Member Spotlight: Jackie L Disch

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing has always been an important form of expression for me. Personally, I use it as a way to release and record whatever thoughts, feelings, or emotions I am experiencing. Professionally, I offer those writings as a way to connect, to give hope, or perhaps understanding and acceptance to others who are having similar experiences in life. Like other forms of artistic expression, writing is an extremely important medium for the world. I think of writing as a way of saying what sometimes can’t be said out loud. It gives voice to the unspoken, but often otherwise apparent, parts of society or life. Writing also offers a place to escape, contemplate, educate, or simply explore other possibilities. For cultures that depend on the written word, writing will always be important.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I’m going to paraphrase what I was once told by an acquaintance of mine who is friends with a bestselling author: “Writer’s block” happens when the story wants to go one way, and writer wants it to go a different way. So, for me, I’ve learned to try to see where the story is wanting to go, and where I am wanting the story to go. Having that awareness alone provides a way to proceed. Another thing I do is write out each letter of the alphabet, one letter per line. Then I go through and free-associate a word that begins with each letter. Usually, one time is enough to spark something for me. Sometimes, I have to do it more than once. Rarely does it leave me without a way to go.

What is your favorite time to write? I don’t have a favorite time of day to write. I keep notebooks in each room of my house so that if an idea hits me in the middle of making dinner or talking on the phone, I can at least jot down the words that came to me at that time. Then, when I am ready to sit down to write, I have places to start or comeback to.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Follow the story. It may lead you to a similar place but a better piece of work overall.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? To be honest, there isn’t much in today’s world that is very exciting in a positive sense. Instead, there are a lot of anxiety producing situations happening now for most writers. As an LGBTQIA2s+ writer and author, it’s not a very welcoming time in the world to release a book. However, I am a writer. It is what I do. It is who I am. It is in my blood. There is always something to write about, whether or not it is published. It’s always a good time to write.

Jackie L. Disch’s Losing Katy: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Living Grief is out now with Booklogix.