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At times I make music, but in private.

I got into writing music when I was, like, 14 or 15. It was a very private thing for me because I used it as an outlet and emotional release. I kept it very close to myself and didn't tell too many people about it.

I've always written songs, even when I wasn't doing anything with my personal life in music.

Writing music on your own makes you think a lot about your life. Who are you? Would you change anything about yourself? This is where it comes from.

I just worked my own personal thoughts into my music, and just kept at it until I found a way in.

I write songs all the time in my room. I play them for my friends and family.

When I started to write a tune, I just wrote the nearest at hand, which was what was happening in my own life.

I have yet to have a successful outcome of sitting in a room with someone and trying to write a song. The way that I generally co-write is that someone else writes the music or part of the music.

When I was very young, I used to share much of what I wrote with my family, but as I got older and more self-conscious, it became a much more private process.

I don't listen to music when I write, but I do turn on appropriate music when I read portions of my manuscripts back to myself - kind of like adding a soundtrack to help shape mood.