I concur. Really great post! Been an engineer for a while, starting to prepare to put together SaaS products, so this will be useful to come back to. Thank you, OP!
Written a few songs. This article is good advice and it captures the process really well. It honors the sporadic nature of idea generation. #2 is incredibly true, just capture them, even if you're driving on a highway! You'll never get the moment back...
#3 and #4 are novel. I'm glad I've learned about them now.
#5 and #8 is a matter of schools of thought. I don't agree. And perhaps because I've written 10 verses drivelling about love. :) I think that if the 10 verses are adequately compelling, through construction and message, then it can lock in a listener. Pandering only to what works in hits is limiting, in my view.
#6, #9, and #10 is also evidence of a mature songwriter. H/t.
Pretty measured essay. I went through my own LaTex fetish phase. The typesetting can get in the way of the writing. I've found it easier to first write in a text editor and then start typesetting once I'm pretty much sure of the content.