Wow - thank you Ed. Beautifully written and, of course, spot on. I personally tend to doodle and experiment a lot when writing, so yes, as you say, it is important that I keep focus on what I actually want to say, as opposed to "rambling for the sake of it", so to speak.

A famous composer once told his librettist: "Do as the good cooks do ... make the soup and let much of the water evaporate until it becomes a concentrate!". What I take from that is that, again, I must see what it is that I have to say ... the rest is excess water!

I've written this, tonight, and posted it up on the User Showcase: https://soundcloud.com/jamesdelsono/i-love-you-always . I include it here just because I think I've written it with all of the above in mind, and I think (although I may be wrong) that it's my best work in a while. Funny how talking about things helps too ... once I voiced my worries about being stuck in a rut, inspiration came easier, too ... sometimes it helps just to talk, too, I suppose.

Thank you again for your wonderful words - I will remember them for sure.