We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Molly Cameron a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Molly, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
It’s been a long road and this is something I’m still working on. I was very into performing theater from when I was a little kid all the way through college, which you would think would mean I’m a confident person by nature. Nope! I have always loved being onstage, but I think part of the joy of acting was getting to be a different person and hiding my real self behind a character. When I was offstage, I was constantly comparing myself to others and never thought I could be as talented as the superstars I looked up to.
A lot of that changed when I found my voice as a writer and realized I could tell my own stories. When I joined the storytelling scene in my late 20s, I learned so much from hearing other people tell true stories onstage and from telling my own. I heard others talk about their own insecurities, fears, and embarrassments and felt such relief in knowing I wasn’t the only weirdo out here. Surprise: everyone is weird! And everyone is also a superstar too! I learned that it’s worth my time to share my writing and my stories because there is always at least one person out there who will be entertained or identify with what I’m saying.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a writer who is constantly writing and sometimes performing, because I still love to hear live laughter and applause. As a writer, my focus is on memoir and essays but I’ve been tiptoeing into humor and fiction as well. I’m enormously proud of completing a memoir manuscript, which is about my freak collision with an SUV on the streets of NYC and the ensuing attempt to repair my body while also staring down an eating disorder. I’m still looking for a literary agent and/or publisher for that, so get in touch if that’s you!
These days I’m putting a lot of my energy into my Substack, The Moves (themoves.substack.com). I love to dance, purely as a hobby and a passion aside from the things I pursue professionally. I also love watching dancers and I’ve always been that person who bookmarks dance videos to share with friends. I started my Substack to share these finds more widely and highlight each moment of choreography that I love, usually with homemade .gifs. Each month I break down a new video, whether it’s a dance moment from a beloved 90s movie or a brand new viral music video. It’s also been a great way to have another outlet for my writing that’s less formal and feels uniquely me.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Patience: Writing in any form—for a book, for the stage, even for an Instagram caption—takes time. I know that the first draft of whatever I write is probably going to be crap and that’s OK, because at least I’ve written something and now I have a foundation to work with. It takes time to whittle down a pile of words to the real polished gem that feels ready to share. This is especially true when I’m trying out a whole new form or genre for the first time. Don’t give up just because the first step is hard. Good work takes time.
Curiosity: I have never stayed completely in one lane because there are always new creative paths to explore. When I moved to New York City in my 20s I thought for sure I’d be a stage actor hustling for a Broadway show. Instead, I branched out from there and tried so many different things: improv, dance, sketch comedy writing, blogging, storytelling. Even my day job in technical writing came to me because I asked questions and was curious about the role. While I didn’t stick with all of these, each experience has informed who I am today. If you encounter something new that lights a little spark inside you, even if it seems outside your wheelhouse, chase it down because you never know where it will lead you.
Community: Even though I consider myself an introvert, I’ve excelled the most in my life when I’ve collaborated with other people. In my earlier days of doing theater I loved being part of a cast and crew all working together to create a show. Later in doing comedy and storytelling I found new families in classes, practice groups, and open mics. Writing is such a solitary activity that it can be harder to find community, but I’ve found the same kind of joy and connection in classes, writers groups, and readings. If you don’t have these available to you in person, finding classes that meet virtually or connecting with others via platforms like Substack is a great place to start.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Lately I’ve been struggling to fit writing time into my schedule. I work a day job that requires me to be in the office full time and I like to make time for dance classes, seeing live shows, and spending time with my partner. This often means I only can fit in one big chunk of writing time per week and maybe some early mornings if I’m feeling ambitious.
I’m trying to find those little chunks of time where I can sneak in some writing or editing, even if it’s just 15 minutes of writing down notes for my next Substack post. But I also like to remind myself that there is no rush and just because I’m not writing every day doesn’t mean I’m a failure. I need to live my life and make time for rest, since those are the things that lead to good material.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anothermolly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravenmccoy
- Other: Substack: https://themoves.substack.com
Image Credits
Mindy Tucker, Lucas Harvie, Bryan Berlin, Roshni Johnson
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
