Hi there, My name is Priscilla Hernandez, I have two released albums of my own songs. I have one video on my introductory post but just joined here and I'm new around so I haven´t even uploaded to dtube yet. I don´t believe there is a rule for writing songs but from my point of view you have to "feel" its yours and born from the spirit. I never obsess or think "I'm going to write a hit" (maybe I should? hahah) but I also appreciate the raw freedom of those daring pieces that don´t follow the same pattern). Enjoy the feeling of creating songs that are meaningful (at least to you) and I'm sure that way it will touch the right strings in others. About my process, sometimes I write random lines or ideas in a notebook, and they join together almost by their will. I think I have notebooks full of free writing, but most of the times I start with the melody. I hike a lot in Nature and they come spontaneously, if the melody knocks twice in my brain, it´s usually a keeper. I even record sometimes versions without lyrics for structure reference. Then I build the words so they also keep honest to the way it was flowing where it had the freedom of having no words. I struggle more with the fitting of the lyrics to the notes than anything else. But every case is different, and I suggest to take advice just as advice and go for it your own way, we make our own path as we walk it. I may add I'm a composer in ethereal/ambient/fantasy so no mainstream structure is usually found in my songs (we are all still learning). Good luck!