Member Spotlight: Jamie Lyn Weaver

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? For me, writing helps me clarify my thoughts and feelings. If we all wrote down our negative thoughts before speaking in anger, maybe the world would be a more peaceful place to live.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Writing from a prompt for 15 minutes as poorly as possible, and looking for the “gold” that is in there. There’s usually something to spark another idea.

What is your favorite time to write? Mid-morning, when my apartment is in order and soft instrumental music is playing in the background.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? The important thing is that the book you write is your book, and your story, and don’t let anyone take that away from you. Your voice matters.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? I feel like there is more freedom to tell your story the way you want to. Whether it’s through pros combined with poetry or something else that gives twist to your voice. It’s all good.

Jamie Lyn Weaver’s Locked in the Psych Ward: A Memoir of Broken Promises and False Confessions is out now Weaving Words Press.