Member Spotlight: J M Adams

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Storytelling has been the primary vehicle for crucial communication since the beginnings of human interaction. Whether it’s spoken language or the etchings on the walls of ancient caves, storytelling and the sharing of ideas has always been the true building blocks for civilization. Human Writing, not artificial garbage, is a critical component to help people learn from the past and share information. The written word is also the most effective tool in understanding and communicating feelings and emotions. Writing is the most intimate form of communication to educate, inform, entertain, delight and horrify the readers.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I am actually challenged by the opposite problem of writer’s block. It’s a condition I call the “Broken Dam Spectrum.” When writing, I am often besieged by a never-ending flow of ideas that sometimes makes it difficult to know what rabbit hole to venture down. This also leads me to try a few forks in the road before settling on what I hope is the proper and most intriguing path for my characters.

What is your favorite time to write? I like to start my writing day around 4am. I don’t set an alarm, but when my eyes open, my mind sets the tone with the same message every morning. The book WON’T write itself. This is the hot coal that launches me out of bed every morning until it’s time to wake up the kids around 6:30. Once they are off to school, I write until the chapter is done for the day which can last anywhere from 11 to one in the afternoon.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Always have a written outline handy and rewrite it again and again and again until you’ve written your last chapter. It’s great to have a plan, as long as you’re willing to let your characters guide you on the journey. Always remember that you are the creator and therefore, nothing is set in stone until your final draft.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? I relish the chance to battle the forces of disinformation and the small-minded sycophants who dare to BAN BOOKS. Our society must stand up to their sickness and their desire to squelch cognitive thinking. Book banning is the sport the Nazis used to exert their control over people. I want every writer to join together to stop the fascist narrow-minded thinking and let people choose to read what they want. I’m excited to stand against the Book Banners because we all know that deep down, they would rather be burning crosses.

J M Adams’s Second Term is out now with Oceanview Publishing.