One thing that might help is to use a standard notation transcription of a familiar tune (for ex, "Whisky for Breakfast), and while you sing or hum it slowly, tab out the first several bars.
If I write something out in tab, I like to consistently add all the common note-length symbols found in std music - Ie, don't just write the numbers, add a vertical hash for a quarter note, a dot after the number for a dotted quarter (1 1/2 beats), a little wavy tail or connect the hashes horizontally (for an eighth note), circle your fret number for a half note, etc. Practicing this on a tune for which you have rhythmic notation to follow along with should start to make it 2nd nature when you tab from scratch.
Jeff Rohrbough
"Listen louder, play softer"
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