It seems nothing in songwriting is as important as the germ of an idea. It doesn’t really matter how many hours you put in to the final product if the germ or the spark of a good idea is not in play from the start. Those sparks are the raw material of the work. You never really know when or how you are going to receive them, so you have to be ready whenever.
My problem is forgetting the germs that come to me, so I have notepads lying around everywhere. I recommend you have one in your car, one on your nightstand, in your pocket and several in your studio. Use these for every key word, image, fragmentary idea, lyric line, title, or artist name that you encounter. They all matter, or rather, you never know which one will matter. Or record the idea into an iPhone, or a low-tech handheld recorder, so you can just say it or sing it. However, despite the ease of technology, I usually use the notebook, unless it’s a melody or a rhythmic figure.
As creative time gets rationed by routine and circumstance, this practice can save the germs of your best ideas from oblivion. Sometimes songs come to me when I am walking. When they do, I only have a few moments to capture the germ of the idea before it disappears. I am superstitious about fragments like these. If I do not honor their presence by attempting to capture them in the moment, I fear I’ll lose them.
Serendipitous ideas can be the wellspring of new projects, directions, and can save you from whatever form of writer’s block to which you are subject. So capture every one before it disappears.