Dear Dunc - Taking up your point about being locked in a room to write a song - touches on a aspect of writing that also have had "discussions" about.
Some people, having written that song under those conditions, would then go on to sing, and record it, no matter what the quality of that song is, while others are highly self critical, discarding work because it does not reach their personal standards, or just because they can't get a line to feel right.
Personally I blame the trend towards the ease of puting out CDs etc for the proliferation of poor writing.
In an oral culture the poor songs are lost whlist the better survive, but now poorer sngs are given the "validation" of a permanent record.
Some singer songwriter's often end up writing songs to fill a CD, rather than write a song because they are compelled to by some inner urge.
Jez Lowe is about the only writer that I can think of, who can consistantly produce albums where the songs are all equally strong.
I do not in any way want to discourage any budding writers in any way with these thoughts, I just get tired someimes sifting through the dross for the gems.
I suppose my thoughts in a nutshell are - Why record an inferior song, just because you wrote it, when the album could be so much better if another writer's song was used?
love, john.