10% Happier with Dan Harris George Saunders On: Getting Un-Stuck, Calming the Inner Critic, and Building Empathy Without Becoming a Chump
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Jan 30, 2026 
George Saunders, award-winning novelist and storyteller behind Lincoln in the Bardo, discusses his new novel Vigil and why he keeps writing about ghosts. He explores warm metacognition, handling stuckness with curiosity, the lavish practice of empathy toward difficult people, and how art and mortality shape creative stretch and tenderness.
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Ghosts As Creative Stretch Tools
- George Saunders treats ghosts and afterlife themes as creative tools that both stretch craft and explore mortality.
- He uses imaginative setups (ghosts, bardo) to force new narrative possibilities and emotional inquiry.
Talk To The Work, Not Yourself
- When stuck, name the stuckness calmly and ask the work "what's happening here?" instead of self-attack.
- Cultivate curiosity and accept any answer, even the fatal one, then return and grind at the problem.
Use Warm Metacognition Regularly
- Practice warm metacognition: step back and ask which 'goggles' you wear when judging your work or situation.
- Invite all internal voices (harsh, generous) to weigh in without letting one dominate the day's decisions.
