Canadian Musician - January / February 2020 | Page 58
WRITING
Halifax-based singer-songwriter Ian Sherwood is a born story teller and a constant creator. In addition to his original work,
Sherwood writes and produces for other artists as well as for theatre, film, and television. He most recently won a 2017
Robert Merritt Award for Outstanding Original Score for the play Tompkinsville. www.iansherwood.com.
By Ian Sherwood
That Ol’ Stone Wall
I
t’s a dreaded condition that even
the most seasoned writer comes up
against every now and then: the ol’
stone wall. Writer’s block!
In the beginning, when I knew noth-
ing about the craft of songwriting, it was
easy to write. So easy. The sky was the limit
on what I could write about and how I
constructed my songs. Oh, that freedom!
Now, after years of songwriting sem-
inars, co-writing sessions, commissions,
and just good old-fashioned writing-
from-the-heart, I’ve become bound by a
certain set of rules that make up a “good
song.” Those rules have served me well
but have also stamped out some of that
reckless abandon that gave me license
to make mistakes. My search to get back
to this place of inspiration has led me to
discover a few different methods to help
unlock my creative juices.
Have a goal and someone to make
you stick to it
My very first gig as a songwriter was at
a local restaurant in Toronto’s Parkdale
neighbourhood. I had 20 minutes of ma-
terial to fill two sets and most of what I
had was garbage. Out of necessity, I came
up with a challenge: my roommate and
I would write at least a verse and chorus
of a song every day before noon, then we
would present our new pieces to each
other after lunch and offer our critiques.
After a month, I had plenty of material to
keep my night entertaining and audienc-
es loved being the first to hear brand new
untested material (usually).
58 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
The key points here are: a) having a
partner to keep you on track, b) being
diligent with the exercise, and c) having
a tangible goal (I needed songs for that
gig!). Without these factors it would have
taken me a lot longer to carry a full night
on my own.
Switch up the old ways
Eventually I discovered that a good walk
would summon ideas. They would come
without fail, usually within a few minutes. I
would spend the rest of the walk working
out a story and a melody line and then
head home to figure out some chords
and put it all together. This was a tried
and tested method that saw me through
my first two records; however, as any par-
ent of young children can attest to, time
for quiet reflection comes at a premium.
Once my wife and I started a family, I had
to switch things up. I examined my av-
erage month and realized that the most
downtime I had was while driving to gigs.
So again, I made a challenge for myself:
have at least a verse and chorus by the
time I reached the venue. Sometimes I
would even perform the song that night
at the show!
But after a time, more and more band
members were in the car with me and I
found the material I was coming up with
to be regurgitative. Time to switch it up
again!
Today, I take notes on drum grooves
that catch my ear. I make rhythm tracks
based on those grooves in my studio and
then write to that. I find that what I come
up with is completely different than what I
had been writing (and, of course, I’m care-
ful not to stray too close to the original
source material).
I also find co-writing with other artists
helps me gain some valuable insight into
what they’re doing to keep themselves
sharp and get immediate feedback on my
ideas (whether I want it or not). Having
another writer in the room can often help
push through the hard times and get you
back on track.
Listen, listen, listen
Everyone’s journey into music starts the
same way: we hear music that makes
us feel something. From there, we can
take just about any path to carve out a
career in music. But listening is where it
all started. Go back to that! Find the re-
cords and recordings that hit you. Do a
deeper search on the producer or other
artists involved in those recordings to find
something new. Spotify suggested play-
lists can help you with this as well. Don’t
stress about it; just put good music on
and let it seep into your soul!
Like I said before, there is no magic trick
to this. These ideas are just about trying
something different to keep from becom-
ing complacent. How you do that is up to
you. Writer’s block is something we all face
at some point. This was my journey and
hopefully there are a few things here you
can use to help you navigate through it,
or avoid it altogether.