Member Spotlight: Karen G. Ruelle

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? We are hardwired to crave stories. Everywhere I look, I see stories. Writing them down is my way of translating, communicating, making sense of the world.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? If I sit down at my computer before I’ve completely woken up, before I’ve put on my glasses and eaten my breakfast, I can sometimes trick myself into forgetting about writer’s block. It isn’t always successful, but it’s the best I’ve got.

What is your favorite time to write? I can write any time of day, but not late at night. That’s reserved for painting and drawing, when I’m accessing a different part of my creative brain.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? My mother told me to end every creative session leaving something unfinished, so you’ll have a way in next time.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? There are so many resources and archives to be plumbed and newly declassified secret files to dig through. What a treasure trove for a nonfiction writer, so much to discover!

Karen Gray Ruelle’s Surprising Spies: Unexpected Heroes of World War II is out now with Holiday House.