Member Spotlight: Annette Dashofy

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Both writing fiction and reading it provide an escape from all the problems in our lives, and it lets us get away from reality for a while. The world desperately needs entertainment.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? When I get blocked, I’ve learned it’s usually because I don’t know what’s going on “off stage,” so I stop working on the manuscript and start writing those behind-the-scenes events that are quietly driving the story ON the page. Example: what is the villain doing that the hero can’t see?

What is your favorite time to write? Early morning, before my inner editor wakes up, is my prime time for drafting. The words flow, even if they suck. I can fix that later in the day.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Find your “tribe.” Join a writing organization. Attend workshops and conferences. Don’t try to do it alone.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? There are so many options open to getting published. No longer is trad publishing the only route. I say this as a mostly trad-published author, but it’s freeing to know indie publishing is now an accepted route to publication.

Annette Dashofy’s Hell Hath No Fury is out now with One More Chapter.