Where do you get the ideas for your musicals? What have you learned over the years about writing?
This is an incredibly complicated question for me. I guess one way to answer is that I get ideas through story lines and settings that just come to me. But I definitely have found throughout the years that there are not many musicals out there that have the kind of music that is dear to my heart. I wanted to write musicals that have blues and roots music, swing, Irish, sea shanties, cowboy music, and surf guitar spy music. I had a desire to use my songwriting abilities and my love for all sorts of music genres to make musicals. I wanted to share my love for music and story with others. I also wanted to show the students I teach the creative process, and help them see how wonderful it is to be part of a new creative endeavor that came from the culture they are part of--a culture of learning that is rooted in imagination, faith, story, song, and fellowship. I think this question could definitely be an article in its own right since it's a big question--one which I would enjoy describing more.