Instrument, Surface, Setting, Story: An Interview Series on Creative Tools and Spaces with Amy Shearn
"I like to stick things in the notebook, or even -- occasionally -- have space for a little drawing or something. I need more freedom than lined paper can provide, is what I'm saying."
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.
is the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed novels Animal Instinct, Dear Edna Sloane, Unseen City, The Mermaid of Brooklyn, and How Far is the Ocean From Here. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Modern Love column, Slate, Real Simple, Oprah, and many other publications. Amy teaches writing classes for the Writing Co-Lab, Sackett Street Writers, and other organizations, and works 1:1 with writers as an editor and coach. You can subscribe to her substack, How to Get Unstuck, here.
Instrument: What writing tool do you use? Pen? Pencil? Tablet? Or do you go old-school with a quill and ink?
I am very boring and mostly write on my laptop. In Google Docs! I like that they are accessible from anywhere, so I can hop into a WIP from my phone if needs be. When I journal I write longhand, and while I love a dainty .005 Micron, for the most part I'm not picky about my pen.
I rather like, I guess, the randomness that comes from just grabbing whatever pen is around and seeing how it changes my handwriting (does that happen to other people too?) or sometimes even what I write.
Surface: What do you write on? A lined paper journal? Dotted? Grid? Do you flip the page sideways or write long-ways?
When I'm outlining, I use a giant sheet of butcher paper -- I need to be able to see it all. I keep a paper journal, always, though I don't really care what kind. I do like unlined paper.
Sometimes I want to write small! Sometimes I want to write big! Sometimes I want to write sideways!
And I like to stick things in the notebook, or even -- occasionally -- have space for a little drawing or something. I need more freedom than lined paper can provide, is what I'm saying.
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)?
For me, this changes with every book. My new novel Animal Instinct was mostly written in bed, which probably is clear when you're reading it. I do have a little desk in my living room, but because I work from home and do so many client meetings and zoom classes from that desk, sometimes I need a change of scenery when I'm doing my own writing.
I like silence when I write, but in the past I've often ended up writing in cafes out of necessity, and in that case some wordless music is helpful for drowning out the background noise -- I love a Mozart or Chopin for these times.
Story: Describe your perfect writing day in three sentences or less.
I start with coffee and my journal in bed. Then, after a hearty breakfast someone else made for me, I write for 3-4 hours uninterrupted, at my large comfortable desk in my book-lined office with sun streaming through the windows. After that, I do yoga, take a long walk, and then read for the rest of the afternoon.
I would like to note that I have almost never experienced this day, and I certainly don't actually have this office.
Amy’s new book Animal Instinct is out in the world! It’s brilliant, hot, & hilarious— all things we all need more of right now. 10/10, I recommend: everyone drop what you’re doing and read it immediately.
Amy also leads an 8-week journaling workshop through the Writing Co-Lab (of which she is co-founder, what can’t this woman do?!) and it’s open for registration! I was fortunate to be part of the previous cohort and loved it so much I’m coming back for more. First session is April 1st! See you there?
Thank you dear Elizabeth! AND guess what -- yesterday I went to a stationery store and bought myself some special pens for journaling. You inspired me to up my game!
Ha! The part about the idyllic office made me chuckle. I have a desk in the loft below a skylight—looks lovely, but I’d rather write in a cave with low light, and no visible features at all. I used to write in cafes… I do love to write in the forest!