How I Write

Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite

R. F. Kuang came on the show to talk about her love for language and what it means to live like a writer. She has written seven books, won the Nebula Award for Best Novel, and trained at some of the world's top universities: Cambridge, Oxford, and Yale.

What stands out is her ability to write in so many different voices: the economical, the poetic, the minimalist, the maximalist. How do you cultivate that dexterity as a writer? It is rare to meet someone who writes so well and can also explain their process with such joy and precision.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:29 How emotions can help you write
00:06:44 Writing from different povs
00:09:15 Sneak peek into an unreleased novel
00:15:20 Why easy writing fails
00:18:46 How to unlock your writing
00:23:09 Building unique voices for each book
00:30:47 What Kuang learned from debates
00:32:52 Why primary sources matter
00:35:33 What AI can never do
00:40:54 First steps of a book
00:45:16 Trust your subconscious

00:50:25 Copy the writers you love
00:52:57 Be goofy on purpose
00:57:34 The driving questions of her books
00:58:16 Read Taipei Story now
01:01:36 What her students must understand
01:04:38 Book and movie recommendations

About the host
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

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Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite

Matt Haig sold more than 10 million copies of his book, The Midnight Library. I just checked on Amazon, and it has over 288,000 reviews. This book was a total hit, a smashing success.

I invited Matt on the show to ask him about his process: how he writes and how he tells great stories. Given his success, I also had to ask if it's acceptable to write for the mass market. Are you betraying the craft if you explicitly try to reach as many people as possible?

About the host
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
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Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite

Elif Shafak and Robert Macfarlane are two of the most dreamy and articulate writers I know.

Elif has written 21 books, 13 of which are novels, and she’s the president of the Royal Society of Literature.

Robert writes about the natural world, and he does so in such a poetic and enchanted way. His writing is infused with wonder.

I’ve had both of them on the show individually, but I said, “Hey, I know you’re really good friends. Let’s all get together for one conversation. What I want to do is hear the kind of conversation you would have over a cup of coffee or over lunch.”

And so here I’m like you, a fly on the wall for a conversation between two really interesting writers.

About the host
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
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Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite

Andrew Sean Greer won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2018 novel "Less". I had to ask him what it's like to win a Pulitzer Prize. His story about that is my favorite part of the interview.

We also talked about his writing process: how he tells great stories, develops great characters, and writes good sentences. He shared his mantras, such as the idea that when you're editing, the editor is the patient, and you, the writer, are the doctor. He also explained why it's better to be honest than witty if you want to write great comedy.

About the host
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite

Mark Forsyth has spent years studying how great writers piece words together. People like Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, but also musicians like the Beatles and Taylor Swift. For him, it all comes down to figures of rhetoric: timeless tools you can use to make your writing more memorable and enjoyable.

I asked Mark to break them down for me one by one: What is the tool? How does it work? When do you use it? Why is it good to apply? You'll find that these tools will make you a better writer.

You'll have a lot more fun when you write because you'll be so much more playful when crafting words.

About the host
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
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