Member Spotlight: Jill Bronfman

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I’ve done a lot of writing, as a professor and as a lawyer, but my writing as a poet and novelist is the most authentic way I can communicate with the world. Even if it’s fiction, it’s still me. And everyone who puts themselves out there like authors do is inviting empathy.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Word count. It’s all about getting a certain number of words on the page per day, or editing a certain number of words per day. I like prompts as well, but those are on top of the basic word count as an extra incentive.

What is your favorite time to write? Morning pages. This is the way.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? You can edit poetry, according to Ellen Bass. Who knew? Also, you can write science fiction by waving your hand in the general direction of the science and moving on, according to Molly Gloss. I’ve been taking both of these pieces of advice and running with them.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Honestly, posting links to my writing on social media. Even if thousands of people aren’t reading my books, they sure know that they exist. ; )

Jill Bronfman’s Thanks for Meeting Me Here is out now with Raven Chronicle Press.