Our Skype Call with Marya Hornbacher

The three of us students were huddled around the laptop on wheelie chairs in the corner of the computer lab, Skyping with one of the most acclaimed authors covering mental illnesses.

“The best way to get ideas is to read," Marya Hornbacher zealously explained to us. "Read the back of the cereal box, read the news, books, watch movies. Find what engages you and what you’re passionate about then write."

Marya Hornbacher

Hornbacher is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author. She is the  recipient of a host of awards for her journalism and books, a Pulitzer Prize and Pushcart Prize nominee.

Her first book, Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia was published in 1998, when she was twenty-three. This memoir has been published in sixteen languages, is taught in universities all over the world and has changed the lives of thousands. She brought awareness to her own struggle with an eating disorder by maintaining her journalistic adherence to fact, she explained to us.

She did over thirty hours of interviews with each of her parents just to get all of the facts straight with what happened and conducted researched concerning mental illnesses.

She described her writing process as a 1,000-word brainstorm, where she sat and wrote everything before she was able to find what was necessary to include in the book and what was not.

“The difference in voice is what separates journalism with a research essay,” the author continued. “It’s about maintaining a certain balance with tone so that the reader can interpret for their own, instead of being told what to believe.”

As she cupped her oversize coffee mug and gently shooed her cats out of the view of the Skype call, she was able to make us laugh and capture our full attention with her eloquence.

Her writing covering mental illness avoids sensationalizing or dramatizing by controlling the tone.

“Sensationalizing comes down to the words you choose, the tone you are setting for your readers," Hornbacher said. "You don’t need to use tropes, you need to be an expert and know your disorder really well."

Marya writes best when she is alone in the early hours of the morning.
“I try to set at least 8 hours aside to write everyday," said Hornbacher. "Usually from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. I work best under isolation and free from distractions."

“I’m thinking about just going up to Northern Minnesota and buying a cabin just to write,” she stated. “People think I’m crazy when I tell them that. Only a writer would understand,” she laughed.

To check out some of Marya’s bestselling work you can visit her webpage here. 

By: Shirley Coenen