Member Spotlight: Ariel Courage

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is my favorite method of reckoning with time: marking it, subverting it, stretching it or compressing it. I also love its imaginative possibilities, the way it can embrace or alienate, comfort or frighten, honor or destroy. It’s as simple and accessible as putting pencil to paper, but also endlessly elusive and challenging. Writing isn’t merely an enrichment activity at the margins of life; stories are essential to life. The more writing comes under attack—whether from AI, censorship, or simply decreasing attention spans—the more valuable it becomes.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Long walks and patience help, but when I get very stuck, I sometimes just sit and describe my surroundings. It doesn’t matter how banal they are: the grounds in the bottom of my coffee cup, the cobweb in the corner, the way sunlight angles through my bedroom window. It’s rarely useful for my larger project, but forcing myself to observe the rich texture of the world around me helps get me back into the flow.

What is your favorite time to write? When I’m procrastinating on something else.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? I’ve received so much writing advice over the years that it’s impossible to pick “the best.” That said, I always liked the advice to send your characters to hell—or get them up a tree and throw rocks at them, as the old formula goes.  

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Though there’s a lot to dislike about social media, it’s never been easier to connect with other writers. I love being able to meet new people, keep up with publication updates, and celebrate talent.

Ariel Courage’s Bad Nature is out now with Henry Holt and Co.