Member Spotlight: Robert Arthur Moore

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I’m a Boomer, whom some consider a fading presence who is less tangible as we grow old. Writing gives me a place in the world, a niche that says, “Here I am. I am still a part of society, and I am still contributing to someone’s quality of life somewhere.” Writing makes me feel pertinent, especially when I realize my books will be there for my yet-to-be-born great-grandchildren and beyond. As for the most important medium in the world: people still believe that words make a difference, even in this age when AI is deep-faking facts and numbers. Books and plays written today reveal us for who we are, and how history will remember us. We should act accordingly.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? When you enter “how to cure writer’s block” into a search engine, you’ll receive hundreds of thousands of replies. For me, there is only one solution: shut up, sit down, and write. Writers have so many possible outlets for their works, so they don’t have to dwell on their manuscript when they’re stuck. I write something every day: blog post, short story, social media posts, something, anything. This gives me the added benefit of improving my writing toolkit and keeping me fresh in my craft. The keys are to stay in a constructive and literary habit while ignoring the stress of creativity that’s pinging in your brain. Last piece of advice: writer’s block always ends. Always. If you think otherwise, try not to believe everything you think. You’re not always right, you know.

What is your favorite time to write? First thing in the morning. I am a pantser, so when I write, I write passionately with spurts of energy. It is likely that I was awake in the middle of the night creating characters and scenes on the ceiling of my bedroom. When I’m possessed by my book, I will get up and vomit everything I was thinking onto my keyboard. For plotters who use note cards with pushpins and such: I am so envious of your regimented life. I wish my creativity was so well organized.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Stephen King from a Twitter post: “We all suffer from imposter syndrome, believe me. You write for the joy of it, but the headwind is your secret belief that what you’re doing sucks.” My advice: keep going, keep writing. You have a unique view that no one has ever possessed in thousands of years of civilization. Along with that, you have a voice and that voice is best expressed through your writing. Ignore that gut feeling of imposter syndrome and write your damn book. You got this.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? That the art and craft of writing is easier today than it has ever been since Johannes Gutenberg’s team created the first mass-production printing press. We have ten thousands of writing tools and hundreds of thousands of published outlets. Yes, this means our books and articles are getting lost in a tsunami of creativity, but it also means we can find our works a place somewhere as long as we write and as long as we are strong enough to carry on. This is a great literary age, maybe the greatest ever. It might be easy to forget that when we’re struggling with “effect” versus “affect,” but to be a writer today is to be in a fellowship of millions. It’s a wondrous time.

Robert Moore’s A Sheriff in Nevada: Corona, written under his pen name JT Hume, is out now.