Member Spotlight: Nathan Foy

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 allows me to freely express my thoughts on paper and share those thoughts with others who may otherwise not have the opportunity to know. Writing is an important medium for the world because it encourages creative thoughts and expressions through tangible means, mainly printed book form.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? One of the best tried and tested remedies that I have found to cure writer’s block is to step away from the manuscript for a few days, a week, a month, or a few months, and place the project in the back of your mind until you are refreshed and ready to pour all you have once again into the endeavor. It will resurface for sure. Believe me, after completion, you will be glad you took a breath, and your readers will thank you!

What is your favorite time to write? My favorite time to write is right around the midnight hour. The day has passed, nature sounds fill the night, and my mind is wound down enough to focus on what I want to write. I have found this inspires me most.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? The best piece of advice that I have ever been given and was by my sixth-grade middle school language arts teacher who once told me, “never be scared to start writing, and once you start writing…write, write, write…you never know what you can achieve”!

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? What excites me most about being a writer in today’s age is that I get to share what I have learned from years past with those in today’s age. Some knowledge is worth saving and preserving and should be passed on to the future generations. I am happy to help in that pursuit any way I can.

Nathan Foy’s I Am a Sub: Poems from a Substitute Teacher is out now.