Member Spotlight: Ricardo Jose Gonzalez-Rothi

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I feel that the written word has more “persistence and permanence” and thereby allows for sharing what I write with a global community. Recordings and video are another mode of communication but I feel that words are more persistent.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Have yet to find them. I cannot for the life of me regiment myself to sitting down on a daily basis. Sometimes a feeling strikes me about an eventful event or a dream, or sometimes a prompt and it kickstarts me, for example I am now taking an online course on personal essay and the writing exercises and assignments are a great motivator.

What is your favorite time to write? Early evening, sometimes late into the night -unless of course I am by the river near my home with pen and pad, usually mid mornings, which I find greatly satisfying.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? While it is important to be loyal to craft, and by and large follow expectations, don’t let yourself be controlled by it. Write, re-write until you make it right.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? The fact that what we write can quickly and easily be accessed globally and in several media. This can be both a blessing and a curse, especially with AI interference these days

Ricardo Jose Gonzalez-Rothi’s The Mango Chronicle is out now with RIZE.