Member Spotlight: Peggy Joque Williams

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is something I have done since childhood. It is often easier to express myself through the written word rather than by speaking or any other means. In terms of its importance for the world, the written word–whether on paper or online–is a way to know someone’s thinking whether you’ve met them or not, whether they are still alive or not. It is a record of human thinking. Whether in book form, an article, a letter, an email or text, the written word profoundly impacts individuals and whole nations on a daily basis.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I’ve never experienced writer’s block. Sometimes I hesitate, procrastinate, but words are always flowing from my fingers–such as now. There is always something I can write, and as long as I am writing something, eventually the words for my novel(s) will come. If I am stuck on a plot point, I ask my “muse of the universe” to help me figure out what I need to write the next page, the next scene. That seems to be a mantra that signals my brain to do the hard work of coming up with ideas.

What is your favorite time to write? I hate to admit it, but my most productive time is between midnight and three in the morning. It’s pretty much always been this way for me. The house is quiet and my brain is revving.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? The best piece of writing I’ve ever received is that if you don’t put something down on the page, you have nothing to edit. So write something, even if it’s no good.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? I think the opportunities for getting our books published are phenomenal in their diversity. And I love connecting with other writing both locally and across the globe.

Peggy Joque Williams’s Braving the Dawn is out now with Black Rose Writing.