Member Spotlight: Hannah Laura Dennison

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I admit it–I write for selfish reasons. Writing grounds me. It helps me make sense of the world and keeps me sane. If my work entertains others, that makes me happy. Why is it an important medium in the world? Apart from the usual platitudes i.e. to Express oneself, Inform, Explain or Persuade, writing reveals the human condition. Writing also takes readers to places they might never visit whether it’s a fictional English village or the planet Mars. I cannot imagine a world without it. We’d all be robots!

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?
1. Always go back to your characters and see what secrets you can exploit. Take a look in their trash bin.
2. The MacGuffin: have a mysterious package arrive (you don’t need to know what’s in there until the story reveals what’s in there–have faith!)
3. Go for a walk (seriously).

What is your favorite time to write? Early morning–immediately after I wake up. Many years ago, I bought Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and wrote morning pages. The habit stuck ever since.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Finish the first draft no matter how bad it is. You can’t edit a blank page.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Today’s age is definitely an inclusive landscape. The ability to connect with readers around the globe via social media; to participate in virtual conferences and book events and the chance to virtually teach mystery writing to students who would not otherwise have been able to attend a bricks and mortar classroom.

Hannah Dennison’s Danger at the Cove is out August 17 with Minotaur Books.