Member Spotlight: Kent Priore

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Well, it’s therapeutic, isn’t it? We all know that. So it’s through the medium of writing that I can make sense of the world, provide it clear meaning, as well as the act of writing providing a path to further self-discovery and self-discipline. I always emerge from the other end of a novel project feeling fuller somehow, more dynamic. The same is true for readers, I feel. Through the act of reading, our world-views are expanded upon. We become fuller, more dynamic, more complete and empathetic human beings. Over all, we become better through the act of reading.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? A good walk can cure any writer’s block. A jaunt through nature with my British Labrador, Poe, at myside. A blend of cardio and companionship to ease the tension, the stress of worrying about what to write next. Afterward, things simply flow.

What is your favorite time to write? It varies, but the mornings for the most part are best. After I first wake up, easing into the morning with a cup of coffee…my mind is never more settled and focused.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Don’t plot. Controversial, perhaps, but plotting can lead to a story feeling rigid, manufactured rather than organic, real, human—qualities a story should never go without.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Perhaps that through the internet, we can reach a broader scope of people, a greater degree of readership. Also through the internet, there’s greater accessibility to information, allowing research to progress more smoothly.

Kent Priore’s The Monsters Among Us is out now with Rowan Prose Publishing.