Episode 4 - How Omar el Akkad Writes

Before we get started, have you signed up for the free webinar this evening, November 21st on how to crush your 2020 writing goals? If not, it isn’t too late. The webinar is at 7:30 pm ET tonight, and I will run through how you can set meaningful writing goals in 2020, how to stay motivated, and how to love your work along the way. I also have a few templates to download along with the webinar. Registration is open! Go to www.howwriterswrite.com/crush2020 to reserve your spot.

I love this interview with Omar. He is such a wealth of knowledge, he is so encouraging, and down to Earth. We met digitally over a video conference and Omar shares his insights into the writing life. This interview is packed, but here are a few of the things that stuck out to me.

1.       Omar describes how he overcame shelving three novels. We dig into this point because as you know, writing one novel takes a lot. But I wanted to know how he shelved three novels before American War and didn’t quit or pull out all of his hair. There are some incredible lessons he shares for anyone in the middle of the writing journey. 

2.       Omar also details how he wrote American War while he was working as a journalist while covering stories about the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, and Guantanamo Bay. 

3.       Last, Omar talks about how he worked through the ups and downs of the writing life. My favorite quote from this section is “don’t rage delete your manuscript.” I’ve been there, and Omar offers some wonderful writing advice on how to work through it.

Thank you to Omar for his time and for sharing so much insight.