Member Spotlight: Emily Jon Tobias

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing allows me to channel my experiences, memories, and subconscious workings into tangible form by way of the characters I create. The characters have lives of their own and stories to offer, often of brokenness and healing. When readers find themselves in the lines, a sense of belonging can be had. I write to make sense out of ourselves and the world we are in. I write to contribute to the current cultural conversation. I write to unite.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Time and movement! I use yoga to move my body and ground my breath. I allow time to do what’s necessary until the character is ready to tell me its story.

What is your favorite time to write? I don’t have a favorite time. Often, my writing comes to me at the most inconvenient times, like the middle of the night, out of a dream. The key for me is try to honor the moment when subconscious becomes conscious, to try to do my best to capture the work when the time calls for it. This is not always possible, but I am aware of the calling always.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? When stuck, take a walk, take a nap, move your body, and enjoy the process of waiting. As writers, we are observers. Go outside, enjoy nature, and allow the work to come in the time it is meant to.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? This is a time of rapid contraction and expansion. The energy is exciting in that there is so much we can connect about through the literary world. This is a prime time to embody the authentic nature of who we are, to step out into the light of being real with ourselves and with others.

Emily Jon Tobias’s Monarch: Stories is out now with‎ Black Lawrence Press.