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.