Originally Posted by The7thFret

Hello there.

I've been playing in bands for many years, writing songs and lyrics in each of them. I recently decided to go solo (about a year or so ago) and since then have increased my song writing output drastically. From this experience I find somethings work better than others. Generally, I would have to say practice, like anything else, will make you better. From practice you'll learn how to phrase things better and to be more concise. It is the content of lyrics, what a song is about which is the hard part to nail. If you are really struggling try this:
Take a book, an article in a newspaper or a completely mundane event that has happened to you during the day and write about it. I know that a number of reputable musicians have made use of this in the past. That said, I have found that the best lyrics I have created, and the best lyrics I have heard aren't born from a need for lyrics, but more of a need for expression. The best thing you can do for writing lyrics, in my opinion, is to go out and live life. Put yourself out of your comfort zone. You'll find it easier to write lyrics if you've experienced somethign inspiring. This could be a break-up or something like that. The things which affect you most are the things which you can articulate best, because you know them so thoroughly. If you can talk about somethign for hours, the chances are that you could write a good set of lyrics about it because of the depth of knowledge and passion you have for it.

Hope this helps you a bit. (y)