check out the circle of fifths, there's a simple rule which will help.
First, take a piece of paper and write these down in a circle, going counterclockwise:
C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, Ab, Eb, Bb, F
(so C is at 12:00, G is at 11:00, D is at 10:00, etc, that's the circle of fifths)
Now the rule is, pick a root or starting chord (in this case C) and jump to any other chord on the circle,
THEN work your way back to C, moving clockwise around the circle.
Try this example:
Start on C, jump to E, then work your way back to C:
C, E7, A, A, D7 G7 C (G7)
(if you write this out in a circle you can start on any root you want, typing it in a line I had to start with C)
The bridge of a song (part B in AABA form) can be a shift to change to one of neighboring fifths, for C that could be F. Adjoining fifths are closely related - in either direction. Now we're moving back and forth along the circle:
F, C, G7, C, F, C, G7 G7,
and hanging on the G7 sets up the return to C.
So here's the whole 5 minute song:
C, E7, A, A, D7, G7, C, G7,
C, E7, A, A, D7, G7, C, C,
F, C, G7, C, F, C, G7, G7,
C, E7, A, A, D7, G7, C, C.
I like to think of it like taking trips away from home, you can take short familiar trips or long exotic ones. Taking a big jump is like flying one way and driving back, it can start off exotic and dramatic but as you get closer to home things get more familiar:
C, (big jump to) Eb, Ab C#, F# B, E, A, D7 G7, C
(in this case the commas separate measures, some have two chords per measure).
Another useful trick is to substitute a relative minor chord for a major chord. For C, substitute Am, for G, Em, for F, Dm, etc.
C, F, G7, C is one nice progression
Am, Dm, Em, Am are the substitutes. They even work in the same line:
C, F, G7, C, Am, Dm, Em, Am
There are other tricks to play with - and having that circle of fifths in front of you helps a lot.
Have fun