Heroin: A highly addictive opioid made from the natural substance morphine, taken from the seed pod of various opium poppy plants. Everyone has an addiction. Whether that be drugs or alcohol or something as simple as caffeine, everyone has something that they crave so intensely that without it, they go through withdrawal even without realizing it. We are all flawed by design, but the struggles that come with those flaws are what make us human. 

 2021 Gateway nominee “Heroine” shares the story of how simple painkillers for treatment can turn into a deadly addictive habit. Although her book isn’t based on personal experience, author of “Heroine,” Mindy McGinnis, paints the perfect picture of how easy it is to spiral into a world of substance abuse.

  On Sept. 30, the Edgar award-winning novelist shared her journey as an author with students to show how persistent hard work and dedication can lead to success. Having no degree in writing and never having taken a writing class, her journey was long but well worth it in the end.

  “You don’t have to have special training or knowledge. You don’t need to have anything. You just sit down and do it. Know what you like and write what you emulate. And it’s just like playing a sport or musical instrument, you’re not going to get better at it unless you do it and no one can do it for you. No one can make you a good basketball player. You have to go to practice. Writing is the same way,” McGinnis said.

 Most people’s childhoods consist of playing games or playing with toys. For McGinnis, her toys were her imagination. Growing up on a farm with little money, entertainment was something you had to create yourself. With a wild imagination, she was always making up stories. Her creative mind followed her into adulthood and led to the books she writes today. The stories she would read growing up never met her expectations due to a lack of realism and underwhelming content. It took a while before she discovered Stephen King’s novels and truly found a love for the dark, horror, and crime-filled world.

 “This isn’t real life and it wasn’t interesting to me. Ever since I was a little kid I was interested in the dark stuff, the questionable stuff, the stuff that makes other people uncomfortable,” McGinnis said. “I wasn’t a little kid that laid in bed and thought about kittens and puppies and rainbows. I lay in bed and thought: ‘What is under my bed? What’s in the closet? What’s at the window?’ That’s just how my head works.”

 Other authors may have a layout of their story before writing but McGinnis never plans her books. She has a general idea of the story she wants to tell but doesn’t know what’s going to happen in them until she sits down and types directly on a word document. The fear of not being able to find the right words is always a concern that races in her mind.

 “Even after 11 years of publishing, when I sit down to write every day, I’m scared because I think ‘What if I can’t do it?’ Because I don’t know what the magic is. I don’t know what switch flips that makes me start writing,” McGinnis said.

 Only 1 percent of published writers make a living off their writing so the pressure can be overwhelming, especially when there are always deadlines hanging over her head. When you write you are alone with your thoughts and the writing of one of her books, isolated her from her peers and made it hard to separate her work life from her personal life. 

Overcoming the intrusive thoughts of failure, the author still pushes herself to the limit and continues to grow into the successful writer she is today. Every day is a new day, and every day is a new page.

“Always be working. Never give up just means you keep going and you might not think what do I need to do to improve? Just being bullheaded doesn’t get it done. You have to ask yourself, ‘What do I need to change in order to make it?’” McGinnis said.