Confessions of a Working Writer

I want to do something a little bit different. To tell a different story. One about sidewalks, part time jobs, looking up from your mattress on the floor, and dreaming the dream, all while just putti…

Your life is a story, with tons of characters coming in and out of it.

Are any of your stories neverending?

One of mine is...want to hear about it?

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In 1999 I first met Mike O'Donohoe. It wasn't an epic first meeting. In fact, it took a while before it developed into a friendship, then a mentorship, then something that would change my life foreve…

One year ago I almost died.

Not because of an accident, or some random act of violence, but because I thought life wasn't worth living.  But I decided to tell one final story before it was all over, a…

I got an email from a young artist today asking me if it was worth it.

I think we all spend some time asking if our endeavors are worth it.  We want to believe they have quality, value, to others, but…

Can you tell me who you are without telling me what you do? WIthout listing your roles for me?  We live in a world full of titles and roles, full of different words and concepts we can assign to ours…

What story are you telling?  I spent a long period of my life, trying to live according to the story the ubiquitous "they" had built for me.  It never felt comfortable.  I never fit in, even when I w…

A year ago I was at the bottom of my life.  I hated my job, hated existence, and needed to make a change.  What did I do?  I quit my job and decided to write a new story for my life.

The same thing so…

We talk about authenticity a lot, but how authentic are we really being?  It's easy to look at me now and think about how authentic and uncensored I am.  This wasn't always the case though.  There wa…

And then, when you have fallen down enough, when you have put enough of yourself out there, braved new lands of yourself, then you will have found a piece of your voice.  But as we seek to grow into …

So I discover and then I emulate, but when do I get to start playing with my ideas?  Right now.  Exploration is so important, and it is seemingly the most fun part of discovering your voice.  But wha…

Who inspires you?  Have you imitated their style before?  When we are constantly looking for the lightening bolt of divine inspiration to strike with a wholly original work/idea, is there any room fo…

How do you develop your authentic voice?  In four phases, at least that's my take on it.  The first of these four phases?  Discovery.  It starts as simply as realizing you have something to say, but …

We talk a lot about "voice," but what are we talking about?  Voice is a word with multiple definitions.  The sound from your vocal chords, your point of view, an expressed opinion on an issue.  Yet s…

What are the tools of your craft?  There are so many different ways to tell a story, and each one of them is accompanied by a certain set of tools.  Is it a pen and paper?  A sketchbook?  Camera?  Gu…

Everyone has a story.  What's yours?  So many people respond by saying they aren't much of a storyteller, but that's not true.  You were born a storyteller, with all of the necessary tools and skills…

Have you ever approached a new project worried about how to begin?  You're not alone.  Most people worry about how to get a project off to the perfect start.  But is there really a perfect way to sta…

What do you have in common with ancient gods and superheroes?  Origin stories are the root of who we are, the point from which we decide to become who we will be.  For some, these stories are dictate…

What is storytelling?  Why do we talk about it so much?  And why is it so confusing?  Join Matt Hampton as he embarks on an adventure to shed some more light on us as storytellers and how we can bett…