid. Personally I find that although sometimes a specific line or phrase, or an element or structure will come, inspiration has a feeling all its own. I can't really describe it, but it's kind of in your chest, yet throughout the whole body, an excitement.
If a full-size spiral is too large, I find that carrying those little spiral notebooks helps greatly. They're pocketsized and wonderful when you cannot carry a large notebook.
Also, I prefer writing in pen; pencils do not work for me. But for some reason, and I cannot say why, writing something down while creating always works better than typing, and for me, pen performs better than pencil.
My
Don't worry; though you can't govern when, it'll come to you.
I find that walking helps. I am prone to lone walks, though. Perhaps saturate yourself with music-- not forcing it on yourself, but just having it on whenever possible. Not necessarily music whose lyrics appeal to you, but that whose mood resembles the feelings you want to evoke in your poetry.
This goes for other kinds of art, read poetry, look at art, watch films, maybe turn the channel to Turner Classic Movies.
Also be wary that inspiration comes in many forms, so that notebook you carry will be a great aid. Personally I find that although sometimes a specific line or phrase, or an element or structure will come, inspiration has a feeling all its own. I can't really describe it, but it's kind of in your chest, yet throughout the whole body, an excitement.
If a full-size spiral is too large, I find that carrying those little spiral notebooks helps greatly. They're pocketsized and wonderful when you cannot carry a large notebook.
Also, I prefer writing in pen; pencils do not work for me. But for some reason, and I cannot say why, writing something down while creating always works better than typing, and for me, pen performs better than pencil.
My
Don't worry; though you can't govern when, it'll come to you.
One time I was so desperate for ideas that I actually wrote a song about being completely uninspired.
Sometimes you have to get a little weird with it.
Sometimes you have to get a little weird with it.
All_¥our_Bass
Deathly Chuuni
I like writing lyrics and poems. I suaully end up drawing when I hit a block. I also take a guitar/music break. I just try to get my mind out of my usual mode of thinking.
