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I write songs about real things... The subject dictates the mood and it goes from there, really.

I tend to write songs critiquing myself. The best way for me to deal with stuff is to write a song about it... That's not to say all my songs are like that.

It's part of what I do at my piano - the hymns. And then I write.

I write music to both the situations and the lyrics in plays.

While writing, I tend to repeat the same song, endlessly, for thousands of times. This helps me ignore any lyrics, and helps create a consistent mood for each book.

I always write my music based on what is going on in my life at the time.

I stay true to my lyrics. If I go back and look at them in hindsight, the emotions I had when I wrote them have passed. It feels unjustified to change them.

I've always written songs the same way. You learn different tricks - you learn craft, you learn structure, all that - as you go.