Hi Scott,
I'm living about 5 miles from that camp you were talking about! Beautiful area around here. I was surprised to find so many on here that are familiar with this area.
Most of my songs are done with a touch of country, some bluegrass, some pop style, some folkie stuff. I used to play with a country band years ago and I guess it kind of influenced what I do most easily, though I was trained in classical piano.
As for the lyric writing, It seemed to come naturally but I honed my skills as a member of Nashville Songwriters Assoc., attended their seminars, and learned a great deal also from our Mid Michigan Songwriters Group. where we would submit our songs for group critiques. Priceless experience!
You can listen to some of my songs on Soundclick if interested. www.Val Zudell@soundclick.com