by Alice Neiley<\/a><\/p>\n My writing process actually varies quite a bit from piece to piece.\u00a0For example, sometimes prose pieces come out in all one piece in a ten-minute block of time, or longer, say, two hours, but feel finished\u00a0with very few edits. \u00a0However, sometimes a poem will take days, a\u00a0week, or a month because I sit around picking at it so much.\u00a0Sometimes I need music playing the entire time I’m working on\u00a0something, other times I only need it to get started, then have to\u00a0turn it off if I begin to feel crowded or distracted. \u00a0There are a few\u00a0constants though:<\/p>\n 1. \u00a0Books. \u00a0A lot of books. \u00a0That way I can start every project by\u00a0reading something by someone else, for inspiration, and to free up\u00a0what I’ve started to call the “emotional mind” (can’t think of a\u00a0better description).<\/p>\n 2. \u00a0A fed body. Hunger is really, really distracting for me.<\/p>\n 3. \u00a0Water. Both to look at and to drink.<\/p>\n 4. \u00a0A yoga mat.<\/p>\n 5. \u00a0Music (at least to start with). R&B, instrumental, folk, indie,\u00a0hip hop\u2014<\/em>depends on the piece of writing!<\/p>\n Read Alice Neiley’s The Girl <\/a>and Memory<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
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