Member Spotlight: Dawn Star Fleming

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Socrates was concerned that relying on the written word would degrade memory, cause people to learn only superficially, and make them incapable of conversing, debating, and growing. Quite the opposite is true. If Plato had not used the written word, the philosophies and debates of Socrates would have been lost. Writing is important because it serves as a conduit for humanity to save, learn from, and build upon our knowledge to better understand the universe and ourselves. In this time of AI, human writers are critical to preserving the thoughts, feelings, and morals of humanity. 


What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? My problem is not writer’s block, but choosing which story I want to write next. I have folders full of scraps of paper and “ideas” for stories. One problem is organizing the ideas so I can write the stories in some order that makes sense. I have many memories and stories that I would like to share for others to enjoy. Human beings have so much in common. It is fun to write about things and think about how others will enjoy the stories and relate to them.

What is your favorite time to write? I like to write early in the morning, before my husband and my cat get out of bed. I enjoy sipping a warm cup of tea while writing. I do not write at the computer; I prefer to write with pen and paper. That way, I can scribble out, add sentences with arrows or words with carets, ask myself questions in the margins of the paper, and not worry about perfection. Later in the day, when I type the story, it is the second draft with all of the scribbled changes incorporated.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “Write what you know.” I think he meant we should write about human emotions and human nature, which we have drawn from our personal lives and which everyone can understand. I try to write stories that elicit emotions. Hopefully readers will be touched by the characters and experience the emotions, drawing from their own lives. My favorite writing instructor advises not to edit our work when writing the first draft, but to write it without concerns about spelling, grammar, punctuation or other editing errors. The ideas, characters, actions, dialogue, and scene can come alive straight from my brain and heart when I write this way.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? I am very happy that I am writing at a time when authors can self-publish and share their work around the world. With computer applications, authors can produce very professional print books, which cannot be differentiated from works created by publishing companies. I can’t imagine all of the wonderful and important fiction and nonfiction that humanity never had the opportunity to enjoy or learn from because publishing companies could close the door. It is fabulous that we can now share our books traditionally and through ebooks worldwide. Audiobooks can make works come to life, especially when narrated by the author. I am excited about that possibility for my work.

Dawn Star Fleming’s Amazing Adventures of My Childhood in Cleveland (And How I Survived) is out now.