Thornton Cline author interview
- What inspires you to write?
I keep a “hook book” of ideas and titles on my tablet
to draw from to write. All my fiction books are based on true stories that have
happened to me or to others. It’s hard to make up this stuff and pull it out of
thin air! Lol!
- What is your writing process?
My process varies. Some books were completely written
from dreams I experienced. I woke up and had the entire movie playing in my
head. I wrote the book exactly as I pictured it to be. Other times, I draw from
my “hook book” and choose the title and idea that moves me emotionally at the
time. I will write the condensed synopsis of the entire book into a few
paragraphs and then complete a skeleton outline of the chapters. Then I begin
writing without editing and let the creative process flow all the way to the
end. Then I go back and edit.
- What advice would you give to other authors?
Always write something every day whether it be lyrics,
a poem, a short story, a paragraph, a letter, an email, a post on Social Media,
or a thank you card. You will find
yourself improving as a writer as you practice. Also keep your eyes open and
your ears unplugged so you can find that perfect idea that will move you
emotionally and others too. Ideas are swirling all around us; we just need
seize those moments that come along for the moment, and then write about them
without procrastination or someone else will grab the idea. Next thing you know
that someone will write the idea you had, and they will be successful with a
published book or recorded song. Write from your heart with passion, whether
you make one million dollars or two cents.
- What drove you to the field of writing?
My mother signed me up for piano lessons when I was
five years old. I started writing little ditties, lyrics, and melodies. I
continued to write and ended up developing a career as a professional hit
songwriter with over 150 of my songs recorded by major and independent artists.
I was honored with being awarded “Songwriter of the Year” twice-in-a-row and
was nominated several times for a Grammy and Dove Award. I was awarded a
platinum album for my hit song, “Love is the Reason” for the sale of one
million units. I worked as a paid staff songwriter in Nashville for five years,
writing songs with artists and songwriters, I wrote over 1,000 songs since I
started in 1982, In 2012, I started writing fiction and non-fiction books,
which seemed like a natural progression from writing all those songs. I always
considered myself to be a writer, whether I was writing lyrics to a song, or
words to a novel. Basically, a song is a three-to-four-minute condensed novel.
- What does the word creative mean to you?
Being creative means keeping your mind open, always
expanding it with fresh new ideas and new ways to approach an idea. Always keep
your ears unplugged and your eyes fully open to those amazing creative ideas
floating around us in the universe. Being creative means accepting ideas even
when they seem so off the wall or out of the box that they would not be
approved by others with their narrow thoughts.
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