Member Spotlight: William Mark Burtch

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is a form of expression and communication that will endure long after it is written. It is a medium that can inspire new thinking. Via technology and translation, thoughts can be shared, and inspire, around the world.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Reading work of writers I have always admired.

What is your favorite time to write? When I have that first cup of coffee.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? It is old advice but tested: Read as much as you can. Toss newly discovered writers into the mix.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? The ability to reach new readers through so many evolving and exciting platforms. Also, the supportive community that can be build online.

William Burtch’s W.G.: The Opium-addicted Pistol Toting Preacher Who Raised the First Federal African American Union Troops, co-written with Donna Burtch, is out now with Sunbury Press.