Those writing possibilities surround you

“For me, a happy ending is not everything works out just right and there is a big bow, it's more coming to a place where a person has a clear vision of his or her own life in a way that enables them to kind of throw down their crutches and walk.” – Jill McCorkle

McCorkle – a native North Carolinian who was born on this date in 1958 – is the award-winning author of a dozen books and numerous short stories and a professor of writing at North Carolina State University.  Among her awards is the Dos Passos Prize given annually for Excellence in Literature to a writer the judges believe has been “under-recognized” at the so-called midpoint of his or her career.

Despite that “under” recognition, McCorkle has done very well with her books, five being named as “Notable Books” by the New York Times.        Four of her short stories have been named as “Best American Short Stories,“ and she recently earned the New England Booksellers Award for outstanding writing. 

Her advise to new writers:  Be alert to every writing possibility.

“I always tell my students, 'If you walk around with your eyes and ears open, you can't possibly live long enough to write all the novels you'll encounter.'”

***

For examples of McCorkle’s stories, see “Cuss Time” and “Me and Big Foot” on The American Scholar website.

Share A Writer’s Moment with a friend by clicking the g+1 button below.