Member Spotlight: Tanya Agler

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Stories break through the loneliness and allow people to experience adventures of all kinds. As a romance author, writing allows me to have an opportunity to spread joy and give people hope in happily ever afters. In terms of a wider audience, stories connect us while tackling issues of gravity and bringing emotion into view. Stories allow us to bridge gaps and come together to find commonality while still allowing us to have an individual perspective of the themes that intertwine throughout books.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Even though I’m a plotter, there are days that I can’t see or hear the characters and writing comes harder to me. When that happens, I first try to figure out if it’s me or the story. Sometimes it’s me, and I know I need to refill my writing tank by taking myself out to lunch. If it’s the story, I take a long walk or hot shower and just think about the characters and ask myself why over and over again. Why are they doing what they’re doing? What comes next? Why do they want what they’re working for and what’s standing in their way? Sometimes during the walk, I’ll interview them in my head or I’ll think about the scenes I’ve already written. By the end of the walk, I’m usually thinking about the next scene and the why becomes clearer, allowing me to focus on what comes next.

What is your favorite time to write? I know my family would laugh as I’m notorious for not being a morning person, but morning is my favorite time to write. That is, once I’ve had a cup of tea and my breakfast! If my twins are in school, driving them to school gives me an opportunity to think about the next scene and get a clear picture of the sights, sounds, and smells of what is happening so it makes it a joy to sit down and get that into my manuscript.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Comparison is the thief of joy. When I compare myself to others, I stop thinking about my characters and the reasons I love to write. When I keep my mind on the story, I’m able to consider what’s keeping the characters from getting what they need or want and what happens next.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? When I find out someone has read my book, I get so excited! I grew up reading and loving stories so just the thought that someone else is holding my book and reading a story that I wrote is magical to me.

Tanya Agler’s The Triplets’ Holiday Miracle is out December 24 with Harlequin.