My favorite book right now, I think, is Of My Sin Men. It's a great book. And when you think about that, it was kind of selfish of John Steinbeck to say, I've got this story and it's a kind of preposterous story. The mentally disabled one gets killed at the end. He's pulling on the heartstrings. But are you glad that Steinbeck wrote it? I mean, I do feel that. I feel, imagine who I would be if that book hadn't been written. You have an obligation to do it. This isn't something that any human being should want to do. So the fact that you've been chosen to want
Lauren already knows the plot of her bestselling novel—the problem is she hasn’t written a word. Paralyzed by self-criticism and an earlier rejection, this former English major has spent years journaling instead of attempting the scary, difficult work of creative writing. On this episode of How To!, we turn to writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, whose debut novel Fleishman Is in Trouble, was one of the hottest books of the year. Can she help Lauren finally put pen to paper? The first thing Lauren needs to do, Taffy says, is stop journaling, and start writing. And then keep writing: “You can't get to the good sentences if you don't write the bad ones first.” Next, find a trusted reader, not a cheerleader, to give you honest feedback. And when doubt begins to creep in again, look at the writers you admire and simply ask, “Why them and not me?”
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