[fgl]

Just seeking some opinions on this. I usually find it's just a case of swapping the 4th with a 5th without changing the melody to alter or emphasise an emotion.

[Sterix]

Hi @fgl
Welcome to the forum.
I'm a lyricist first and foremost - but I still write to music in my head. And a lot of the time, if I post my lrucs, songwriters here won't always realise that the lyrics work.
If I have a tune in my head that's not a basic 4-line verse-chorus then some people at least struggle to work out the rhythm. Were I can hear it perfectly well in my head.
So the answer to your question (for me personally) is no. I find it quite easy.

[PopTodd]

Recently (or, as recently as I have been -- see my new thread), I've been writing songs with 7 or so chords.
I dunno. I don't really think about it, it's just how it flows. Write the melody first, and then figure out the chords that go behind it.
Play around a little.