Member Spotlight: Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world?
Writing is one important way I engage with the world, with my own thoughts and with the the ideas of others.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?
I don’t mean to be glib, but I don’t remember having writers block but perhaps because if I can’t see my way clear on what I’m writing at the moment, I start writing something else. My best advice is to  write, write anything, just get the words flowing.

What is your favorite time to write?
Morning and early afternoon but I can write any time.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers?
Don’t talk too much about what you’re writing when you’re in the creative process. Let the energy & imagination get on the page…at least that applies to fiction, not necessarily to nonfiction. And write and read every day.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age?
Having the privilege to enjoy words and ideas and find shape and meaning and inspiration in the process excites me, but that likely applies to every age.

The Journey of Liu Xiaobo: From Dark Horse to Nobel Laureate edited by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman with Yu Zhang, Jie Li, and Tienchi Martin-Liao is out now with Potomac Books.