Song writing tips for dummies

Disclaimer: I am not a professional artist. All these simple tips are just from someone who likes to write songs for fun.
Enjoy!

1. Know your influence.
   You will discover your own style just by listening to your idols. Maybe a mixture of John Mayer and Jason Mraz? How about Ed Sheeran mixed with Coldplay? Go crazy!

2. Study the Family Chords.
   If you have knowledge about it, you will pretty much come up with a melody or a chord progression easily. You can also transpose any song to your liking.

3. Humming technique
   You will create melodies easily when you you hum while playing.

4. Melody bank.
   There will come a time when you will be riding on a train while its raining outside and out of nowhere you'll hear a melody in your head. Record, store and let it simmer. You will never know when you will use it.

5. Lyrics Bank.
   Same as the Melody Bank, sometimes you'll have that Shakespeare moment, you think of an idea, or even just a one liner. Write it down, store it, and let simmer. You'll thank yourself later for that one liner that you wrote a few months ago.

6. Widen your vocabulary.
   Read the dictionary once in awhile. There are a lot of words synonymous to LOVE.

7. Listen to stories.
   Gather stories, experiences and ideas, maybe your friend's story is your next big hit.

8. Share your song.
   Share it to your closest friends. Let them be the firs one to hear it. They will tell you the truth if its a good song or not. Share it to strangers. Sign up for open mic nights. Post it on soundcloud, Youtube, etc. This will help you gain confidence in your song.

9. Surround yourself with people with the same interest as you.
   If you have passionate people around you, it will inspire you to be better in your craft, you'll influence one another and make each other better.

10. Get your heartbroken.
    Nothing beats spewing out emotional words just because someone broke your heart. Its easy to write if you have a lot of things to say to her.
    Don't do it often though. It hurts.

Was this helpful or funny? Maybe you have tips for aspiring song writers. Comment down below!