Yes... good points David.

Also,,,, besides getting a basic music theory book, get a few on the art of songwriting. There are thousands of songwriting books on the market.

I have this one (among others) Six steps to songwriting success by Jason Blume. It's a good book on the art of crafting a song and some about the business as well... It covers song structure, lyrics and melody. Practically any book by someone who has successfully written songs and explains how they do it, would be a good addition to your library.

Get some education, but don't allow that educational process to get in the way of actually writing songs. Remember, don't write from the head..... write from the heart.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.