T-Bone writes:
Writing words and writing music are not all that different, I find. Music, at least, comes down to
1. taking the time to actually sit down and write something,
2. absurd amounts of revision,
3. trusting your gut and your ear,
and most importantly,
4. being honest and saying things that you’re afraid to say.
T-Bone, you could write this blog. He goes on to write:
It is also very useful to know when you have to throw things away, even things that you love and care about. All the steps are difficult to do for various reasons. For step 1, do you ever find that you fall into a pattern that you want to break out of?
For example, when I pick up a guitar, my hands automatically go to familiar and comfortable chords. Anything I write with this inevitably ends up boring and dishonest.
It’s difficult to get over, but sometimes it helps to switch instruments, or even switch roles of instruments – like singing a cello part or playing a vocal part – to start thinking about it differently. I assume there’s a writing equivalent of falling into cliche, but I’m interested to know: what do you do to snap out of it? Just power through? Or are there tricks?
Sometimes I use a pen and paper, other times I write on the computer. And, some of my best journaling, in retrospect, at least as a window into what I was thinking, was via audio recording — just speaking into a recorder late at night while taking a walk or right as I’m about to fall asleep.
We decided that this is often what makes the best writing or composition: creating a clear window into what you were thinking. Even if those thoughts were abstract, they’re linked to something here. And even if it’s impossible to assign reason to every aspect, there’s often an alternate logic to the irrational. You can still see the scene inside your head, and you represent it as honestly as you can.
Don’t be afraid to give yourself memory triggers, little notes you jot down so you don’t forget the scene. Just remember that a memory trigger is highly personal, it probably won’t work for someone else unless you provide the context. But once you get to step 1, and continue on through step 4, you’ll be well on your way to real writing, writing which also offers something of value to your readers.
Do you agree that writing needs to be honest, at least at some fundamental level? What does honesty mean to you within the context of your writing?