Member Spotlight: Mary Ethelyn Lawrence

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world?
I’m happiest when I’m putting together a narrative, it helps me make sense of the world. To me, the most important aspect of reading and writing is its role in stretching people’s imagination.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?
Read favorite authors, go to an art museum, take long walks to listen for birds and frogs, and refuse to call it a writer’s block. Look for beauty and appreciate it–ponder it. Leave your subconscious alone, it will work on a problem while you take a break.

What is your favorite time to write?
Definitely in the morning when the house is quiet and the day hasn’t cranked up.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers?
Don’t think you can, know you can. I don’t know who said that, but I’ve always believed it despite setbacks and disappointments.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age?
I’m grateful that I can entertain someone and take them somewhere else for awhile.

Mary Lawrence’s The Lost Boys of London is out now with Red Puddle Print.