Member Spotlight: Sharon Skinner

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I have been in love with reading and books since I was able to sound out my first words at the age of four.

Writing followed quickly as I filled pages and pages with stories of aliens and dragons and fairies and monsters while in grade school.

Science has proven the ways that books and reading are good for the brain, and we know for a fact they help us to navigate the world and understand ourselves and others.

When I was young, books were my best friends, I want readers to connect with my characters and my books in a meaningful way like that.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? To be honest, I find that working with other writers, teaching, supporting, mentoring, editing, and coaching, helps keep me engaged with my own writing. Feeding the hopper, by reading is a key component for me, as well. By constantly inputting new information and keeping things churning, I always seem to have something more to write.

There are also the absolute tools that anchor me, like the “Butt in Chair” mantra, and my trusty whiteboard of conflict.

And my new favorite is The Inside/Outline created by Jennie Nash of Author Accelerator.

What is your favorite time to write? My Favorite time to write is afternoons and evenings. I am not a morning person. My brain is just not creative that early. But later in the day is a great time for me to meet with my muse.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? The best writing advice I have ever gotten is from the fabulous Jane Yolen.

Her three rules of writing are:
1. Write the book.
2. Write the Book.
3. Write the book.

Jane is also an amazing and generous writer and a great example of consistent perseverance. A critical component of success in writing and publishing.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Honestly, I am very excited about the shifting landscape of publishing. POD has changed things in a way that I don’t think many of us anticipated just a few decades ago. And with eBooks and the internet, the global reach of books is incredible. We can have readers from all over the world reading our books now. Who knows what will happen next?

Sharon Skinner’s Return to Anoria is out tomorrow with Brick Cave Books.