Apart from a small minority, teenage boys fall into three distinct categories: macho, metro, or just plain muddled.

My school is very good and quite understanding and know I have to take time off for interviews or writers' festivals.

I was the kind of kid who was always making up stories and adventures.

The South is full of memories and ghosts of the past. For me, it is the most inspiring place to write, from William Faulkner's haunted antebellum home to the banks of the Mississippi to the wind that whispers through the cotton fields.

I'd say the key thing is to remain true to what originally got you into music. When I wrote 'Hallelujah,' it ignited me to do music because of the love and joy that I got from writing that song. Down the road, you get all of these opinions from people; just remember what got you started in the first place.

The power of imagination is infinite.

I remember the first time I felt that I was sharing the stage with someone spectacular was dancing with Beyonce. It was the dancers, the band, Beyonce and me in front of thousands of people. That was sick. It was pretty amazing that I got to travel the world with someone like her.

When you live in a world of imagination, your imagination doesn't necessarily grow old with you.