I tend to write lyrics more than anything and it is very hard to put into words how I do it. Most of the time, the music comes first. From that, I get ideas rhythmically as to the structure. Other times, the lyrics come first and I write music that (hopefully) compliments them.
Either way, I rarely have an idea beforehand as to a concept, other than possibly a hook that I want to work into the chorus. I find that if I just start writing, eventually things take shape and I figure out what the hell I'm trying to say.
My biggest problem is that I don't do it often enough. When I am in practice, I can write very easily. Take too much time off and I spend a lot of time staring at a blank screen and generally discard most of what I write. I used to force myself to write for an hour a day. I should probably start doing that again. It gets my mind in the habit of thinking of lyrical structure.
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