Q: If songs are written when you're not thinking, how can I create a system wherein I can not think about 1 specific song at a time long enough for it to eventually be fully written? It seems like I would have to use a fair bit of thought just to keep a song of my choice on the chopping block
A: the best way i know is to "reset" your mind and then do a run-through of what you have so far, in real time. The fresher you are, the more likely you will clearly see the song for what it is, and get something. The best way to achieve this sort of 'reset' of 'freshness', unfortunately, is to go for a long period of time without hearing the song, and then hear a real-time run through for the first time. Then as soon as you hit the end of that run through, that's when the next part is most likely to hit you. And if it doesn't, ......... well, the best thing to do is reset again and try again. However, the problem is that the best resets take way too much time to do. So if you actually want to get it done, you need a force-reset, and what i typically do is walk over and touch the door handle and come back (then start the run-through). That works a little bit, but not always. What i've discovered recently might be much more effective is to go to the shower and put your face under the cold water. This seems to work shockingly well, and for the past 2 weeks i've been using it repeatedly on everything from writing to music arrangement to video production. it might be the most effective instant-reset method i've ever found. I keep expecting it to wear out but it seems to keep working