Member Spotlight: Elyse Durham

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is the way I make sense of the world. It matters more than ever because reading forces us to slow down and imagine others’ lived experiences, which is the greatest way I know to create empathy.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Keeping up your practice every day, even if it’s just taking a minute to think about your work! It’s a lot easier to keep writer’s block at bay if you have consistent momentum going. (Also, I like having multiple projects going on at once so I can switch if I get stuck.)

What is your favorite time to write? Mid-morning. After the coffee kicks in, but before it’s time for lunch.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Always stop for the day at a place where you know what’s coming next!

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? That we have so many centuries of magnificent writers whose work can teach and shape us.

Elyse Durham’s Maya & Natasha is out now with Mariner Books.