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M. Ocampo McIvor

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Website

https://mocampomcivor.com/

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mocampomcivor

Genre

Fiction

Influences

Isabel Allende, Khaled Hosseini, Daniel James Brown, Mary Renault, Osc ...more

Member Since

July 2017

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/mocampomcivor

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Seattle writer. Author of Ugly Things We Hide and Who Knows You Best.

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

M. Ocampo McIvor Good question for me to reflect on.

I've resisted calling myself a writer for so long and for many reasons. Notice I didn't say I've resisted "writing.…moreGood question for me to reflect on.

I've resisted calling myself a writer for so long and for many reasons. Notice I didn't say I've resisted "writing." I write, no problem, but I've become used to writing in bullet points in reports and work emails. The rest of the time I write in emojis and in simplified, colloquial grammar, in lowercase, in chats, texts, etc.. Also, I'm a data person who's worked in tech throughout most of my career, and so, have very little patience. (Five minutes in tech is like 5 YEARS in the publishing world. Drives me crazy!) Writing takes patience. Lots of it.

Writing is boring. Writing is lonely, especially for a social creature like myself. You think too much and live inside your head a lot of the time when writing. Laughing by yourself can be sad and lonely, and writing can sometimes feel like that.

Writing fiction is hard for me.

But... words are beautiful. Words are powerful. And stories can teach you, inspire you, and carry you away to new worlds and enable you to experience new perspectives. Stories help us understand each other, expanding our minds while bringing us closer together. I want to contribute to the world in this way. Being read and inspiring someone else, maybe even impacting someone's life for the better... that to me is the best thing about being a writer. And it's well worth it.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

M. Ocampo McIvor Here's what I tell myself: Just write. Write what's in your thoughts and in your heart. Write when you're moved to write, on pieces of paper, on a nap…moreHere's what I tell myself: Just write. Write what's in your thoughts and in your heart. Write when you're moved to write, on pieces of paper, on a napkin, or on your phone. Record your thoughts then write them down when you're able. Maybe you'll end up throwing out those ideas anyway. It doesn't matter. It's all practice. And it starts with recording and writing down those ideas that might later expand into your creative masterpiece.

I would also advise having a process. Create good writing habits and be disciplined. It'll make everything easier, automatic. Writing is not simply creative. It's also technical, and if you don't layer any logic to it, the writing will be sub-par.(less)

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M. Ocampo McIvor’s books

Average rating: 3.96 · 70 ratings · 19 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	Who Knows You Best 4.09 avg rating — 35 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ugly Things We Hide 3.78 avg rating — 32 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Put Into Words, My Love by Brittany Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Kim Malinowski (Goodreads Author), Allen Plone 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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6 posts
M. Ocampo McIvor's Blog: Reviews and Musings

Juneteenth and the New Jim Crow

It's Juneteenth. Let's get educated on TODAY'S version of slavery/lynching...

A CASE STUDY OF COMPOUNDED DISADVANTAGE
A black mother is thrown in jail for a minor infraction (smoking weed?!); they set the bail money so high that she can't afford it, and they keep her locked in prison; meanwhile her children are thrown in the foster care system, and the next generation is pretty much effed, manifesti Read more of this blog post »

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Published on June 19, 2020 10:45 • Tags: black-lives-matter, blm, jimcrow, juneteenth, prison, racism

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M. is Currently Reading

M. McIvor is currently reading

We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds

by Sally Adee

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Dec 12, 2024 08:40AM

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M. McIvor is currently reading We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds by Sally Adee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 12, 2024 08:40AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of We Are Electric by Sally Adee. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — We Are Electric by Sally Adee <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
M. McIvor rated a book really liked it Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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M. McIvor rated a book really liked it Moloka'i (Moloka'i, #1) by Alan Brennert (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2024 09:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Moloka'i by Alan Brennert <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
M. McIvor rated a book really liked it East of Eden by John Steinbeck	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2024 09:44AM · like
M. McIvor has read Moloka'i (Moloka'i, #1) by Alan Brennert (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2024 09:43AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Moloka'i by Alan Brennert <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
M. McIvor has read East of Eden by John Steinbeck	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2024 09:43AM · like

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Juneteenth and the New Jim Crow

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