How do you come up with melodies and how do you keep verses from resolving?

So I'd like to know what your workflow for coming up with new melodies is (in the case you are toplining). As a follow-up question I'd like to know how you decide what is a good written verse.

I know that you typically want your verses to be unresolved to build tension and then release it in the chorus (I always assumed you avoid ending on a tonic or dominant of the key you are in so the phrases are wanting to be resolved). However I naturally gravitate write melodies that resolve themselves and when I try to not do so it comes over as kinda forced => which leads to the melodies being overall weaker then my choruses (while this is normal in most songs i listen to, i specifically mean they are disproportially weaker).