Member Spotlight: Emily Suñez

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? For me, creativity (both writing and painting) is hugely important – it’s my form of therapy, an avenue to process my life experiences, and a means of communicating my thoughts and ideas. I’m hoping to spread the therapeutic benefits of writing to others through my new book, The Healing Journal, which is a guided journal for coping with chronic illness that is full of writing prompts. Writing is such a powerful and important medium for the world for so many different reasons – from being entertainment to inspiration! Writing can communicate a diverse range of voices, ideas, and perspectives and allows readers to be immersed in different worlds, time periods, and cultures.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? If writing isn’t coming naturally to me, I just have to take a break and do something else for a while. Writing isn’t really something I can force. I’m also an oil painter, so switching mediums and painting for a bit helps get me out of my head. Then I can come back to my computer to write with my mind fresh and centered.

What is your favorite time to write? An afternoon at a coffee shop is my favorite time (and place) to write. I’m most productive in the afternoon and early evenings, and I find being at a café with just my laptop removes distractions and helps me get in a good flow.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? I think all writers know this advice already, but I’ll say it again anyway – write what you know! I never intended to become on expert on managing and coping with chronic illness, but that’s the path that life led me down. So now I’ve got a book coming out about that very topic. Being authentic and writing from a place of personal experience not only leads to good writing, but it also is what can help you connect with readers.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? This is such an exciting time to be a writer because of the ease of connecting with an audience. In today’s age of social media, we can find people instantly online who share similar backgrounds and interests! Opportunities to connect with readers have broadened from traditional bookstore events to podcasts, Instagram/Facebook lives, and virtual events via Zoom or Crowdcast, which not only is convenient for pandemic times, but allows authors to reach a much larger, more targeted audience.

Emily Suñez’s The Healing Journal: Guided Prompts and Inspiration for Life with Illness is out February 22 with The Experiment.