Member Spotlight: Mayling Elizabeth Simpson

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing memoirs and histories is the only way to capture people and events of the past that would otherwise be lost for all time. When I write history, I feel I am giving a gift to future generations.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? The best way to cure writer’s block is to sit down and start writing anything. Our heads are full of ideas for writing, but we often wonder if anyone would be interested. Writing can be therapeutic and pull us out of a funk. If you don’t write anything, there is nothing to edit – so just get started.

What is your favorite time to write? I write best in the afternoon and into the evening. I prefer to write when I am in the mood or when I feel inspired, but writing is also work and often needs to be done to meet a deadline.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Make writing a daily habit. I don’t follow this myself, but I am sure it is good advice.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? What excites me most about being a writer in today’s age is the ease of finding editors and publishers through the Internet. I think in the past, it was hard getting connected to those who could help you get published. Also, it is now easy to do library research through the Internet, saving time and travel.

Mayling Elizabeth Simpson’s Lives Guided by Honor: How VMI Shaped the Class of 1968 is out now with Koehler Books.