Member Spotlight: Debbie Burke

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is my continuing education. I never stop learning as I research, try new techniques, study, and teach to pass on my experience to other writers. For the readers of my fiction, thrillers provide an entertaining diversion from tough everyday reality. It’s not curing cancer but when readers tell me that my stories gave them much needed respite from their problems, I feel I’ve done my job. Making someone’s life better in a small way is worth the effort of late nights and rewrites. My new nonfiction book about villains is meant to help writers of all levels of experience to create convincing, multi-dimensional, unique antagonists for their own fiction. Again, it’s not curing cancer, but it’s a service I can provide to fellow writers.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Go for a walk. I don’t think about writing but let my subconscious mull over whatever is troubling me. Most of the time, I come back with a solution that gets me out of the doldrums and back to writing. Physical exercise is an important part of overall well-being especially for writers who spend so much time stuck inside our own brains. Getting the blood moving, muscles loosened, and fresh air flowing through my body always helps refresh my outlook.

What is your favorite time to write? Early morning but really anytime.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? From my mentor Dennis Foley: “You can’t fail at writing unless you give up.” I’ve never given up.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Self-publishing. It allows much more freedom, flexibility, and control than the traditional system. I can release books on my schedule, not someone else’s. I can change book prices and make corrections in seconds. Those abilities are important to me because many of life’s decisions are out of our control. I can control my writing. Now if only I could control how many people buy my books!

Debbie Burke’s The Villain’s Journey: How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate is out now.