Ask the Author: Christopher Conte
Answered Questions (6)
Christopher Conte
I think writer's block happens when we get too self-absorbed and thus forget that we are writing to communicate. When I feel stuck, I start communicating, perhaps by calling a friend. When I get back in front of a keyboard, I force myself to visualize my reader. If that's too abstract, I imagine that I am writing a letter to my friend or perhaps to my mother. By reminding myself that I am telling something important to somebody else -- a real person -- I get outside of myself, forget my doubts and focus on what I want to share. Then, I just write. The important thing is to get the words flowing. So I don't worry about whether the writing is perfect. I know I can always go back later and polish it.
Christopher Conte
The satisfaction that comes when hard work produces both intellectual and emotional enrichment for others, thus making sense of our lives and what it means to be human. It isn't easy, but what can be more fulfilling?
Christopher Conte
Open your lives to new experiences and people. Get outside of yourself and listen -- really listen -- to them. Good stories and great insights will be the result. I truly believe that empathy is the single most important quality that defines a good writer.
Christopher Conte
I am working as a trainer, mentor, consultant and editor. But I am working on a couple of ideas that I hope will build on my experience as a cross-cultural editor. The ideas are too rudimentary to discuss right now, but I hope they will be ready for public consumption soon.
Christopher Conte
As a long-time journalist, inspiration has never been a problem for me. Deadlines have been my inspiration! But now that I am free of the pressure to write or lose my job, I find that inspiration comes from having fascinating experiences and meeting amazing people. There are so many stories just waiting to be told.
Christopher Conte
Back in 2008, I was brand new to Uganda. Fortunately, the country is full of good-natured people, so I never felt lonely. In fact, I have never lived in a place where it is easier to find friends. In no time I found myself engaged in long and fascinating conversations, often in coffee houses where I also could enjoy delicious Ugandan cappuccino. As I listened to my new friends tell me about their lives, I realized that they were opening a window on their whole culture -- one that in many ways is like my own but also differs in profound and beautiful ways. I wanted to share the poetic and richly spiritual way my friends made sense of their lives. The result is an inspiring book that provides a snapshot of Africa and the lives of its women at a time of rapid change.
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