Jane is a Sunday Times best-seller who has sold more than 1.5 million novels worldwide and is a journalist. She has also worked as a writer in residence at a high-security prison for men – an experience that has helped to inspire her books. In addition, she is a wife, mother and grandmother.
¡Hola, Jane! Can you give a few tips on how to become a successful writer: if you want to start writing, what is essential, imagination, passion, etc.?
You can also pre-order her book (available in print, Kindle and audio) by clicking https://www.waterstones.com/book/i-died-on-a-tuesday/jane-corry/9780241996126
“Don’t let anyone put you off by telling you how difficult it is to be a writer. It isn’t easy. However, this could be said for many jobs. If you don’t try, you may regret it. You are never too old or too young.
“Write down ideas that come to you. Otherwise, you might forget them. It might simply be a description or an emotion.
“Let that thought ‘cook’ in your mind. You might find that an idea for a plot or a scene comes into your head, which you can refine over time.
“Make sure that your characters have problems. This creates the tension.
“Experiment by writing in different genres such as historical, romance, thriller, crime, etc. Go with what feels natural. Use
dialogue to tell the reader something.
’Show’ by describing what someone or something is like rather than telling it. For example, the man ‘limped/skipped/ran/skedaddled’ down the street is more interesting than ‘walked’.
“Enter writing competitions. It doesn’t matter if you don’t win. It will give you practice.
“Read, read, read”.
How did you manage to balance a successful career and a successful private life? I imagine you had to sacrifice a lot to be, a wife, mother, and writer.
“I had to learn to multi-task. When my children were little, I wrote while they slept. It took me twelve years to get published. Before that, I had lots of disappointing rejections. During that time, I continued writing as a journalist to earn a living. I also took a job as a writer in a high-security male prison after my first marriage ended. That changed my literary style, and I began writing family thrillers for Penguin. But I still multi-task, as my friends and family will tell you! I also like to challenge my
brain in another way – such as learning Spanish!”
I also wanted to ask Jane which one of her female characters resembled her, especially Janie from her next book “I Died on a
Tuesday”, as the plot takes place in a fictional seaside town in the Southwest.
“None of them! Janie, one of my main characters, loves riding her bike and swimming – just like me! She also dreams of being
a writer. But that’s where the similarities end. In my view, a fictional character should be made up of lots of different parts:
many of which are imaginary”.
For writing tips and details about Jane’s books, visit her website, www.janecorryauthor.com
Jane will also be talking about her new book I DIED ON A TUESDAY at Winstone Books, Sidmouth, on Monday June 24 at 6.30.
