We recently connected with Camille Campbell and have shared our conversation below.
Camille, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
My journey with writing started with me jotting down magical stories in a journal. Not much has changed! I love opening a journal and letting my imagination carry me away to unexpected places. Once I come up with the premise, I enjoy fleshing out characters, coming up with new worlds, and crafting the plot of the book.
I am always surprised by the new things I learn about storytelling. Although I used to never plan my stories, I realized that following the three-act structure is a better way of telling the story. One book I’d recommend to fellow writers would be Save the Cat!, which is a great guide for outlining. I’ve always envisioned my books as movies, so incorporating the structure of a movie has helped me improve my book-writing skills.
Some challenges I’ve faced while writing have been polishing my stories and handling rejection. That’s where certain skills become very important—being open to receiving feedback and revising your work. Fear of rejection is something that can hold many writers back from pursuing their dreams. In the beginning, the risk of criticism was hard for me to face. However, after reading about my favorite authors persevering despite setbacks, I was inspired to continue writing no matter what. I believe that the most important thing is telling the story in your heart and believing in your dream.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As an author and nonprofit founder, storytelling has always been part of my life. At a young age, I enjoyed writing stories to read to my friends—whether they be about mermaids, time-traveling or magical quests. One vivid example I remember was when I made a small booklet of secret magical creatures like the one I saw in The Spiderwick Chronicles. I was enchanted by stories and felt that the books I read brought magic into my life. I decided that I wanted to evoke that magical feeling in others, which motivated me to begin writing my own books.
After publishing The Wishner’s Curse, I penned more books in different genres and wrote a picture book Her Poems: Women Poets Who Changed the World. Many teachers wrote back telling how the activities in the book inspired their students to write poetry. I realized that another one of my passions was being involved in initiatives to help others. By holding positions at She’s the First and the UN Refugee Agency, I’ve found ways to use my skills for storytelling to encourage others to share their voices.
As a Youth Ambassador at She’s the First, I worked on campaigns that featured the voices of young women around the world. One campaign highlighted the messages of Iranian girls who were involved in the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran and spoke out about the human rights abuse that Iranian people face. Most recently, I gathered powerful quotes from Ukrainian girls who wrote about their experiences of facing a war in Ukraine. I got messages from people who said that hearing these girls’ stories opened their eyes to the struggles that girls around the world experience.
Our upcoming campaign for Poetry Month of April will highlight poetry by girls and raise awareness of the educational barriers they face. Currently, She’s the First has an open call for poems to feature in the Power of Poetry campaign. I believe that poetry can change the world and call attention to important issues. As Amanda Gorman—a poet that was previously published on She’s the First’s platform—said, “Poetry is the lens we use to interrogate the history we stand on and the future we stand for.”
Amplifying the voices of people who might otherwise go unheard is the first step to laying the foundation for change. I plan to continue the mission of both telling my own stories and giving others the platform to do the same.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal as an author is to entertain readers, enchant them with my stories, and share the world of my imagination. I write from my heart and get invested in my characters’ journeys. There’s nothing more exciting than watching as messy drafts morph into the books that I envisioned.
Though my aim as an author is to tell the best stories I can, my mission as a nonprofit leader is to highlight the voices of others. With my nonprofit Rising Poets Community, I empower youth through poetry programs, publish poems on the blog, and collaborate with other nonprofits. I’m very grateful to the organizations that provided me with the opportunity to share my stories when I began my journey as an author. It’s important for me now to do the same and let the diverse voices be heard on Rising Poets Community.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I love the creative process because I can go on adventures with my characters and see how they grow in the story. It’s incredible and rewarding at the same time to write a novel that can sweep readers away. I envision the world in my books as a Disney theme park that takes place in the reader’s mind. It’s truly magical!
Contact Info:
- Website: camillescampbell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camillescampbell/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-campbell-aaa3b91b8/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/StoryTellingCSC