1. Start by brainstorming – write down everything that comes into your head when you're thinking about your song topic and then decide what will work best. This may include words, melodic phrases or full song sentences – whatever you have to hand.

2. Try to find a subject that's close to your heart – it's easier to come up with lyric ideas when you have an emotional connection with the topic, and it will also give your song more depth and authenticity.

3. Avoid censoring yourself – be as honest as possible when it comes to your experiences, especially if you're a new songwriter. It's easy to put yourself through a filter and make judgments about what you can and cannot say, but doing this will limit your creativity and keep your lyrical ideas from flowing freely.

4. Know your song structure – learn the basic building blocks of a song so you can better understand its purpose.

The structure of a song is made up of an intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus and bridge (many times this is all tied together in an outro). It's important to know what each element does so you can use them wisely to create a meaningful and enjoyable song.