Member Spotlight: Matthew McElligott

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world?
William Faulkner said, “I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written on it.” Writing gives me the opportunity to get distance from my thoughts, and, just maybe, view them more objectively. If I could write down everything before I say it, I’d have a much smoother path through life.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?
Deadlines, fear, and coffee all help push through. But sometimes that frustration is a sign that I’m on the wrong track, heading in a direction that isn’t interesting me. Rather than fight the writer’s block, it’s often more valuable to sit down and have an honest conversation with it.

What is your favorite time to write?
First thing in the morning. If I save it for the end of the day, too often it never gets done.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers?
In The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield says, “It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.”

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age?
The opportunity to reach readers, and connect with other authors, in ways I never could before.

Matthew McElligott’s Do Not Eat the Game! is out now with Crown Books for New Readers.