I aim for good melodies, strong chord changes, and lyrics that say something. For me to write a song, my heart has to be invested in it in some way (I can't get into trying to write a certain kind of song just to be "commercially successful"). If it doesn't strike a chord inside me somewhere, I'll never write it. I get inspiration from my own experiences, from people I've known and things they've done or things they have said to me, and sometimes inspiration comes from another song that I've really loved for a long time (Stir Up The Night was inspired in that way...) Music hits my heart, mind, and soul stronger than any other thing in life. What drives me is to keep trying to write songs that will make me proud and satisfied. My own personal artistic satisfaction is the most important thing of all to me. Naturally, I also hope there will be other people who will like what I've done. Whatever happens, I'm going to keep right on writing!