Next up is J. M. Cornwell, who began writing at the age of eight while living in Panama. Under the influence of Homer and Edgar Rice Burroughs, she wrote her first book about a girl who, while lost in the jungles of Central America, finds an ancient civilization. Since then, Ms. Cornwell has written articles and won awards, raised a family, divorced and moved around the country with the Air Force and on her own, always coming back to her first love—writing.
In the shadow of Pikes Peak, she spins stories about relationships and secrets. Stories have been included in several anthologies, including A Cup of Comfort and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She also writes book reviews for Authorlink, has ghost written eight nonfiction books, and her debut novel, Past Imperfect, was published by L&L Dreamspell in 2009. Among Women is her second novel, the first of two connected stories that take place in New Orleans (view the video book trailer at the end of the interview).
IS: What motivated you to start writing?
JMC: I
began writing at the age of eight after reading Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Edgar
Rice Burroughs and Greek mythology. I wanted to create my own stories.
IS: What is the
primary source of inspiration for you?
JMC: Life.
Everything that happens, everything I read, everything I hear starts a spark
that eventually grows into a story. Good things, bad things, anything inspires
me.
IS: Do you write
when the muse strikes, or do you follow a writing schedule?
JMC: I
do both. I write when the muse strikes, as long as I'm not working my day job,
and I follow a schedule that begins around 4 a.m. every day. I find that I am
more productive and creative first thing in the morning, which is a turnaround
from when I was younger and nighttime was the best time to write, usually after
I had my homework done, bath taken, and was getting ready for bed.
IS: Please
describe your process.
JMC: I
don't have a specific process, other than getting an idea, taking notes, and
letting the story germinate. Sometimes an idea will strike hot and I sit down
and write it immediately. Other times, a story has to germinate for a while
until all the characters, motives, themes and plot settle. That's when I write.
I go with the flow—whatever the flow happens to be on a given day.
IS: What have you
done to promote yourself as a writer?
JMC: I've
done interviews, written articles, blogs and stories, do a little social
networking (I'm pretty inept at that since I spend most of my time working,
reading and writing) and talk about and teach other writers about the process.
This interview is one of those promotion techniques.
IS: What's left to
do?
JMC: Keep
writing. The one thing about writing is that there is no age limit and even
physical limits can be modified or overcome to continue writing. I'll keep
writing stories, articles and books until I take my last breath. It would be
nice, however, to get a few books on the bestsellers lists or at least be
circulated around a few thousand book clubs.
IS: When did you
discover your unique voice? How long did the process take?
JMC: From
my journals. I've been keeping paper journals for years and writing a lot of
nonfiction. Fiction eluded me. The dialogue was wooden, the characters not yet
three-dimensional, and I tended to overwrite. Then a writing colleague told me
I should write the way I wrote in my journals. I thought he was crazy and then
I tried it. I'd have to say that I was born with my unique voice and didn't
realize I didn't have to have a separate voice for nonfiction and fiction, and
the best way to write a story is just to get out of the characters' ways. The
process is ongoing. Writing more refines my voice.
IS: What do you
consider your greatest achievement as a writer?
JMC: Every
book, every story placed in an anthology is the greatest achievement. The best
achievement of all will be when I can fully support myself as a writer. I'm
still waiting on that one.
IS: What's the
most recent book you read?
JMC: The Traitor's
Emblem by
Juan Gómez-Jurado.
IS: Who are the
writers you admire most?
JMC: I
have a lot of old favorites: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Andre Norton, Anne
McCaffrey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Algis Budrys, Julian May. Most of those
writers taught me how to write and what I wanted to achieve. I also have a few
new favorites: Jasper Fforde, Salman Rushdie, Brian Keene, Stephen King, Ted
Dekker, Douglas Kennedy, Laura Ann Gilman, Maynard & Sims, David Baldacci,
to name a few. I enjoy Dan Brown's stories, but his books are not well written.
Still, he is a great storyteller despite his technical and grammatical flaws.
I'm always discovering new writers and the list continues to grow.
IS: What's your
best piece of advice for novice writers?
JMC: Read
everything, not just in your favorite genre, but in every genre, nonfiction and
fiction. Stretch yourself as a reader and the writing will stretch along with
it. Write. Write all the time, write when you don't feel like it, write
especially when you do, and don't worry about the mistakes. You can correct
those when you edit and rewrite. Get the story down in a white heat and edit
with a cool head. Whatever else you may think or have been told, mistakes do
count.
IS: Is there
anything else you'd like to add?
JMC: The
best thing any writer can do is venture outside the comfort zone frequently, in
reading and writing. I began writing fiction and stopped because it was hard
for me. Nonfiction came as easily to me as breathing, but I didn't give up on
fiction. I kept reading and found a story that wrote itself. Once the first one
was done, the rest came easier and I learned to write better dialogue, plot
good stories, write fully fleshed characters, and had a lot of fun doing it.
Writing
is fun, but it is also work, hard work, and it is worth the effort and the time
even without publication. Publication just helps me keep score and lets me know
that most of the time I hit the mark and reach readers the way intended.
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