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Jack Black in School of Rock (2003 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.)

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10. Choruses require a different approach to verses, especially if you're writing pop. They often need to be more 'plain' and easy to remember. A common trick is to write the 'setup' during the verse, and the emotional 'payoff' in the chorus.

11. Experiment with rhythm within a line. A line can have its own rhythmic bounce or flair and still fit in within the overall rhyming scheme.

12. Use light and shade. Contrasting the happy and positive with the sad and downbeat within a song can be very powerful. Context is everything: a joyous chorus after a more solemn verse can make the chorus even more uplifting.

13. Don't use an excess of adjectives, or describing words. While they are clearly essential to a songwriter, adding too many can make a lyric less concise.

14. Don't feel that using imagery will make your lyrics too arty or flowery. Used well, it can evoke emotions or moods that can't be created by using blunt description alone.

15. Be careful when using the emotional abstract, for example, saying things like "I want to feel free". Complex emotions are often difficult to describe; it's sometimes more effective to use imagery (see tip 14) or context (see tip 8) to convey an emotion rather than simply stating it.

16. Experiment with tense. It can be interesting to write about the past, present and future, sometimes all within the same song.

17. Be clear. Remember that the listeners might miss a word, or a line, or three. Don't rely on just one small line to put the whole song in context.

18. Experiment with attitude. Songs can be humble, arrogant, hopeful, sombre, aggressive and more. Creative droughts can often be tackled by radically changing the outlook of your lyrics. This isn't to say that you shouldn't be yourself, but a bit of experimentation won't hurt.

19. Experiment with pronouns. Songs don't always have to be written using 'you' or 'I'. Lyrics with plural pronouns such as 'we' and 'they', for example, can give a very different feel to a song. Avoid using too many different pronouns in the same song though as this may be confusing.

20. Don't use too many words. Cramming a line full of words where they clearly won't fit may cause each word to lose its impact; it's normally wiser to re-write the line completely rather than trying to play literary Tetris.

21. Be aware of the 'sounds' of words. Words have an inherent sound to them which becomes even more pronounced when sung rather than spoken. Some words sound spikey, some stodgy, some open, some blunt, some roll off the tongue. Take the sound as well the meaning of the word into account when writing.

22. Be cautious when using 'clever' or overly elaborate language. These words often look fine on paper, but normally don't translate well into song. You also run the risk of alienating listeners that don't know what a word means.

23. Consider the rhyming scheme, if there is one. It's important to remember that how 'catchy' your song is in not just a product of the music and melody; it also comes from the lyrics, especially the rhythm and rhyming scheme.

24. If possible, avoid writing filler lines in order to make rhymes work. It's fine to use filler when mapping out the structure of the song, but you should use any subsequent re-writes to try and make each line count in is own right.