Member Spotlight: Victor A. Pollak

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world?
It is our richest means for creative expression with the full clarity and depth capable by the human mind, so it is important for me as the channel through which to express my emotions, my fears, my appreciation and my arguments. And it is important to the world for humans to engage in all forms of collaboration and bonding to advance their collective  and individual aspirations. It is also the means by which I can exercise the fullest of my creative talents.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?
Clear away distractions, put my rear in the chair and get to it.

What is your favorite time to write?
Mornings, when my mind is the brightest and most creative

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers?
Be respectful of the reader’s time, and approach everything you write as an opportunity to create and control the reader’s experience. Remember that the reader has almost unlimited alternative opportunities, so if you have somehow captured his or her attention, make the best of it quickly.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age?
The same things as in any other age: It is our richest means for creative expression with the full clarity and depth capable by the human mind.

Victor Pollak’s Saving the Light at Chartres: How the Great Cathedral and Its Stained-Glass Treasures Were Rescued during World War II is out now with Stackpole Books.