I found suggestions in Gary Ewer's "Beating Soungwriter's Block" (remaindered for $5 at the local book store) excellent suggestions. Back of the book says it is an imprint of Hal Leonard and lists for $25. Oddly shaped, heavy little book with weird binding, but in my opinion most helpful. I"m not connected to this publisher or author. This guy is in Nova Scotia, it says, and has his own website.
Not all will apply to you; for example, saying, "tell others your plans and goals, and if you don't hit your goals, do some weird 'punishment'" isn't not something I'm gonna do or repsond to. But there are lots of practical ideas for both generating music and lyrics. Specific example I find helpful in the way I do it:
1. forget preconceived idea/concept (this isn't about how to progress with work in progress, but JUST GET GOING!)
2. Get input you're willing to accept as is--whatever it may be, with aspect of randomness; for me this is a critical step to not say, this has to be some great thing, I just want to make a song, have somethign to work with. Instead of thinking about all other topics and generes and every possibility (tends to be what keeps me sitting, spinning, no progress) I accept I will go with ______.
a. your notebooks and prior stuff; go through and find something that causes you to stop and review. Sketch, picture,
news item, something you noted for future use....whatever; OR,
b. go to public place and observe people and note your reactions; OR,
c. go to wiki source and hit "random article." Henry VIII wrote poetry? Who knew?
3. React. Some reactions you have are descriptive, some more emotion/judgement.
4. Write these down in general categoreis, not getting too hung up on which category but keeping it in mind.
5. Pull from more descriptive stuff for verse, more emotional for chorus and sketch out lyrics.
6. This is 'lyric first approach,' so begin to hear/intuit rhythm and prosody of language and melody for
key phrases you like.
7. Begin working with your instrument(s) to add music.
8. Do this in many ways--as an exercise for "five minute song," just to get something flowing. Or maybe you find
now it's something to really focus on. But it gets you donig somethign at a time when by hypothesis of this thread--
"I have writer block, can't do this thing I want"--you are not in fact doing that thing.
So with this idea, the POINT is to be mechanical, to break that barrier, whatever it is, and present your known 'creative, engaged, timeless' side with something to chew on. Not every 'meal' is good, of course, but gets you going.
Added bonus for me was that working through some of this (I'm still working with this volume), one can come to recognize something about own limitation or strength. I might want to write some kind of love song and be trying to do this and recognize sorry, this is not home base, it's gonna be more difficult than other area that comes easily. Work from strength/comfort or broaden approach, learn new kind of thing? Basic artistic question not answered definitively, but put in play.
And some principles are good ideas that I need to keep in mind but I just know that I'm going to insist on bending or not observing that pricniple because it is core part of my thing. Eg, while I want to, as this author suggests, 'use common words that you could hear in the grocery line,' I'm still gonna wind up having stuff like "ad infinitum" in there sometimes. Whatever that says about me, too good/bad--at least for now!
Clips of creative people talking about their process can also be inspiring. You can easily startpage search for these, whatever you like.