Member Spotlight: Amy Timberlake

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Story-telling, story sharing — that’s what’s important to me. Books are a great way to do this. Reading is intimate without being invasive. We need to hear each other’s’ stories. Also? I think if you’re going to write books, you should read books in the same way you should listen before you speak.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? A long walk. Unplug the internet. Let your mind wander. Let yourself be bored. And, though it’s hard, keep sitting in the chair, with your pen and paper in hand. Try scribbling madly away until you start playing with words again.

What is your favorite time to write? Writing in the morning is my favorite time. The world hasn’t gotten in yet and my thoughts are fresh and uncluttered.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? I like that Samuel Beckett mantra: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Earnestness? It seems to be making a slight comeback. I’m thinking of Ted Lasso, for instance. I hope I’m right about that.

Amy Timberlake’s Egg Marks the Spot, illustrated by Jon Klassen, is out now with Algonquin Young Readers.