Member Spotlight: Mary Boone

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing helps make sense of this complicated world. When headlines feel overwhelming, stories have the power to help me slow down and understand. Stories also help us process what’s heavy. They give shape to big ideas or concepts — injustice, courage, and grief. They let us explore difficult truths. For young readers especially, stories can be a safe entry point into complex realities. At the same time, writing offers relief. It provides moments of wonder, curiosity, humor, and possibility. A good story can educate us, entertain us, or steady us.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? When I’m stuck, I go outside. It’s not particularly original, but it is effective. A walk, a bike ride, or even 15 quiet minutes staring at the waves almost always loosens something. Getting outdoors pulls me out of the pressure to produce and back into observation. I notice snippets of dialogue, sensory details, small human moments. For me, writer’s block is never a lack of ideas. It’s typically mental gridlock. Fresh air is my favorite way to clear the traffic in my brain.

What is your favorite time to write? I’m a morning writer. That’s when I draft new material or tackle meaningful revisions – the work that requires creativity and emotional bandwidth. I protect those hours as much as I can. Emails, marketing, social media, scheduling, and such get pushed to the afternoon, when my creative energy naturally dips. I’ve learned that if I spend my best hours reacting instead of creating, the writing rarely happens. That said, nothing fuels my productivity like a looming deadline. I was a newspaper reporter for many years, so my brain is wired to thrive on urgency. Deadlines force decisions. They keep me from overthinking. So, my plan is clear: Protect the morning and let deadlines do what they’ve always done best … get the work across the finish line.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? You can’t revise a blank page. So, no matter how clumsy or incomplete they are, get the words down. Messy words are essential. You can reshape a rough paragraph. You can strengthen a weak scene. You can cut what isn’t working and build something stronger. But you can’t improve what doesn’t exist.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? As someone who writes for children, I’m energized and inspired by how curious and aware today’s kids are. They’re asking big questions about science, justice, identity, and the planet. They want stories that help them understand the world. I’m also grateful for how much research is at our fingertips. As a nonfiction writer, I can dive into archives, watch interviews, and connect with experts more easily than ever before. And then there’s connection. School, bookstore, and library programs allow me to interact directly with readers. Hearing their questions and insights improves my work. It’s a good reminder that kids are smart and perceptive, and that they deserve writing that respects that.

Mary Boone’s Unfathomable: 20 Wild (But True) Stories About the Ocean, illustrated by Max Temescu, is out now with Bright Matter Books.