Member Spotlight: Joanna Monahan

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Reading has always been a source of comfort for me. I feel like it’s my purpose to create stories that serve as a safe, comforting place for my readers to go when they need a little break from reality.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I’ve found joining writing challenges to be a helpful way to work through blocks. There are a variety of hosted writing challenges on social media – most involve writing a short post in answer to a prompt or a theme for a set number of days. I’ve participated in challenges based on the five senses, music lyrics and television shows. These short writing exercises helped me think about my characters and story in a different, often lighthearted, manner. Plus, connecting with other authors and giving/receiving feedback on each other’s submissions is great motivation to get out of a slump.

What is your favorite time to write? I’ve experimented with writing at all times of the day and found 9 a.m. to noon is my most productive time. And if the rest of my day goes sideways (as it often does), at least I know I got my writing time in.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? The best writing advice I ever received was from author and writing coach Charlotte Rains Dixon. When I told her I was stuck on a scene involving particular character’s emotional arc, she told me to “Act as if.” What she meant was I should give myself permission to jump ahead to a plot point I was more prepared to write and simply “act as if” I had already written the preceding section. This allowed me to move past the mental block I’d created and continue writing without getting pulled down into a revision rabbit hole. By the time I was ready to go back and work on the section in question, I had completed the ending and knew the dots I needed to connect.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? The most exciting part of being a writer today is the opportunity to connect with local reading and writing communities and independent bookstores. I particularly love the growing number of book fair events for adults. After all, what could be more fun than talking about books with other book lovers all day long?

Joanna Mohahan’s Welcome to Blooms is out now with Blue Ink Press.