Member Spotlight: Lesley Bannatyne

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is how we talk to each other across time and continents. It’s how empathy grows, how wonder and adventure are created, how worlds open up–physical, psychological, imaginative, emotional–and take us in. Also, the simple beauty of a piece of writing can take our breath away, the way a gorgeous symphony or artwork can. It elevates us. I’ve been in love with words and writing since I first could read, and have been trying to use the best words in the best order (Coleridge) ever since.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Reading. Whenever I need inspiration or a kick to get me going I have my favorite go-to’s. Toni Morrison for gorgeousness and the miracle of saying so much in every sentence. Karen Russell for imagination, Niall Williams for how to hold the natural world in words, Grace Paley for boldness of attitude, Stephen King for plot. Great writers are like mentors, and I almost always read one of them before i start my own work.

What is your favorite time to write? Afternoon. On the couch, in the sun. The things I’m supposed to do that day are done, and I’ve got a clear swath of hours ahead of me.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? You’ve likely heard it many times: writing is revision. First drafts are lousy because they’re first drafts; they’re scaffolding. Or more likely, a loose set of ideas taped together, out of order, and largely delete-able (at least, mine are). The real story is in there, but it’s the revising that builds it into something worth reading.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? I love the breadth of online resources available to writers now. Online archives, workshops, forums for connecting with other writers, even the gazillion opportunities for submitting work and indie publishing. I feel like we’re all less alone.

Lesley Bannatyne’s Lake Song: A Novel in Stories is out now with Mad Creek Books.