Ask the Author: Morgan Campbell
Answered Questions (7)
Morgan Campbell
Son of Elsewhere -- Elamin Abdelmahmoud
Black Boys Like Me -- Matt Morris
World's Fastest Man -- Mary Ormsby
We'll see what else comes up. It's still early.
Black Boys Like Me -- Matt Morris
World's Fastest Man -- Mary Ormsby
We'll see what else comes up. It's still early.
Morgan Campbell
Again, daily journalism experience helps here. When you measure your deadlines in hours and minutes, writer's block becomes a luxury you can't afford.
But if you need practical advice, try this:
Jot down some notes, in any order you want. Just start writing down fragments and factoids that might feature in whatever you're aming to write. Write down more notes than you'll need. Walk away.
Come back and sift thoough those notes and start to organized the ideas into an outline. Write the ideas down in the order you might want to address them in your piece. When you finish your outline, walk away again.
When you sit back down, you *should* be ready to write...
At least thats how it usually works for me...
But if you need practical advice, try this:
Jot down some notes, in any order you want. Just start writing down fragments and factoids that might feature in whatever you're aming to write. Write down more notes than you'll need. Walk away.
Come back and sift thoough those notes and start to organized the ideas into an outline. Write the ideas down in the order you might want to address them in your piece. When you finish your outline, walk away again.
When you sit back down, you *should* be ready to write...
At least thats how it usually works for me...
Morgan Campbell
Seeing your work in print is still a thrill. Back when the NY Times had a sports section and I was a contributor there, I'd spend my money on an actual copy of the actual paper, just to hold the page in my hands and gaze at my by-line. And now seeing my book in stores? Next to people I grew up reading? That novelty will never wear off. If it does, it's time to stop writing...
Morgan Campbell
Practice.
Writing well does involve some talent and *some* inspiration, but mostly it involves reading and writing until you figure out how *you* write. But as I laid out above, all of that comes back to consistency. If you're not keeping a journal yet, start doing it. If you get sick of writing about yourself, pick a topic and go. Just get into the habit and stay there.
Also... edit yourself relentlessly. That paragraph you wrote that you thought sounded like F. Scott Fitzgerald? Might read like A.I.-generated gibberish when you revisit it later, and that's fine. Revising is as important as writing is, and it's the only way you'll figure out how to sound like *you* while still telling the story.
There's a lot more to it. Honestly, I could lead a workshop.
Should I lead a workshop?
Writing well does involve some talent and *some* inspiration, but mostly it involves reading and writing until you figure out how *you* write. But as I laid out above, all of that comes back to consistency. If you're not keeping a journal yet, start doing it. If you get sick of writing about yourself, pick a topic and go. Just get into the habit and stay there.
Also... edit yourself relentlessly. That paragraph you wrote that you thought sounded like F. Scott Fitzgerald? Might read like A.I.-generated gibberish when you revisit it later, and that's fine. Revising is as important as writing is, and it's the only way you'll figure out how to sound like *you* while still telling the story.
There's a lot more to it. Honestly, I could lead a workshop.
Should I lead a workshop?
Morgan Campbell
Nothing too big.
Some pre-Olympic features over at CBCSports.ca.
Some boxing broadcast work.
Promoting My Fighting Family, in person and online.
It keeps me busy.
Some pre-Olympic features over at CBCSports.ca.
Some boxing broadcast work.
Promoting My Fighting Family, in person and online.
It keeps me busy.
Morgan Campbell
This is where my background in daily journalism paid off, because it taught me never to depend on inspiration. If need to write, I write. And if I'm working on something big, I work on it every day. If I wait till I'm inspired or motivated or feeling a vibe I might wind up waiting weeks to get something done, and I can't afford that. This is a business. So I treat writing like I treat working out. Motivation comes and goes, but consistency wins.
Morgan Campbell
It had been percolating in my brain for a while. I didn't need to write a novel because I grew up with some characters richer than any I could ever imagine. They all had fascinating stories that culminated in mine, and I wanted to put it all on paper while weaving together these various threads -- fathers and sons, family, race, history and identity.
So to answer the question... I got the idea just by looking at the people around me.
So to answer the question... I got the idea just by looking at the people around me.
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