United Kingdom

Mark, you mentioned what, is to me, the greatest benifit of song-writing on the computer;
The ability to inject blank lines between verses, and the abiliy to move blocks of info around.
That is real time saver . . .
Yep - a computer is faster than hand-writing. Nothings faster, I guess.
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But - try this sometime;
When you go to bed; put a large pad of blank paper on the kitchen counter, next to 4-5 sharp pencils.
When you get up in the middle of the night to use the facilities, on the way back to bed, still half asleep - stop at the pad and write a sentence or 2 which rhymes.
Then write another sentence or 2 which rhymes.
I did this one morning, and the creative flow was unbeleivable.
I finally startied running down after 5 pages.
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The time to stop writing is when you start waking ip and thinking . . .
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Laugh, if you want.
But - before you laugh - try this twice.
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After I stopped writing, and went to bed, I figured it was all stupid junk, but - what the heck, there might be an idea or two there . . .
But when I went back and read it the next day, I couldn't believe the insight of my subconscious mine . . .
QUite a bit of it was actually very, very good, and required no changes at all. it was like a gift from God.
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I've never been able to write so much good stuff so easily - and without even thinking about it at all.
And - I didn't have to turn my computer on, either . . .
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Remember, folks, we are all 99.99% subconsciouse beings.
Learn to tap into your own subconsciousness, and there's a whole lot of material avaiable to write about.

Man when I get up to use the facilities at night I'm lucky to find my way to the restroom.

I compose best when I am pysicaly, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.
My new job does not do me that way like doing 16's in the hospital.
So I guess I'm screwed.

Hello Rythmn Man and all,
A similar thing as to when to write, is that absence or presence of being able to get inspired on the guitar, of finding phrases and riffs that thrill as against dropping dead... I have noted a strange connection time and time again with me smokin' on the guitar, when I feel starving hungry!
Why the hell should that be... except, that through millions of years of evolution (unless you're a Christian!) we have needed sharper instincts and gifts when we need food.
It's the only reason I can think of.
Mark.................. across the pond

Hello SP,
I had certainly heard that preying animals get sharper senses the hungrier they get... we were hunter/gatherers, but with eyes on the front of our faces like a carnivore I would imagine we were closer to being hunters than to creatures that graze... which does suggest to me we would get sharper when hungry.
We have to remember that until the last few evolutionary seconds in relative terms, so maybe round the bronze age, we were still living fairly unchanged for about 6,000,000 years... meaning we began playing the guitar .0027 of a second ago!
Cor, it makes ya fink dunnit!
Mark................
ps. that was London speak!

And hello Sentient Paradox,
We were talking about what makes us able to write or play okay, then I clicked on your image and got sidetracked and went off to look at your songs on profile and enjoyed having a listen.
I struggle for ages to make a recording, but if you do it quickly and easily, as the professional quality suggests, then do a cover of one of mine as I have never heard one of my efforts done by anyone else and it would be such a novelty!
Cheers,
Mark.................

I quickly learned to Not eat within 2-1/2 hours before a peformance.
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You can either have a full mind, or a full stomach - but not both.

Hello SP & Rythmn Man,
While I remember SP, it would be dead interesting to hear what a song of mine converted into with someone else, but I know it's a huge investment of time and effort learning bits that are essentially quite foreign to you, so just if you are at a loose end one day.

And to everyone: there is a lot of interesting stuff coming out of this eat or not to eat thing, with blood-sugar vs drowsiness etc, and animal instincts becoming more acute.
Though it will take a while to sort vague notion from hard fact, there seems to be a thread that all find this well fired up, or dead fish feeling, can have a connection with food.
I feel I am learning, though thus far I am not sure what!
Mark..........................

Hmmm...never tried the writing while 1/2 asleep thing. When I 1st awaken, I cannot speak properly for a few minutes. Everything comes out gibberish...drives the wife mad. Wonder what kinds of gibberish I'd WRITE?!?!?

I've been on trips w/ppl who tell me I speak in tongues or speak alien when I'm not quite all there yet. It's either that, or I holler out strange sentences that don't seem to make sense in my sleep.

I think me head is quite disjointed, or perhaps double-jointed, at times.