Jay Neugeboren

“My scoreboard is my muse. When I was starting out—unpublished—and sending my stories and novels far and wide, I kept a list taped to the wall next to my desk
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In this online exclusive we ask authors to share books, art, music, writing prompts, films—anything and everything—that has inspired them in their writing. We see this as a place for writers to turn to for ideas that will help feed their creative process.
“My scoreboard is my muse. When I was starting out—unpublished—and sending my stories and novels far and wide, I kept a list taped to the wall next to my desk
“I see a pigeon dying on my porch the day before Christmas, deer up to their ears in snow, my father in his last bed, heart and lungs and liver failing
“I like to clear my head as much as possible, usually via actual cleaning. My favorite ideas have originated while folding clothes and scooping up litter.
“Travel. Of any kind. Whether to a country you’d have a hard time finding on a map, or to the bead shop in your neighborhood
“When I was working on my book, The Anti-Romantic Child, I created a playlist that I listened to over and over again while writing.
“I’m thinking about a quote I’ve seen attributed to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: ‘If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood
“The best reason to live in New York City is to discover the endless hidden treasures in its many neighborhoods.
“Always tucked in a pocket of my purse is a Moleskine journal. I try to write every day, no matter what
“As with most fiction writers, I can be inspired by virtually anything: a song, a kiss, a cup of coffee, an overheard conversation.
“I walk around my apartment and read aloud from The Norton Anthology of Poetry.