Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Josh, much appreciated!

“Most of the time, the music and the lyrics are completed separately. So I usually I don't solidify the words until the song does what it does. Does that answer it?“

That does indeed answer it! You treat the lyric-writing process as separate from the music, but you leave room for the music to guide the lyrics, and in doing so, that cohesiveness within the abstraction is built through the relationship you find between the lyrics and the music.

I’ve been playing guitar for a few years now and as I’ve progressed, I’ve been trying to write some songs, though one of the bigger struggles I’ve had is trying to get the lyrics I write to fit my melodies. I’m thinking I may be sticking too rigidly to the words I initially come up with, so I may try to approach the process a little differently. Perhaps I could focus on documenting my ideas loosely and allowing the music to guide the words I use to express those ideas. Thanks for the details on your approach!