Member Spotlight: Nashae S Jones

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing is important to me, because it is a vehicle for me to express myself creatively. It is always a cathartic exercise when I write. Writing is important to the world because it documents history, and this goes for all writing, not just non-fiction. Every piece of writing is a microcosm of that time period’s society and culture.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Is there a cure? If so, I would like to get it! But on a more serious note, I think the only thing that cures my writer’s block is time away from the project. If there’s a plot hole I cannot see a way around or a character flaw I can’t parse out, I have to create space away from the project. That way, when I come back to the project, it is with a clear head.

What is your favorite time to write? I am definitely a part of the 5 am writer’s club. I am at my most creative before the sun comes up.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? The best piece of writing advice I’ve ever received is to “write without fear and edit without mercy.” I used to used a spend a lot of time on the first draft, trying to get it just right. First drafts are supposed to messy expressions of your creative energy. It’s when you get to the revision process that you should edit with a critical eye. As a writer, you have to learn to strike a balance.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? One of the most exciting things about being a writer in today’s age is being able to access a diversity of voices throughout the literary canon. I love that I have access to differing stories across a wide array of cultures, races, abilities, and identities.

Nashae Jones’s Courtesy of Cupid is out now with Aladdin.