A lot of new people come in and say "I want 'x', what's the best option?" The answer is... there is no "right" answer. I can't speak for everybody here, but it is totally specific to you and the way you like to work at any given time. It's almost like you asking us to tell you what your favorite color should be. We simply can't answer that. Having said all of that, I will let you know what I do (since there are 300 views and no replies on this thread)...
I usually start off with a melody that is in my head. I then try to quickly "sketch" the melody with some midi just so I don't forget it. As I'm doing this, I adjust the tempo so that it fits my idea - some are slow, some are fast (don't make all your beats the same - that gets boring). At this point, I'm not too worried if the melody is going to be a synth, or a sax, or a piano, I can figure that out later. Once I make a 4 or 8 bar loop of my idea, I add a basic drum beat behind it.
Now that the foundation is in place, I can start adding layers, variety, and fine tune the beat. Keep in mind that this is the stage that you can start swapping sounds until you find the vibe you are looking for. My biggest issue was that I placed too many rules upon myself. If you like the melody as a dubstep
wobble synth, but also like it as a piano sound, use both. Maybe not together, but in different places in the song. There are no rules in making music, people just like to act like there are. Listen to other producers that you like, but listen to what they did from a production side. Don't copy them, but use it as guidance.
Finally, I would just suggest that you practice a lot. Not every beat you make will be a banger. Some will suck - that's ok. That's called learning. Just like not every doodle becomes a painting - some are just doodles... There is a lot to learn on the PC side of things in addition to the actual creativity that is required. Try different things on the technical side of things to see how it affects the sounds you hear.
Last but not least remember this: When I first started making beats, a lot of local MC;s would say "That's hot, but it's not hip hop". My reply was "I don't care what the beat is... the second you lay some rap vocals on it, it becomes hip hop." They wanted me to make a beat that sounded like what they heard on the radio. Why would I try to sound like Dr Dre, when there already is a Dr Dre, and he's pretty damn good? Just do you, and practice and experiment. You'll find that you'll discover your own way of making songs, but not until you've made a lot of them.
Good luck
Flei
exactly.