Today we’d like to introduce you to Cordilia James.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cordilia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started writing short stories when I was six years old or so. They were often based on my favorite childhood TV characters at the time, like Bratz and Strawberry Shortcake, but as I grew older I began developing my own characters, my own plot lines, my own everything. When I wrote a story long enough to be a 303-page novella at age eleven, my dad thought I’d be some sort of prodigy. But I’m extremely self-critical, and as I got older, I noticed many flaws in my story that my eleven-year-old-self didn’t catch. The older I became, the less impressive my talents were, and my parents dismissed my love for creative writing as a hobby. They said if I wanted to make a living, I would have to do more than write books.
If my future income couldn’t solely depend on writing books every few years, I figured I’d look into a career that was slightly more structured and still allowed me to write. I joined my high school newspaper and attended local camps and events that sought to improve my journalism skills. One of these events was the It’s My Life youth film festival in Atlanta, where I begged my dad to drive my sister and me back and forth one weekend to learn how to tell stories through video. It was this event that made me so excited about using visual media to enhance my storytelling.
I quickly learned that if I wanted to be successful in today’s world, I had to be versatile. Sometimes, it wasn’t enough to just write; I had to be able to take photos, shoot video and more so that I could deliver creative content that would capture audiences’ interest. Having these skills have helped me tremendously at my previous internships, including those at my hometown newspaper and NBC Washington, as well as my university’s online news publication.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, not exactly. As a creative communicator, my goals are often centered on distributing information and ideas to audiences in unique ways, be it in the form of journalism, creative writing or blogging. It’s often difficult for me to balance these writing forms, especially journalism and creative writing. Sure, you can use creative writing to add color to a feature or enterprise story, but you have to be careful not to embellish as not to sensationalize facts. So, when I talk about creative writing, I try to discuss it as a separate entity that consists of fiction novels, short stories, screenplays, creative essays, etc. Since journalism is my primary focus, creative writing sometimes feels like an afterthought even though it was my first love. It brings me down sometimes and it’s something I’m trying to work on. Then, there are those times when I have serious writers’ block and can’t seem to generate good content, whether it’s a pitch for a news story, a premise for a short story or a blog topic to discuss. And of course, there’s the subtle discouragement from friends and family that makes me question my career path entirely.
I try to overcome these obstacles every day by reminding myself how important it is to do three things: research, prioritize, and stay optimistic. Researching means learning more about your field in order to become your own personal expert. For me, that means reading more novels, articles, blogs, anything. You learn a lot from reading the works of others, and I firmly believe it makes you a better writer. Prioritizing means dedicating more time and putting in the work towards doing what you love. Sometimes, that means putting less-urgent matters aside for a while and that’s okay. It’s not really quitting if you pick up where you left off later. Lastly, my mum always tells me to be optimistic. It might sound cheesy, but if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. For young women starting their journey, especially those who have high-end goals in mind, the discouragement could be more blatant, more intense. But you shouldn’t give up on yourself because someone else says so. Hold your head up high, work hard and be the best that you can possibly be. People will take notice and will have no choice but to give you a chance because they realize how much they need/want you and your talent.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with your business – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m always writing something: journalism articles, short stories, and recently, blog posts. In the past, I’ve covered breaking news stories for NBC Washington and my hometown newspaper, although lifestyle has always been my primary beat for my university’s student publication. I often cover stories relating to culture, health, identity, and other related subjects. As the new managing editor of the Life section, one of my goals is to enhance our stories with more visual media, whether it be through digital videos, photos, graphics and more. I’m working on other projects of course, but that’s my main priority at the moment other than my academics.
I’m most proud of my experience working with the Newseum’s Power Shift Project in 2018, where I spoke alongside professors and business leaders in the journalism industry regarding the #MeToo movement’s impact on interns. Together, the group of us discussed strategies to build and maintain a safer work environment for those most vulnerable in the industry. The live-streamed panel was created as a viable resource to be used by universities, businesses, and interns themselves. Later, I joined the Newseum again to directly discuss the movement’s role in the journalism industry to Al-Neuharth scholars from across the country.
I’m so proud of those experiences because it truly felt like I was joining the movement, speaking up and brainstorming solutions alongside strong leaders who could promote change in a post-#MeToo world.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Well, my calendar and my notes apps are the main ways I stay organized. I used to use a physical planner for everything, but now, I organize my agenda through these apps so I always have them with me on the go.
In journalism, it’s so important to stay up-to-date with the news. So naturally, most of the podcasts I listen to are newsy, like the New York Times’ “The Daily” and “Still Processing,” as well as Vox’s “Today Explained.” Listening to these podcasts also teach me interview skills that I can apply to my own work, like how to ask the right questions in order to get the most out of a story, and how to explain something in a clear, concise way so that audiences understand the first time around.
I also listen to various Spanish podcasts to help me learn the language better; I just came back from living in Spain for a semester, and I hope that my Spanish is significantly better when I return someday. Learning a second language is so important to me and I hope I can apply those skills here in the states as well.
I’m always looking for books to read and blogs to check out that could help me live my best life! If anyone has any recommendations, I’m all ears. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: cordiliaj97@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/cordiliajames
- Twitter: twitter.com/cordiliajames
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exolmc_Tti0
Image Credit:
Taameen Mohammad, Sophia Barnes, Newseum
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