How to finish writing a song (when the inspiration’s gone) -

So you’re in the middle of a song and the inspiration is gone, what do you do?

You know those moments where all of a sudden everything goes black, or when it’s just not coming together for you?

Music can be such a tough thing to deal with sometimes because it has this magical way of coming and going.

Sometimes we are able to write an entire song in one sitting, but other times we might not have any idea what’s happening or where to go next.

In this post, we’ll look at how to finish a song when the inspiration is gone…

Struggling to finish songs?

If you’re a songwriter, some mornings you wake up and can’t think of anything to write about. You may have just finished the last song and we are back to square one.

It’s not always easy to find inspiration when it doesn’t come naturally but sometimes all it takes is one idea to get your creative juices flowing again.

When you find yourself in a slump of writer’s block, it can feel like the now way to get your creative juices flowing again.

Finishing a song when you are feeling uninspired can be an exercise in futility.

It can feel like no amount of time and effort will ever get you back to your creative peak.

But think about it…

Who’s job is it to finish your song?

When the inspiration goes it can be deflating. We are left to face our own flaws and skill level. Do we have the tools to keep going? To solve those creative problems?

A lot of songwriting is technical. No one wants to hear that! We all want the muse to do the work for us.

When inspiration leaves, we have to do the work, we have to take out the tools. Inspiration rarely stays around for the whole process.

It shows up and gets us going and we have to get to the finish line, solve that creative problem.

Where are you stuck and do you know what tools to use to fix it?

I’m a songwriter, an artist, a creative. Inspiration and the muse are what I live for.

I think the best way to honor inspiration is to be ready for it when it shows up…Learn the tools.

Is waiting for inspiration a ‘victim mentality? At the least, it’s a bit passive and not very proactive.

Even if you are someone who decides to wait for good ideas, what are you doing while you are waiting? Why not practice with the tools.

What do inspiration and Santa have in common?

Inspiration is like Santa clause. It breaks into your house when you are not looking and leaves you a gift, then moves on to the next house.

This is a perfect scenario, right? Would you want Santa hanging around your house all Xmas day hogging the presents and eating your dinner?

He leaves the gift and then lets you play with it or do whatever you want with it, it’s a win-win!

Making creative choices is a matter of listening to your gut and following your heart.

Executing those choices is where the technical aspect comes in.

Songwriting is hard. Think about what we are trying to do. Don’t beat yourself up for not finishing every song.

Be grateful that you have the balls to write a song in the first place.

Most songs deal with a big idea, that is to say, there is a lot to tackle.

To tell someone you love them, or that they broke your heart, or that you’ve overcome an obstacle, even that you just want to hook up and party.

These are all big ideas and we try to pack them into a few minutes.

Songs are short and they happen quickly. We don’t get a lot of time or space to express ourselves.

Any of the topics I just mentioned, you could write a book on. We want to cram that into a couple of minutes and make people feel something to boot! It’s crazy when you think about it.

How does anyone write a song that moves people?

And yes we have a lot of tools at our disposal, words, music, melody, harmony, rhythm.

But we also have to get that right, have all those things working together to make the song really hit its mark.

We should always have at least some appreciation for any song that works, it’s not an easy task.

You want to say something meaningful, that makes sense, that is poetic and simple enough to make other songwriters go, ‘now why didn’t I think of that.

can you make them feel the rain?

5 Tips to finish writing a song faster

1. Plan out your song

Plan out the song. layout the sections in DAW. Song ideas are only fragments unless you give them a framework to hang on.

Map out the lyrical journey. Do you know what you want to say in the song? Take some time to think about it. It will save a lot of time in the longrun.

2. Work backward from the last chorus

So what’s at the end of a song? The climax, usually the chorus.

When you write the last chorus of the song first, it gives us a lot of advantages.

The main one being, we can finish the song faster. Here’s why…

Writing the song’s chorus first is a really effective way of writing.

Once the chorus is written or even sketched out, it lets you know what all the other sections of the song should be working towards. Write to the chorus.

3. It’s easier to be read than to get ready

Having inspirational downtime is the perfect time to practice your craft.

Keep your hand warm and your tools sharp.

Practice some of the technical stuff like lyric struture.

4. Take breaks

You should take a break from your project for at least two hours every day

Every time you come back to it, start by just listing what’s been happening lately without trying to force yourself into any kind of emotional state or trying too hard to make anything rhyme or sound pleasing.

5. Have some tricks

Learn new techniques as often as you can.

Watch Bruce Springsteen talks about some of the songwriting tricks he has up his sleeve.

Bruce Springsteen on songwriting

When you’re feeling blocked and don’t know where to go next, try these tips for finishing a song.

They can help you get unstuck and find your way back to creativity when the inspiration is gone.

You may not be able to use all of them at once – but they might spark an idea for something that will work better than what you were doing before!

If none of this works, try downloading our free lyric writing cheat sheet with some helpful hints on how to stay creative during those tough moments.