Writers’ Workshop Featuring John Michael Cummings
By: Emirhan Kardes
Author John Michael Cummings gave a workshop for aspiring young authors at the Florida Mall Barnes and Noble on Saturday morning. Mr. Cummings has just published the 2009 Patterson Prize winning The Night I freed John Brown, his first novel which has a target audience of 5th to 10th graders. He is best known for his short stories which have appeared in many publications. The novel has received good reviews from the Boston Globe, USA Today, and Kirkus Review, to name just a few. Cummings was promoting his new book as well as giving writing tips to an audience of young adults interested in becoming better writers.
The Night I Freed John Brown is a coming of age story about a young boy growing up in Harper’s Ferry Virginia who is troubled by a mystery involving his difficult father, the old house on the river where he grew up, ghosts, and the looming statue of John Brown. According to USA Today, it’s a blend of history and suspense. While it is written for teens, it appeals to adults also because it will take them back to their childhood.
Cummings told the audience that this book took almost a decade to finish- 2 years to write and 7 years to publish. He encouraged people to write about what they know. Everyone has a unique perspective and should just free-write to get it on paper. Then, revise and revise until it sounds perfect. Plot and language are very important, as is a good editor. He said that writing was like building highways with comma’s being traffic lights and red lights being the periods. But writing should be enjoyable and fun, not a chore that must be done.
Writing did not always come naturally to Cummings. He was never a good student, earned bad grades, and never did a teacher predict that he would one day write a book. He failed his first year of college and went on to study art while working at a variety of jobs. At 26, he returned to college and earned his degree. It was at that time that the music of Bruce Springstein inspired him to write. He then studied grammar because he did not know how to express himself formally. He enjoyed having control over his creations.
After the workshop, the 15 members of the audience participated in a writing exercise after being given a story starter. One member, Boone High School 11th grader, Kaley Jean Mead said,” I thought that it was very helpful making it a personal experience. I was actually at the store, so it was my first workshop”. Natalie Rinson, a 3rd grader from Millenia Elementary said, “It was interesting. I learned that I shouldn’t be so worried about writing.
During an interview with Mr. Cummings, I asked why he chose to write for teenagers and he responded that he had not intended it for teens. He originally was going to write a memoir, but after doing some research, found that they don’t sell. So he changed his genre. I asked him what the most difficult part about being an author was and he said, “Isolation and spending a lot of time on my own”. I asked how he created his stories and he responded that he drew from characters and situations from his past.