Member Spotlight: M. A. Grant

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Our world relies on stories to help us understand, love, and remember. Writing is one way for us to record those stories. It is a revolutionary act of hope and courage.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? When I hit writer’s block, I need time and space. Going outside for walks, working on the farm, listening to new music, anything to get my brain out of its current ruts is helpful. I also throw myself back into fanfiction at time; it gives me a sandbox to play around in, without the pressure of creating from scratch. I can’t explain how many light bulbs I’ve had for current stuck manuscripts because of something I was playing around with for no reason.

What is your favorite time to write? I’m a night owl. Between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. are my best hours. The inner editor is asleep and doesn’t get in my way.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? When I was a young kid, I told my family I wanted to be a writer. They took me seriously. They told me to write and to keep writing. There are no stunning words, no eminently quotable phrase I can remember. But their serious support of a seven-year-old kid and their belief it was possible meant everything. When I hit a wall or start doubting now, I remember their encouragement. I know there are writers out there who don’t have that and who may never have had anyone tell them they can be a writer or an author, or tell them they get to claim those titles. Well, you can and you should. Keep writing.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? There are so many young people who have decided they deserve to consider themselves to be authors and writers. They may not be traditionally published, but they are out there reading and talking and perfecting their craft and we’re going to see such incredible work from them in the near future. I can’t wait to see what stories they tell, and how they force the industry to adapt, in the future.

M. A. Grant’s Under His Name is out now.