I’ll tell you a secret—all my stories (even the long nonfiction ones) start with wide-lined, loose-leaf notebook paper and a blue Bic pen. These are my favorite writing utensils for early drafts. I like them because they’re not precious. I don’t have to worry about writing words that rhyme or sentences with cadence. I can simply play, trying anything, trying everything, scratching out, crumpling up, experimenting. There are no expectations. The ordinariness of those writing utensils frees me...