Member Spotlight: Gary McAvoy

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world?
Whether in fiction or nonfiction, I write to learn and to educate others. Researching for either genre fuels my passion to better understand the world we live in, and nothing does that better than the written word, where readers are left to imagine their own interpretations of what they read.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?
I can honestly say I’ve never experienced so-called writer’s block. There have been times I’ve felt lazy and didn’t feel like writing, but I have yet to stumble across a plot, scene, or characterization that has paralyzed me such that I can’t move forward. For those times I don’t feel the muses helping on something I’m working on, I move on to another scene or chapter and embrace something fresh. That seems to work for me.

What is your favorite time to write?
I write every day, usually starting around 11AM and ending around 5PM, with frequent breaks to shake up the monotony.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers?
Stephen King’s book On Writing offers many treasures, but the one rubric that stood out for me was: “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over.”

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age?
The fact that I don’t have to be bound by the rules or whims of others, i.e. agents, editors, and publishers. As an indie author I call the shots for my own career, and there is no better feeling than having control of your own life.

Gary McAvoy’s The Magdalene Deception is out now with Literati Editions.