The Book of Mormon Co-Creator Robert Lopez on His 10-Step Creative Process

About the Author:
If anyone on Broadway is having a diverse summer, it’s definitely composer Robert Lopez. The Book of Mormon, his naughtily bawdy collaboration with South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone, took home the top prize at the Tony Awards in June, and by July, he was busy promoting Disney’s family-friendly Winnie the Pooh (Lopez co-wrote the film’s score with his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez). Want to know exactly what was going through the three-time Tony winner’s head while composing two wildly different projects? Broadway.com asked Lopez for some insight into his creative process, and the writer delivered a funny and insightful list of occurrences that are sure to materialize while bringing his music to life. Take a look at what Lopez had to say below!

10 Things That Always Seem To Go Through My Mind As I Write

Far be it from me to ever attempt to pin down the creative process. However, I have begun to notice certain oddly familiar feelings arising again and again as I collaborate. Little landmarks in the maze as I make my way to piece of cheese after piece of cheese. Be that cheese the filthiest travesty from The Book of Mormon, or the cutest G-rated bit of fluff from the Winnie the Pooh film, chances are these thoughts flashed through my mind in some order.

1. Ugh. I don’t feel like writing.
I basically never feel like writing. I am a happy-go-lucky, relaxed, fun-seeking kind of person. And working disturbs that, because it puts me in a state of anxiety. So I usually get upset in the first 10 minutes of working with someone. Sometimes it’s getting sullen or silent or angry. Sometimes I just kid around and put down the project in a passive-aggressive way. I’m sure that’s never fun for my collaborators to deal with. But it always happens!

2. This is an awesomely subversive idea for a song. No one has ever heard a song like this before.
When a good idea sparks, it’s usually because of some subversive angle that means the song we’re writing will be fresh. And I really do love the idea of writing a fresh song, so that usually gets me into the mood, happy and inspired.

3. We’re not getting anywhere.
There’s often a period where we’re just starting out and wind up discarding a lot of lyrics and music. It always feels like a waste of time (but isn’t, because that discard pile becomes the grab bag/notions drawer when we need material later).

4. God, I love this A-section so much! (But there’s nowhere for it to go.)
Then all of a sudden, there’s an A-section. Yay! Then the problem immediately becomes, where does this song go? How does it build? How does it end? These are tougher problems, and my energy is already depleted from creating the A-section, and so the next round of despair begins.

5. Dig in. If I don’t stay strong, my collaborator is going to ruin this song.
This is one of my lesser moments, and one I’m not proud to admit to, but there’s always a time I feel the need to have control over the process, and try to defend the song from the person I’m writing with. It never, ever helps and always causes problems.

6. This song sucks. We should cut our losses and start over.
The temptation to quit and start over infects every creative process I’ve ever been in. Frustration and boredom always fuel this self-doubt.

7. Someone leaves the room (usually me, to go to the bathroom) and someone has a breakthrough (usually my collaborator).
Being apart can very often lead to breakthroughs. I think frequent breaks are good for the process. It’s only during the breaks that your subconscious mind is free to do any work. Plus, going to the bathroom is good for you.

8. I should just get out of the way of my collaborator. (S)he is the one that really knows what they’re doing.
I always have to re-learn the important lesson that the work is always stronger when I listen and take input from others.

9. Think we’ve got it now, but scared to play it through and discover it’s still not right.
I am never excited to play through a song all the way, because it can reveal more flaws that mean more work. For some reason I always have an irrational fear that the song will never be finished.

10. The Morning After/Play It For Someone test
It’s so important, after a song is finished, to go to sleep and listen to the song with fresh ears the next day. It’s sometimes a traumatic event. And playing it for someone else for the first time—that is the most nerve-wracking thing of all. But we learn so much. The song sounds so different when someone new is listening to it. It’s like we’re hearing it for the first time. And sometimes that’s the best part of all—because when we get it right, all the joy we experienced during the process floods back, minus all the anxiety—and I think that’s why I do this in the first place.