I write four ways:
As an author
As a songwriter
As an emotion
As an open mind.
The author in me writes a song as a book. Start with an idea, have a storyline and character, add direction, and write.
When it comes to my music, the songwriter in me writes about intense emotions, primarily sadness or confusion. When I write a song for someone else, I give them a perspective they don't know they have.
When I am writing as an emotion, the song ends up built on that one feeling, one narrative, one person, and one mind.
When I write with an open mind, I put several perspectives into my lyrics.