Member Spotlight: Veda Boyd Jones

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Reading about another’s loves, worries, angst, heartbreak, joys, and sorrows lets us know we are not alone in this world. We all experience human emotions. I want to be part of that sharing.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I set goals and strive to meet them. I measure writing in words on paper. A deadline, even self-imposed, is very motivating against writer’s block. If I’m stuck on a plot point, I do something physical for a bit–walk in the neighborhood, mop the kitchen, something where I’m not struggling with what’s next, and then I head back to the computer and start writing.

What is your favorite time to write? I’m a morning person, yet I find that it’s afternoon when the words mount up. Seeing the sunrise while I’m eating breakfast and reading the paper means a relaxing start to the day. Then I tick off chores, and by the time I’m writing, the sun is high overhead.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Don’t give up.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? I believe I was more excited about writing when I waited for the postman’s truck to stop at my mailbox once a day. I felt great anticipation. Now that correspondence is with tremendous amount of email from friends, junk, newsletters, announcements, and what all, I’ve lost the anticipation of something grand when my computer beeps that yet another email has arrived.

Veda Boyd Jones’s The So-Called Never-Fail No-Risk Plan is out now.