“I walk along the beach and look at the sea. I call a friend. I take a train journey and sit by the window. I drink a small glass of red wine. I go to the cinema. I ride my bike fast, so that my hair streams out behind me. I cry. I read Eimear McBride. I make soup. I listen to Nick Cave. I go swimming. I sit in the sun with my eyes closed. I wash dishes. I read Jenny Offill. I write in my journal. I dance to Northern Soul. I drink coffee. I have a long, hot shower. I read Hannah Sullivan poems. I call my mother. I take photographs of different textures of light. I make a shopping list. I feel hopeless. I look at pictures of Louise Bourgeois paintings on the internet. I pick flowers and put them in a vase on my desk. I write whatever comes into my head. I drink a glass of cold water. I daydream. I read Anne Carson. I look at the sky. I tell myself, you are good enough, over and over again. I think about the past. I brush my teeth. I make a cup of fennel tea, sit at the table, take a deep breath and then write.”
—Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020)