Learning to use a computer programme isn't the kind of discipline Mac's talking about, though. You need to have a very intimate understanding of structure and form, rhythm (it's imperative that you grasp rudimentary concepts such as rhythmic augmentation and diminution and know that you're using them), and (especially since you've expressed interest in melody) traditional harmony. Once you've grasped that, you should look more into Eastern music, which tends to be less homophonic. There's a lot of things going off at once which tends to be very interesting, and places like Iran and Azerbaijan
just have the best singers in the world.
But music is a craft, and as such, it requires a great amount of consideration, and any composer should be able to explain every minute detail of his work.