Celeste Ng, a New York Times bestselling author known for her novels like 'Everything I Never Told You,' shares her inspiring writing journey. She discusses her versatile writing process and how life’s chaos enriches her narratives. Celeste reveals the importance of keen observation in prose, and the transformative power of reading for writers. The conversation also touches on her latest book, 'Our Missing Hearts,' which weaves dystopian themes through the lens of family dynamics and societal issues. A delightful exploration of creativity and clarity!
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Quick takeaways
Celeste Ng emphasizes the importance of self-permission in embracing one's passions, allowing her to transition into a writing career.
Her writing is informed by the nuances of human connections, which she developed through her chaotic experiences in travel writing.
Deep dives
The Journey to Becoming a Writer
The guest, Celeste Ng, shares her early fascination with writing, originating from a childhood immersed in books and storytelling. Despite her passion, she initially didn't view writing as a viable career, influenced by her family's background in science and conventional professions. It wasn't until university that she began taking her writing seriously and ultimately transitioned from editing nonfiction to pursuing her own creative work. This shift highlighted the importance of self-permission in embracing one’s passions and navigating the unpredictable path of a writing career.
The Impact of Early Career Experiences
Ng recounts her experience at Let's Go, a travel guide company, emphasizing how it shaped her understanding of storytelling. Her role involved editing and curating narratives based on the eclectic and often chaotic experiences of fellow researchers. This experience taught her to appreciate randomness and the nuances of human encounters, leading her to infuse similar observational details into her novels. The chaos of travel writing encouraged her to focus on human connections and the stories that unfold in everyday life, which informed her later fiction.
The Art of Noticing
Ng highlights her unique ability to notice and articulate details that often go overlooked, paralleling her observations with the curiosity of young children. She discusses the power of indulging in this noticing process while writing, as a way to capture the essence of human experiences in her narratives. This skill not only enhances her storytelling but also serves as a means of making sense of complex emotions and situations. For her, writing becomes a pathway to distill these observations into meaningful narratives that resonate with readers.
The Evolution of Writing Style
Ng reflects on her journey of writing her latest novel, Our Missing Hearts, which ventures into a dystopian narrative that mirrors contemporary societal issues. This shift was motivated by her response to the political climate following the 2016 election, integrating themes of fear, parenting, and societal divisions. Through this new approach, she tackles pressing questions about how to raise children in a challenging world while exploring the complexities of family dynamics. The evolution of her writing style showcases her commitment to addressing deeper themes while still anchoring her stories in the personal experiences of her characters.
It took Celeste Ng a long time to believe she could write for a living. Now she’s the New York Times bestselling author of the novels “Everything I Never Told You” and “Little Fires Everywhere”-- which was developed into a hit TV show by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine. Adam and Celeste have been friends since college–they met through her first writing job. They discuss Celeste’s versatile writing process, her insights on thinking and communicating more clearly, and how she feeds her curiosity–both as a reader and a writer. Celeste’s latest book, “Our Missing Hearts,” is out now. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/RWAG5
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