If you're trying to write a song, one of the ways I would NOT suggest writing is to start writing at the beginning! Like a good story, although the finished product we read starts with a million variations of "Once upon a time", this is seldom how a story starts actually forming in an author's mind. More often than not, unless all the planets align correctly in a flash of inspiration, most authors first imagine parts of the story from somewhere in the middle, in some random scene, or even at the climax or end of the storyline.
I suggest writing your songs with this approach! If you have some musical or lyrical inspiration, no matter how small, grow outward on that small seed of an idea from there and let it grow organically in the direction of least resistance. In fact, I would even go so far as to suggest that the intro and outro of a song are the LAST things you should write unless you're specifically inspired from those points. These sections are usually just frills on the ends of the main song form anyway - they're like appetizers, not the main course!
The point is, it doesn't matter WHERE or HOW you start writing - just start somewhere, and start with anything! That includes if you only have a small snippet of an idea that you record or write down, only to set it aside for later growth and experimentation. Just like writing a good story, writing a good song is an evolutionary process and sometimes takes a lot of time to nurture into a fully realized finished product, so give it time and space to grow on its own terms with your guidance, instead of trying to force the song into a direction you want it to go on your terms.
Tyson Farmer
www.lessonface.com/TysonFarmer
