Ask the Author: Michael Neal Morris
Answered Questions (11)
Michael Neal Morris
Have no idea how I missed this, but I generally don't have summer reading lists, just one big list I get to knock more out of during the summer.
However, my college selects a Common Book for our students to read, and I usually have that book on my list each summer. This past summer I read Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson. The summer before I read Tornado Season by Courtney Craggert.
However, my college selects a Common Book for our students to read, and I usually have that book on my list each summer. This past summer I read Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson. The summer before I read Tornado Season by Courtney Craggert.
Michael Neal Morris
I would love to write a mystery about how my brain changed. Things I used to have no worries or fears of are deeply rooted in me, and I cannot figure out what happened to mark those changes.
Also, my brother suffered a brain injury a few years ago, and I think a good story could be made about what has happened in his brain to affect his memory and fill in some gaps (particularly when he was in a nursing home) of what has happened with and to him.
Thank you for asking. This is a great question.
Also, my brother suffered a brain injury a few years ago, and I think a good story could be made about what has happened in his brain to affect his memory and fill in some gaps (particularly when he was in a nursing home) of what has happened with and to him.
Thank you for asking. This is a great question.
Michael Neal Morris
I absolutely would! I would be thrilled to read it.
Michael Neal Morris
Justin, I am sorry to have waited so long to answer your question. There are so many things I could answer, from the advice of better thinkers than me to the wisdom of philosophers and poets. But perhaps what I strive for most, and every day fail at, comes from the prophet Micah: "what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (6:8).
I hope when I am done with this life, people will say I worked on this, and maybe did it sometimes.
I hope when I am done with this life, people will say I worked on this, and maybe did it sometimes.
Michael Neal Morris
Freedom. At least for me. I can write about what I want to. I can take my subject anywhere I want, and do what I want. Today I write a poem; tomorrow, I might work on an essay; the next day, I might edit a story I gave up on a year ago.
Michael Neal Morris
Oh my, this is a hard question to answer, partially because of so many books and their worlds which I have loved over the years; partially because I might change my mind after a couple of days, and then change again; and partially because most of my favorite books are set such horrible places (i.e. The Screwtape Letters and Crime and Punishment).
So I am going to punt, just a little. One book (and this may be really an odd choice), is the book Alvin's Secret Code, a book I read 37 times as a kid. Part of that is because I want to be in a place where intelligence is valued, and part because the world is full of mysteries to solve, and part is because I love Alvin's friends and family.
I'd also love to be in the Chronicles of Narnia world. A reason I love those books is because I know those people, in a sense. I would love to be part of those adventures.
I think I could also like being in a Flannery O'Connor story, though if you know her work, you know I might not get out of there alive. :)
Thanks so much for asking!
So I am going to punt, just a little. One book (and this may be really an odd choice), is the book Alvin's Secret Code, a book I read 37 times as a kid. Part of that is because I want to be in a place where intelligence is valued, and part because the world is full of mysteries to solve, and part is because I love Alvin's friends and family.
I'd also love to be in the Chronicles of Narnia world. A reason I love those books is because I know those people, in a sense. I would love to be part of those adventures.
I think I could also like being in a Flannery O'Connor story, though if you know her work, you know I might not get out of there alive. :)
Thanks so much for asking!
Michael Neal Morris
Goodness gracious and many apologies! I can't believe how remiss I have been in answering questions. It looks like this was asked three years ago, and I have started and abandoned so many projects since then.
So, I'll tell you about two of the books I've been working on.
One book is a novel, built from 100 word chapters, each by a different character (so far about 25 or so people). Each character is "speaking" in her/his head during the course of a common Episcopal mass. I think I got the idea from years reading work from multiple points of view, and from wanting to capture the thoughts of people who are not like me.
The other book is a volume of poems about dead musicians I have long admired. Part of the book will be poems written (hopefully accurately) in their voice, probably about a particular recording or event; the other book will be a selection of personal letters (in verse form), which I hope to show not only how much their work means to me, but about how much the world needs/is affected by their music. I got the idea while collaborating with artist/cartoonist Maggie Umber on Tumblr. She had painted a wondrous watercolor of John Coltrane, and I couldn't decide which kind of poem to write, so I wrote both.
So sorry you had to wait so long.
So, I'll tell you about two of the books I've been working on.
One book is a novel, built from 100 word chapters, each by a different character (so far about 25 or so people). Each character is "speaking" in her/his head during the course of a common Episcopal mass. I think I got the idea from years reading work from multiple points of view, and from wanting to capture the thoughts of people who are not like me.
The other book is a volume of poems about dead musicians I have long admired. Part of the book will be poems written (hopefully accurately) in their voice, probably about a particular recording or event; the other book will be a selection of personal letters (in verse form), which I hope to show not only how much their work means to me, but about how much the world needs/is affected by their music. I got the idea while collaborating with artist/cartoonist Maggie Umber on Tumblr. She had painted a wondrous watercolor of John Coltrane, and I couldn't decide which kind of poem to write, so I wrote both.
So sorry you had to wait so long.
Michael Neal Morris
I'm too old to wait for inspiration. I observe. I write.
Okay, that probably isn't entirely true. Often I write as a reaction to something I've observed or experienced. Then I revise to make it art instead of an explosion of emotion.
Okay, that probably isn't entirely true. Often I write as a reaction to something I've observed or experienced. Then I revise to make it art instead of an explosion of emotion.
Michael Neal Morris
Commit to writing every day, even if it is only a little bit. Read voraciously, and outside your comfort zone. Become a keen observer. When you see you are talking about your work more than writing, it is time to shut up and get to work.
Michael Neal Morris
In fiction, I am currently writing a flash fiction novel. Each chapter will be 100 words or less, and from the point of view of one of the 20 or so characters. You can read my progress here: http://bluemonkwrites.tumblr.com/tagg....
Michael Neal Morris
I deal with writer's block most by looking at my routine. I have a few prewriting strategies I use when things get tough, but mostly go back and look at what I have planned (if anything) and see where I can focus my energy best. I tend to plan large projects in chunks, and if I feel stuck on one section, I go on to another, and come back to the tough one later. I also take a lot of walks. If all that fails, I do the dishes. If nothing comes of that, at least the dishes are done.
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