Member Spotlight: Jennilynn Wyer

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I’ve been writing most of my life. When I was a teenager, writing poetry and short stories helped me put my emotions to paper and understand the things I was going through. As an adult, I wanted to create love stories that pulled at your heartstrings, but stories that also shared a part of my soul. In every book I write, I share snippets of my life, letting my keyboard be the outlet for my life experiences, hoping in some way to connect with readers to let them know they aren’t alone. Writing isn’t only a personal journey; it’s an important part of life. The adage, “the pen is mightier than the sword,” exists because the written word holds so much power. A book has the ability to be transformative and impactful. It has the ability to transport you to new worlds and cross borders. It can open your mind and make you feel.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Whenever I get stuck in my story, and I don’t know how to proceed, I take a day or two off and let my mind have a break. Reading a good book, numbing my brain with action movies, or taking a long walk are my go-tos when I hit a roadblock. It’s amazing how the creative juices start flowing again when I’m hiking in nature. It’s like a lightbulb moment hits me out of the blue, and I get so many story ideas flying at me in all directions. Most of my reader-favorite plot twists have come to me during long walks.

What is your favorite time to write? I do all my writing in the early hours of the morning while I drink my two cups of coffee that I must have to get me going. I’m an odd duck and cannot, for the life of me, write at any other time of the day. I love the quiet of the wee hours of the morning when it’s still dark outside, and the world is still asleep. No distractions. No noise. No family obligations that I need to handle. Just me, my computer, my coffee, and my story.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? One golden nugget of advice I was given by another author when I first started publishing was, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” If it takes you a year to finish a book, that’s okay. Don’t give up. For every story that is written, there is a reader out there waiting to read it. A second golden nugget of advice I was given was to be kind to myself. When I need to step away and take a break, I do it. I’ve seen too many of my fellow authors succumb to burn out, and I didn’t want my love of writing to turn into a “job” I felt like I had to do.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? The age of publishing we are currently in is so different from what it used to be. Self-publishing/independent authors helped spurn this change, where readers aren’t confined to mass-market stories. Authors can flex their creative muscles and push boundaries. So many new tropes, especially in romance (which is what I write), have become popular staples that readers devour. Romantasy, dark, why choose, hockey, and so many more are now evergreens in the genre. I’m an author who “doesn’t know how to stay in her lane,” as they say. I have too many story ideas and love too many tropes to stick to just one. I love that I get to express my creativity and try out new things.

Jennilynn Wyer’s Broken Butterfly is out now with Love N. Books Press.