Every song i write on guitar either comes out as a punk rock style or really cheesey.
How do u break the mould and write things you dont expect to? I start off with a chord progression and then decide whether or not to base a riff on it, start with intro solo, or maybe try a type of arpeggio format. Do you really need to be in a band and jamming to come up with good riffs? because i cant see where the hell famous bands/guitarists get the ideas for some of there riffs! do they try every combinaiton of notes on an area on the guitar until it sounds cool or something?

Kriss

Try grabbing some drum loops off the net & either repeat them in a sequencer or use something like ReCycle. Just listening to a drum beat or even a drum machine can give ya all kinds of ideas.
On the other hand tho, yeah... it's a whole bunch of just sitting around randomly picking notes until something sounds good. Either that or making something up in your head and seeing if it can be repeated on the guitar.

its inspiration. Play a musical instrument you don't normally play (say...keyboards). With me, i almost automatically get inspiration when i play a foreign instrument.

Dude,

Be more open to trying different styles of music. Play all sorts of stuff. Take from your influences. Take from other bands you don't listen to alot and build of their ideas. Or just stop and think "what would sound cool right now?"

Just some ideas.
Hope that helps any.

I usually start off playing a song. Then I get ideas or inspiration after a small warm-up jam with myself.

Try finding tabs to a song which really moved you, and then see what kinds of chordal structures they used and study what the song does.

Get a drum machine, set up a 2 bar loop and go...do whatever, see if anything good comes out of it

Inspiration from different situations you are in can be used to make great music, also.

Get drumloops or make your own with drum programs, a good one is fruityloops. Mess with a making drum parts. Here's the path I start with, it's called part-writing.

STart a new drum part.
I usually begin with the hihat on every beat. Then I mess with the tempo to see how fast I want the song to go.

Then I'll just sit there and listen to the hi-hat, getting the tempo in my head. After I get the tempo in my head, I start thinking up a beat with bass and snare. I'll lay that down.

Next I'll think up the rhythm I want to the song. Using either bass, guitar or both. Just think up a rhythm add that too the mix. Here you should get your chordal structure, if not I just figure it out.

Now you have the entire rhythm and chordal structure done, rest is cake.

Next part is open to what comes first. Usually a melody line that go with the rhythm. I usually start humming it until I get it completely stable in my mind then I figure it out on guitar. Now you got your melody, I usually base an entire song on that melody, but you may have your own way and may to change it throughout the song.

Now that I got my melody, I begin to build a riff that goes with it. Usually just hum it til it's in my head then, figure it out then lay it down.

After that, you just go with the flow. Start adding harmonies, changes, maybe a solo, whatever you want the song to be. Once you got the rhtyhm and melody, it seems like everything else just falls into place.

This is still just my way, you probably all have different ways but maybe this will help you think up your way. Sometime you may start with a cool guitar you came up with, but I think the process of part-writing works really well.

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