I started to learn piano at the age of six, and I’ve been a church organist for over thirty years,  but I can’t write music. So when my parents need a new song to sing at a Christmas concert, I do it like this. First I find a melody I like, preferably an old one that’s out of copyright. Then I look for words, generally Bible verses, that seem to go with the music, and then I let the tune go round and round in my head while I juggle the words to fit. The trick is not to force it, but to let the music choose the words. I’ve written about a dozen songs using this method, at the rate of about one a year. Recently I branched out and wrote a protest song about Australia’s treatment of refugees. I don’t know what my next song will be, I just know that one day it will be ready for me to find it.