Confessions of a Working Writer

Full disclosure - I am in the middle of an existential crisis and I need some time to figure things out. So we're putting a pause on the previous story and diving into the notebooks, file boxes, and Internet archives to bring you some of my greatest hits on writing, life, and figuring stuff out...let's get started with how much I dislike writers who don't read.

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Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

I’ve been a writer for the better part of my 43 years on this planet. Writing has been my dream for as long as I can remember and I have chased it down almost every avenue imaginable.

But lately, I haven’t felt terrific about my writing life. Something seems…well…off, and that has me wondering if I’ve just moved onto a phase of my life where I simply don’t want to be a writer anymore. Every time I look at my work on the page or screen, every time I look in the mirror, I feel like I’ve become a worse writer.

How did that happen? What went wrong? And is there any way to come back from this? Or is it really time to pack it all away for good?

First, we need to frame the question...how did I become a worse writer?

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Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

Announcing the newest Season of Confessions of a Working Writer...

This time we're telling the story of how Matt became a worse writer and asking the question...is there any coming back? Or is it finally time to quit.

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

How do you get your voice out there as a writer? Not so long ago this question had a single simple answer. You needed to be published. Sounds easy, right? But it wasn’t. Submission guidelines, contest deadlines, and an endless mountain of rejection letters, if you were lucky enough to receive them, awaited you on your writing journey.

Now it’s simpler. Online writing platforms abound. Each one offers writers another way to get their work out into the world and in front of readers. Each one promises a new wonderland for dreamers to get out there and earn the money they deserve. With so many platforms available, it makes you wonder…why aren’t we happy?

This week on Confessions of a Working Writer we’re diving deep into the promises and realities of online writing platforms.

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

Hey, everyone! I hope you're doing well in these crazy days.

There are a couple of announcements to go over so, rather than sneak them into a regular episode, we did a standalone to just go ahead and knock them out. Enjoy!

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

What do you do after you finish a big project? Maybe you celebrate for a moment. Or maybe you check it off on one giant to-do list. The standing advice is to jump right into your next project. Get going on the next thing so you can keep producing your best work consistently. Sounds simple. Write a script or a novel or whatever, rinse, and repeat as often as necessary for fame and fortune.

Nice and easy…so why is it so hard to jump into that next project?

This week on Confessions of a Working Writer we’re exploring the causes and searching for the cure to the common creative hangover.

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

Everyone loves their writing community!

At least that’s what they say online…endlesssly. Hop onto social media for even a moment and you will be bombarded with praise for writing communities. Twitter is a seemingly endless barrage of writers lifts and questions to the community at large. Platforms like Medium are at the same time praised for being beautiful connected communities of wordsmiths and also lambasted for being little more than content mills and havens of toxic reciprocity.

But who’s right? Are writing communities thriving in this online era…or is it all just a load of fuzzy crap?

I’m Matt Hampton, and this week on Confessions of a Working Writer we’re exploring our writing beliefs behind supporting writers, lifting each other up, and asking the question…do we really have writing communities anymore?

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

Just what does it take to be a writer? Is it something you’re born with? An incredible talent passed down through the genes or gifted from the divine? Or is it something you can learn? And if you can learn it, then are there better places to learn and better qualifications you can attain to become an even better writer?

This week on Confessions of a Working Writer we’re looking at the beliefs around natural talent, qualifications, and asking ourselves the question…can anyone really be a writer?

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

When was the last time you sat down and thought about your writing beliefs? Do you believe writer's block is real or an excuse? Is there such a thing as natural talent? Can anyone be a writer? Is the content economy the path to fame and fortune? Does the audience really come first?

I've been thinking a lot about my writing beliefs lately, and I've discovered some of them need to be challenged. So I'm grabbing my pen, firing up the mic, and digging in for an exploration of writing beliefs - the good, the bad, the benign, and the destructive. 

All this in a new series of Confessions of a Working Writer!

Listen and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform today!

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)

This week Matt talks about AI's impact on writers. Can AI really be a transformational technology for writers? Is it really the boogeyman coming to take our jobs? Is it just another fad? And just what is the danger to your imagination of leaning on AI as a creative crutch?

Support the show

Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer

Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/)

You can find more from Matt at
Medium (https://medium.com/@matthewrhampton)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/mhamptonwriter)