Member Spotlight: Victoria Stuart (Torley)

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Usually, when asked that question, I say that it keeps the voices in my head subdued. If I had a more erudite answer, now would be the time, but I can’t think of one. As to the importance to the world, physical books are the only way to safeguard the words of the author, barring, of course, a Fahrenheit 451 attack and preventing a rewrite of history or even just a rewrite of points of view. Seen in that way, it is vital for the world.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? There are times when I simply switch projects, since, like many authors, I have more than one in progress at any time. My usual advice to new authors is to retype the last two pages of your manuscript and don’t stop when you get to the end. Other ‘retyping’ methods include typing the first pages of a favorite novel or typing a few paragraphs of an author with whom you disagree, allowing yourself to get angry, then transferring to your own work. Or you can drink. Hemingway was a proponent of drink and he was joined by others too numerous to mention.

What is your favorite time to write? I usually prefer to write during the daylight hours, although I do spill over into the wee hours from time to time.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? There are some authors who will insist you outline and some who insist you don’t. The latter is called a ‘pantser’ (writing by ‘the seat of your pants’). For the most part, I am a pantser, although I do occasionally note the date on the book’s ‘calendar’ when things get dicey. I am too polite to say what many pantsers say about plotters.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Print-on-demand and social media have opened a wonderful era of writing and publishing. On a personal note, I have approached well-recognized authors through their Facebook pages and been accepted as a friend and fellow author and encouraged new authors through Facebook. The most stimulating thing about being a writer today, however, is its international scope. If you can reach the internet, you have a voice. Astonishing.

Victoria Stuart (Torley)’s Orb and Arrow: Honor (Book II) is out this month with Pen It Publications.