Instrument, Surface, Setting, Story: An Interview Series on Creative Tools and Spaces with Bailey Gaylin Moore
"I frustrate myself because the answer is yes, to all of it. And also: absolutely not. Get the fuck out of here."
Recently during a journaling workshop I participated in, the conversation turned to writing supplies and which journals, pens, and writing environments each of us prefer. The conversation went on for almost an hour and I realized once we’d moved on that I could have listened to other writers and artists talk about their chosen supplies all night. I decided to reach out to the creatives in my life to ask them about four components of their creative process, and I am so grateful for the generous responses they provided. I can’t wait to share them all with you.
Bailey Gaylin Moore (baileygaylinmoore.com) is a PhD student studying Creative Writing at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her debut essay collection, Thank You for Staying with Me, is set to come out with University of Nebraska Press in March 2025. She's the Editor-in-Chief for the nonfiction series, Past Ten (past-ten.com) and has been published in HuffPost, AGNI, Pleiades, Wigleaf, Willow Springs, Hayden's Ferry Review, and more.
Instrument: What writing tool do you use? Pen? Pencil? Tablet? Or do you go old-school with a quill and ink?
I mostly write with a pen. A bold choice considering my brain is wired for impulsivity, chaos, and second-guessing everything I do. Instead of going the safer, more pencil-driven route, I’ll just keep aggressively crossing things out, pretending it’s part of the creative process.
This refusal to let go of writing in ink stems from my obsession with Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens—one thing in my life devoid of second-guessing. It’s the perfect pen.
The sound of a Triplus Fineliner going across paper could be an ambient noise setting to fall asleep to, and, if you want to lean into lawlessness, there’s an abyss of colors to choose from.
Also, it’s weighted enough to pull off “the debate pen flip,” which can be a wildly boring or suspiciously thrilling party trick depending on the crowd.
My writing also involves a lot of research, and deep diving into obscure topics wouldn’t be the same without another Staedtler staple: the Triplus Highlighter set, featuring any pastel you could ask for plus some questionable additions, like gray, black, and brown.
Just need to throw it out there that in no way does Staedtler sponsor me, but I’d totally be open to it 👀
Surface: What do you write on? A lined paper journal? Dotted? Grid? Do you flip the page sideways or write long-ways?
It’s getting harder to find in the wild, but I write in a stupid big Moleskine journal. I like hardback, so the writing process feels grounded, and I prefer lined paper so I don’t lose an embarrassing amount of energy trying to make my thoughts straight. My brain feels chaotic enough that writing any other way would cause me to implode on myself—at least I can trust the end result to feel less muddled.
Also, a little shoutout to my LEUCHTTURM1917 planner, which I bought because LEUCHTTURM1917 is dramatic and made me laugh. It was also half-off the second week of January, and I’m pretty confident it’s going to save my life this year.
Setting: Where do you create? An office? From bed? On the couch? Is it silent, or do you need background noise like music (with or without lyrics)?
I frustrate myself because the answer is yes, to all of it. And also: absolutely not. Get the fuck out of here. I used to be hard on myself for not having a rhythm down or knowing which special spot in the coffee shop makes my brain thrash with booming creativity.
One time during a workshop, a person asked what my writing process was like, and I told her, “Well, I will avoid writing as much as I can until I can’t contain it, and then it all comes spilling out.”
This was five years ago, and while I’ve gotten more consistent with writing, it’s still true. Perhaps I grew up a little, or perhaps I had more urgent things to write about.
Maybe I leaned into my neurodivergence and accepted that my way of writing is exactly what it is: my way of writing.
If I find myself in ADHD hyperfocus, I can write anywhere, filtering out the chaos with the only thing that matters: finishing a sentence/paragraph/a piece in its entirety. It sounds ideal until you realize a million hours have passed, and you quickly become aware that you no longer have an ass or legs to stand on. But if my focus isn’t there, my only option is to find an empty corner to tuck myself into, put my music on the highest setting, and hope within reason.
The music stays the same regardless—instrumental renditions of favorite songs or quiet piano sonatas. Here’s a playlist of my go-tos:
Story: Describe your perfect writing day in three sentences or less.
An early morning when waking up comes easy—I don’t want to hold onto sleep and my brain is already on fire from the newness of the day. I take my dog out before the rest of the world wakes up, and the only thing I have to think about is silence and how breathing in the cold air makes me feel more alive, more present in all this. When I sit down, the first sentence comes easy, which is really all any of us could ask for.
Bailey’s gorgeous debut essay collection, Thank You For Staying With Me, comes out with University of Nebraska Press on March 1! You can preorder it here.
This was so much fun, Liz! Thank you for inviting me 🖤🖤🖤