Member Spotlight: I. Ribbon

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. It started, aged five, with the silly stories I’d tell my little brother – stories I would then commit to folded pieces of discarded printing paper. Whether as a creative outlet, a way to share a message with a wider audience, or to leave a footprint in the sand, writing is something we’ve done since the first carvings in caves. I think it will always remain a way to convey a piece of ourselves – a mirror of the soul. And now, with the advent of generative AI, it feels more important than ever.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I take myself off on long walks with my headphones in, playing some acoustic, epic, or orchestral score that gets me to envision book scenes in my head. But ultimately, there will always be days when you don’t want to write and feel paralysed by the blank page. My only tried and tested method to get over myself is to just write anyway, even when I don’t feel like it. Because eventually, I’ll break through to the other side, even if most of what I write that day (and the next, and the next) is garbage. Do it anyway.

What is your favorite time to write? Early in the mornings – when it’s just me, the cool breeze, a hot coffee, a blank page, and the world is full of possibilities. I particularly enjoy writing when it’s raining, so I’m not tempted to go meandering outside and check on the vegetable garden.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? I received two pieces of great writing advice. The first was from a brilliant book on plot and structure by James Scott Bell, about recognising the Big Lie that lives in the minds of many of us: that only a select few chosen ones can master the craft and artistry that is writing. As an Italian re-learning how to write fiction in English, this was a pressing point for me. The second came from my beloved Sir Terry Pratchett, who often mentioned the nifty 350. You don’t have to write a thousand words a day – it’s great if you can – but every day you must write at least 350, come sunshine, hell, or high water.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? All the marketing and social media I have to do. I jest. But I do admit that while I suspect writing would have excited me in any human era, what I find unexpectedly satisfying about being a writer in today’s age is the possibility we have to engage with a wide community of readers and fellow authors. I’ve befriended dozens of people I would never have met (and am, to this day, unlikely to meet). Also, Ctrl+F and autocorrect are handy features our forebears and their typewriters sadly had to do without. Let’s count our blessings.

I. Ribbon’s On the Way to Maracanda is out now.