Songwriting ignment?

a Good method I like to use, is to sit in a public place, and listen to people talk to other people all around you. You will hear all kinds of catch phrases. It only takes one line to point you in a direction. then take that phrase and write a story about it. Then take the story and shorten it. Sting once said, "writing songs is easy, describe a man, put him up a tree, then describe how to get him down".