Member Spotlight: Art Garner

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I enjoy telling a story I find interesting and hopefully readers will find interesting too. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? My work has all been non-fiction and I’ve never really had a problem with writer’s block. I’m more of grinder and when you’re working with facts you can grind your way through. It may not be very good, and you have to go back and completely rewrite what you’ve done, but you can at least get something down.

What is your favorite time to write? 6 a.m. – 12 noon. When things are nice and quiet. I do like listening to smooth jazz while I work. Or snooze jazz as my granddaughters call it.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? It’s an old cliche, but it’s the best advice I ever received. I called a local newspaper sports editor when I was in high school and said I wanted to be a writer. He cut me off and said, “Then get out there and write.” Then he hung up. Hard to beat.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? I enjoy telling stories I find interesting and important and get a certain amount of satisfaction when others do too.