Member Spotlight: Brad Englert

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing novels, I address unanswerable questions, knowing the process will surprise me and bring insight that would otherwise escape me. Good fiction matters because it allows readers to see and experience the world through characters unlike themselves, generating compassion and understanding.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I ask myself a question about where/why I’m blocked and answer, freewriting. Sometimes I address a character directly. “Who are you and why are you in this novel?” Or “Would you please tell me what happened when…” Weirdly, they answer!

What is your favorite time to write? Early morning.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? An agent or editor only gets a first look once so don’t be in a big hurry to get your work out there. Let it sit a while. Get feedback from someone who understands how fiction works. Make sure it’s as good as it can possibly be before submitting it.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? The rise of independent presses publishing excellent work by writers too often ignored by the major publishing houses.

Brad Englert’s Spheres of Influence is out now with Fast Company Press.