Don is right

[Shelley Hanson/KlezmerAllThatJazz]

As far as the creativity required to try to write something which refers to
the Barks canon:

As a composer I often use melodic material from folk sources. As Don says,
it is MUCH more difficult to write something which has references to other
things, and which for artistic integrity needs to keep the flavor of the
original, while clothing it in one's own imagination and creativity. (And of
course the reward is often, "But you didn't write the melody" -- or in this
case, the original plot line to which the story must refer.) I've often said
that I could churn out work by the bucketload if I didn't research things.

I have a journalist friend who writes a weekly humorous column, and he's had
similar experiences. Interesting to see the creative process is the same in
all these different fields.