[Godot]

I think it's important to finish a song since it isn't a song until it's finished. Putting off finishing songs is a bad habit to get into.

This isn't to say that I never abandon ideas that lead me into a cul-de-sac but I think if I've got a verse and chorus it's important to finish it. I find that this helps me write better songs because I feel it refines my songwriting process and, like other posters have already said, it's worth while even if you only get one good line or a little thing that you can use later.

[djohnson1974]

Although I'm getting on a bit I'm actually fairly new to songwriting and tend to have to get the whole of an idea recorded in one session before I lose interest or come up with something else, get distracted and move on.  I haven't yet gone back to a song and reworked it with any success which is why most of my stuff is based on very simple chord progressions.  I'm also not a very competent musician and get frustrated that I can't come up with the killer solo or kick ass drum groove for a track.

I've got massess of ideas scribbled down on bits of paper or recorded on my smartphone that have yet to make it into any structured song.

I also hate to listen to my own stuff when it's recorded, although I've been in a band for a few years now and am gradually improving my vocals.

If only I had the time and money to sit in a studio with a bunch of session musicians!! 

[nfelockhart]

I get sidetracked by a new idea. Every time. lol

Bahaha I know exactly what you are saying man.

I usually have defferent phases of liking and not being sure of what I'm working on. But I've been getting better at finishing it anyway. I realize that the phases are created by my general mood.

[relativityEmA]

When it comes to finishing songs, if I'm at all unsure, or stuck on the song, I make sure the finish it even if prematurely. That way, my brain can relax and either:

i) work on something new
ii) re-finish the song later on

Either way, if you finish your songs, you can relax about it and not have to worry about incomplete songs.

[rickd1]

I think the best habit to be in is to finish all songs that you start. That way you get a feel for when a song is finished. The less songs you finish, the less you know how to finish a song. If you only want to work on a certain aspect of a song, say verse melodies for example, it is best to know from the outset that that is your goal. That way there is no pressure to finish the song.

Rick
http://soundcloud.com/red-planet

[Adam]

I write all of my stuff on an acoustic guitar and provided I can get as far as a verse and chorus melody line I'll almost always commit and finish it. I try to only work on one song at a time because I find that approach to be more conducive to actually finishing anything. That said I then try to take time over the lyrics. I'll record a scratch take with me burbling all manner of nonsensical shit just to get the melody down against the chords. However, quite often finished songs don't work when they're tackled by the band. We don't labour too hard at making those songs work. Either it's there or it's not. The songs that don't work with the band just get played by me acoustically.

[birdattack]

I used to start up 20 projects at once, leave them all after getting like 1/3 done and then mash the good pieces together in one single song but it don't work. Well it did work cause I was in prog bands back then and doing 20 riffs in one song worked but it doesn't now. So now I just leave it if it don't feel right from the beginning.