What helps you to be inspired to write a song?

I don’t think you can force it, it just has to come to you. Maybe you should each try a part of the song and see what you can come up with. One of you can try the lyrics, one can try the melody and just go back and forth and work off each other. Some bands go into the studio and just try things and see what sounds good. And keep a recorder handy at all times. I think it was Satisfaction that came to Keith Richards one night and he recorded the riff and then forgot it till he played it back.

You might try Googling other songwriter teams (current and past) to see what their methods are/were. You’ll find as many methods as teams and I’m sure you’ll get some great ideas.

My husband is often inspired by stories he’s read or movies he has seen. He also says it is important to have a thorough knowledge of other artists in your genre, past and present.

Sesame Street & old men, usually retired sailors, whistling.

1. Think of an event in your life that caused you a wave of emotions.
This could be a death, a wedding, a birth, falling in love etc. Think of what you felt then and write it down, try to be as detailed as you can.

2. Think of a movie or a book.
Think of the relationships between the characters, place yourself in the shoes of one of the characters and think of how she/he felt. Again, write it down, don’t worry about the wording, because you can change it later.

3. Make up a few of your own characters.
Write down their qualities, how they look and act and how they feel about each other. Place yourself in the shoes of one of the characters, and write.

4. Find a few songs from bands/artists you like and read the lyrics.
Imagine the events described, place yourself in the song.

5. Go out to a public, crowded place (like a mall),and look at the people, if you catch a few words of someone else’s conversation, you can use those words in a song.

Tips
-If you wanted to write a love song about some body think about their different qualities and write about how you act around each other whether its a crush or a spouse.

-Sometimes looking at some old photographs helps you re-live your memories.

-Write about something going on in the world, so that other people can relate to what you are writing!

-When you get an idea, ALWAYS write it down, even if you think it’s a bad idea, because later you will see it and might think it’s a great idea.

-Write more verses than you’re actually going to need, so that you can choose from them.

-You can bring out a completely different feeling or event in the bridge.

-It doesn’t all have to make sense just write down what your feeling

-The lyrics don’t have to be clear, that’s the beauty of it. You can mash several emotions together, describing them rather than what caused them.

-Don’t be afraid to write more than one song on the same subject. You can then choose which one you like best.

-Just think of lyrics from your fave song and write about your bffs.

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Inspiration-to-Write-Songs

Different people have different ways of coming up with solutions for this. Personally, I usually get a text or lyrics before actually writing the song, or at least know what type of lyrics I want. If you know the rhythm and flow of your words though, you can the melodic line around those.
As for getting your melodic lines, some people like to compose at their own instrument, just improvising until they get something good. Others just take it from melodic patterns or inspirations they find in the world around them, and some are just able to spontaneously come up with melodies.
Valerie111 has given you a whole list of possible sources to draw inspiration for the lyrics and for the musical component. The lyrics are often easier to work with if they have a regular flow- then you can make the song strophic (at least if it’s organised a certain way)
Have fun with writing!

Being creative is usually aided by my being depressed. If I know I have to do something creative, I will purposely put myself in a depression for a couple days, and I usually get great results.

I write piano stuff, mostly arrangements of basic melodies. I’m an amateur. A lot of times I’ll make vocal arrangements with piano accompaniment but I don’t write lyrics.
I never just sit down and say “Time to write music!” It has to come to me and I have to have the right emotion to go with it. It may be months before I actually get inspiration, but when I do, it doesn’t take me long. I wrote what I consider to be my best composition in less than a week (granted I do it all for fun).
Here are the things that I can personally say really help me get inspiration:
-Being surrounded by nature. I love nature and I always like walking through parks or forest trails.
-The morning. I think a lot in the morning and it’s when I get my best ideas.
-Listening to songs. For example, I like to make versions of songs with basic melodies, such as hymns. So if I’m listening to one, sometimes I’ll think up a chord progression or something that would sound good at a certain part of the song and work off of that.
-Playing random things on the piano. If I play random chord progressions sometimes I’ll find something that sounds really good and work off of that.