Member Spotlight: Leslie C. Kain

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is important to me because I have many stories in me, and because showing the meaning & universal truths of those stories is not only important to me, but also contribute to “the world”. Literature is critical to the understanding of our world, society, and human emotions.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I rarely experience writer’s block, although I do sometimes get “stalled” in working out how to best represent the heart of certain scenes. Usually the path comes to me when I’m away from my laptop; e.g. very late at night or very early in the morning, or even in dreams. Music helps.

What is your favorite time to write? After midnight.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? READ. A lot. In multiple genres. But there’s so much more: Write something, anything, every day. Take writing classes, workshops, read books about writing. Get alpha and beta readers, and critique partners. Get a good editor.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? The fact that more people are buying and reading books says that people are eager for escape and for enlightenment. I want to ensure that meaningful stories are told.

Leslie C. Kain’s Secrets in the Mirror is out now with Atmosphere Press.