GS&NS: What inspired you to write your poem, “Simple Anonymity”?
Hyla: I’m an only child who grew up in the middle of nowhere, and I’ve always had an extremely close relationship with my parents. I wanted to sit down and really think about how I see the two of them, and how I could compare and contrast them. I started to remember a story my mother had told me about spending an hour with someone she met on the trail while walking our dog--someone she didn’t know, someone she never saw again--and it made me think about the strange, ever-changing-and-passing relationship we have with our parents.
GS&NS: Talk about your writing process. Do you have a favorite place, favorite type of music, etc?
Hyla: If I’m completely honest, I write best when I wake up in the middle of the night! I sit up in bed and charge through a page and a half in a desperate fervor. Despite that, when I intentionally settle down to write, I try to have a clean space for my journal or my laptop, without distractions. I either listen to instrumental music or YouTube Let’s Players--it’s like a podcast without any real discussion to distract me! Essentially, I like the white noise. Writing can be like sleeping, really; if I’m trying too hard to do it, it just won’t happen.
GS&NS: What advice would you give to emerging writers?
Hyla: Don’t force it! There are a lot of wonderful writers out there, and I know I feel pressure to have everything I write come out just as beautiful as some things I’ve read--things that have been written, rewritten, and edited many times! Take inspiration from people you enjoy reading, but don’t tell yourself that the only right way to write is in their style. Write what you want, how you want, and get comfortable with it!
Connect with Hyla:
Instagram: @adlemdraws
Evolution: An Anthology