Creativity Note: The Benefit of Overwriting
It is generally easier to cut than invent, and therefore, for early drafts, writers often develop significantly more material than will be needed once the piece is refined.
For The Prince of Egypt stage production, bookwriter Philip LaZebnik explains, “When writing scenes that might be musicalized, I overwrite them. So there will be a ten-page scene even though it will become a page or two at most. Stephen Schwartz likes to have a lot of material that he can take and make into the songs.”
The “Blue Corn Moon” Story
In December 1999, while I was working for a CD Internet seller on a freelance writing assignment, I was assigned to research musicians whose last names began with the letters “Sch.” I wrote up something about jazz singer Diane Schur and then tried searching for another name I was assigned: Stephen Schwartz.