Angelique O'Rourke's Two Cents

An interview with Angelique O'Rourke

We like the sound of our own keystrokes as much as anyone, but sometimes, one just wants to hear from other people.

There are some people who write in one genre and some people who write in multiple genres. There are some people who act or model or sing. Our writer today does them all, blending them into an amalgamation of creativity not bound by the confines of laptops or notebooks. Her stories grace the page, the stage, and the Notes app.

Today, Angelique O’Rourke tells us a little about a unique way to share writing, how being with someone who writes has shaped her own writing, and what’s been helping her with the ever relatable curse of perfectionism.

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What do you write, and what drew you to your current style or genre?

Primarily, I write personal essays (often, but not always, comedic), and poetry. I've written a little fiction and a few scripts; I'd like to do more of both.

Truthfully it was as if poetry drew me to it; that is just what came out when I first began writing as a child. Every other form has been more of a conscious decision to play around with or try, so in that sense, curiosity drew me to everything else. I’m not attached to the idea of working in a particular style or genre, I enjoy the challenge, discovery and growth of trying my hand at new things.

How do you share your work?

At live events, for the most part. I'm also an actor, so live reads and storytelling events were a good place for me to start sharing my writing. You can find recordings of a few of those on my website.

Curious minds: What’s it like having a partner who also writes? Do you bounce ideas off of each other? Has it impacted your writing or writing style any?

We do occasionally bounce ideas off of each other; in general Dan is a person who shares his actual opinion with out sugarcoating or being excessively critical, so I feel like I'm getting a real gauge when I run something by him.

Having a partner who is specifically a comedy writer has been inspirational in unexpected ways. His writing style is so different from mine and is really experimental, in particular because of the way his editing process essentially happens in public by working out stand up material on stage. It's prompted me to be a lot less precious about writing as something that is very personal or serious and thus has to be carefully presented in a certain way. He speaks to serious and personal topics both with humor and also, intentionally, in a variety of ways in different contexts, to see what lands, what feels right, what sounds right. Seeing that showed me how freeing it is to lower the stakes when you're creating so you can give yourself room to try things out with out self-judgement. Let change happen organically, follow the thread of the best parts of what you've written, and let that elevate a piece in its entirety.

What is your favorite and least favorite piece of writing advice? 

As far as least favorite goes, there's a lot of pressure in our culture to 'do something' with any creative activity you enjoy- whether that's creating a social media platform, traditional publishing, monetizing in some way. Almost that you have to do so, or what you're creating somehow doesn't count. I would just encourage writers (any creatives, really) to let that whole idea go. Of course do those things if it makes sense for you, but either way, write because writing is fun, cathartic, makes you think, helps you access emotion, whatever the act and process of writing brings to your life. So I suppose my favorite writing advice is essentially that. Let the writing be the thing. That is enough.

What’s something about your journey that you’ve struggled with? What has felt shockingly easy?

I've struggled a bit with perfectionism, holding my work to unrealistically high standards before I felt like anyone else could ever see it even for editing purposes. My small writing group with two good friends Elizabeth Mitchell (

Elle Mitchell

) and Beth Cook helped ease that a lot, I got into the habit of the three of us reading snippets of each other's work, getting bits of feedback, asking each other questions. As well as seeing Dan’s process. I’ve become more comfortable with the reality that good writing is a process with a lot of iterations, and talented people who are generous with their time help so much along that way.

In lightning bolt moments of inspiration, writing itself feels shockingly easy; almost like I'm a conduit just channeling it out onto the page. Of course, nothing can be like that all of the time. But I cherish those moments where you've stopped on the sidewalk in the middle of a run to frantically pull out the notes app on your phone because sentences are coming to you fully formed, unbidden.

Tell us anything you want!

You can find a recording of me reading a comedic personal essay here on my website.

Connect with me on Instagram @angeliqueorourke.

Finally…what question do we wish we had asked? (Don’t forget to answer it!)

“What's a dream writing project of yours?”

Something I would love to eventually do is write some collaborative pieces. Finding some fellow writers who all connect well and writing a play, a film script, some kind of an interactive piece.

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About Angelique

Angelique O'Rourke is a creative professional based in Portland, OR. A lifelong Oregonian, she is a writer, actor, model, storyteller and musician. Her experience is wide-ranging, including musical theater, runway, print, film, and television.

Find her

Instagram @angeliqueorourke

Website angeliqueorourke.com