Member Spotlight: Eric Pinder

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Even if you can’t really fly to the moon, or hike the Appalachian Trail, or visit a volcano, you can sort of do all those things just by opening a good book. Stories broaden our horizons and stretch our imaginations, and that will always be important.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? A hike or a bike ride always seems to spark ideas. Sometimes the perfect sentence springs to mind, but I’ll have forgotten to bring something to write with, so I end up racing home to jot it down before it slips away.

What is your favorite time to write? As a teacher, I struggle to get as much writing done during the school year. Quiet summer mornings tend to be the best time for writing.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? In college, a professor recommended reading rough drafts out loud, or having a friend read them aloud, to hear the rhythm of each sentence. We’re so used to seeing the words while typing or revising that hearing them instead can help us catch mistakes we otherwise might miss.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? There’s a lot of turmoil and uncertainty in the publishing world right now, unfortunately, which makes this question a difficult one to answer. At a recent school library event, however, the kids were all enthusiastic about books and many shared their own favorite stories, and that was encouraging to see.

Eric Pinder’s Nimbus Takes a Hike, illustrated by T. Brian R. Walsh, is out now with Arcadia Children’s Books.