There are a number of rhyming dictionaries online. Rhyming is an essential tool in songwriting to create rhythm within the verses, so this tool will help you create more interesting rhymes and even has a section for near rhymes that will allow you to find the perfect word, even when there are a limited number of perfect rhymes. If you need to, you can also find definitions, synonyms and antonyms to help you say exactly what you want to say. Rhyme Zone, Write Express and WikiRhymer all offer free lists of rhymes and also ways to search for near rhymes and rhymes based on the sounds of various syllables.
Use a random title generator to help generate titles for your songs. If you're short on inspiration, then the title can spark a new idea or you can have the generator create titles around a word that you give it. This allows you to expand on an idea you already have but invent a new twist, just as all songwriters are trying to do. Many of the titles may not make any sense, but there are gems to be found if you keep looking. The Song Name Creator at songname.net is one resource, but you can also use the Random Song Title generator at MODPlug Central, or the Band and Song Name Generator at Musician's Friend, located in its Fun Zone. It's worth visiting a few as they all have limited databases of words so they can sometimes get stuck in a loop. Both the Song Name Creator and the Musician's Friend generator give you a list of titles to scan through, while the MODPlug version gives a single song title.
Current events are always a source of information for songwriters, but they're often one of the toughest things to get right. Accuracy is very important, as is expressing the feelings of those involved without offending your audience. Check your facts by going to a news website and reading stories related to your chosen subject. If you're stuck for inspiration then you can often find a few feel-good stories on news websites that will help you come up with new ideas and new twists on old ideas.
Finding the perfect chord can often be a tough challenge, particularly if you've tried all your usual attempts and haven't found the perfect tonality. Visiting a music theory website will give you different voicings and different colorings for chords, like a Cadd9 or a Cmaj7. The good ones also show you how to play the chord on the instrument of your choice, although they heavily favor the guitar. Some of them will even show you what it sounds like. There are many of these sites around, particularly Chorderator Chord Generator, All Guitar Chords and Chordbook. Most of these are very focused on the guitar. All Guitar Chords gives you the scale degrees included in the chord so you can figure out the chord on your instrument of choice, although it does take some musical knowledge.
Once you've written your songs, you can showcase them on music websites. These sites allow you to upload MP3s of your songs, which people can listen to, purchase and download. They also have artist bios and information about any live performances you have coming up. This makes it a one-stop-shop for everything people need to know about you. The best sites have numerous musicians on them, making them valuable resources for anyone who wants to network with local performers or studio musicians. ReverbNation and SoundClick are a couple of the most popular websites. MySpace also allows you to showcase your music, although its popularity among active musicians seems to have dropped of.
Once you start becoming popular and people begin hearing your songs on the radio, then copyrighting them is a good idea. Today this can be done online by using the U.S. Copyright Office's (copyright.gov) website. You want to anticipate when you'll need to send things off because it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of years to get your certificate, and you can save money by registering a collection of songs at once instead of registering them individually.