If it’s a poem, I first write it out in my notebook, which often involves a lot of scribbling/revising, and then after I have proofread the poem I type it onto the computer. (10-15 minutes per poem?)
If it is a short story I spend a long time on it, several hours or days. This involves research about the subject and I often read many collections of short stories to get inspiration before I begin my own. My first draft is never my final draft; I always proofread and edit my short stories several times before I’m finished with them.
To get better, I read as much poetry and fiction and as many short stories as I can. Also, two of my greatest sources of inspiration are honestly commovente and fleurishe’s poetry sections, where they post their own, original writing and poems of other well-known writers. Before I write a piece I spend a lot of time browsing through there. And Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones is another great resource for writing in general, as well as Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook specifically for poetry.
Reading everyday, and writing everyday, are generally my best methods of improvement. xx