most of the time, i let my hand and pen do the typing/talking for me. there are the odd poems that are planned but they never seem to be as good really. i find that travelling lots and getting out of routine helps to give my brain more ideas and vocabulary...
Be it prose, poetry or painting, my approach is always the same. I get some great idea in my mind, and quickly rush to pulling it out of my head. Then, around the middle of the first stanza it takes a life of its own and no longer resembles my original idea. Usually ends up being better than it, so you don't see me complaining
once you get something out on paper and you come to a block chill for awhile dont put it out of your head but do something else and it will usually it you when you least expect it carry a pen and paper in your pocket so you can always write it down where ever your at i dont know thats what works for me much luck
sometimes an image will inspire me, but more usually a whole line or even as much as a whole paragraph or such will come to me out of the blue-just learn to let it flow and be ready-i've never believed one can work at writing like a 9-5 job and have it be very good.
bit of both. start maybe with a line or image i want to use and play around with it. Very rarely just write in one go though - I rearrange and reiterate and change vocab a lot before I think a piece is as finished as I can be bothered to make it.
