The title is an excellent place to start as it sets the precedent for the entire song. Choose a phrase that is true to you and something you can build on with further thought. If you are having problems with your song title, try brainstorming a list of titles. You can find suggestions by reading quotations, books, magazines, listening to others or from your own mind. Make a list of at least five phrases that you can manipulate with different words until you come up with the perfect phrase you want to write a song about. Circle the title.
Write your chosen title at the top of a piece of paper. Write three or four main thoughts you want your song to convey. These thoughts may or may not directly relate to your title. Continue to brainstorm by writing words and phrases these four thoughts bring to your mind around your original four thoughts. If you are having trouble thinking what to write, ask yourself questions regarding the thoughts. For example, if one of your four main thoughts is "love," ask questions such as "How deep is the love?" or "What is the character of this love"? Do not worry about technicalities such as rhyming at this point.
The main elements of any style of song are Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus. While songs can and do deviate from this pattern, it is the most popular because it is repetitive enough to make a song memorable to its listeners.
The Verses of a song share the same melody but different lyrics. The Verses express the main thoughts of the song and elaborate on them. The Chorus drives the message of the song, which is why it usually contains the title of the song. The Bridge is driven by a different melody and set of lyrics that differentiate it from the Chorus and Verse. The Bridge may be an appeal to the subject of the song or simply further thoughts that lead to a climax in the song. The Pre-chorus is the climax of the song before the final Chorus and perhaps repetition of the Chorus. The Pre-Chorus may or may not consist of lyrics.
Build the verses of your song using the four main thoughts you wrote earlier. Use the same technique as developing the title. Write phrases and then use the words and phrases listed interchangeably until you are satisfied with the wording.
Write your chorus using your title as the driving thought in this same manner. Arrange all of your elements as outlined above. Let the lyrics sit overnight. Read them with a fresh mind and rewrite accordingly. Repeat these exercises until you have lyrics that you are happy with.
Write the music to your song using your instrument of choice or utilize some software to help. There is software available that will write the music to your song as you sing the lyrics. If you feel that you lack the ability to write your own music, collaborate with a musician. Rewrite your song as needed to fit the rhythm of your melody.