

How Bestselling Author Jay McInerney Writes: Part One
The bestselling author of 11 books, including the eighties defining Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney, took a break to chat with me about his new book, the writing process, and some timeless tips from his mentor, Raymond Carver.
Vanity Fair called Mr. McInerney “Our modern-day Fitzgerald,” and his most recent book — Bright, Precious Days — is described as “… a sexy, vibrant, cross-generational New York story — a literary and commercial triumph of the highest order.”
The author is a renowned short story writer, screenwriter, and actor, who has lived in New York for three decades and rubbed elbows with a laundry list of literary lions, including his mentors Tobias Wolff and Raymond Carver.
In addition to fiction, Jay writes a highly regarded wine column for Town & Country magazine, and has written several essay collections on wine.
The author most recently joined the Prince Street podcast as a culinary and arts correspondent and has interviewed director Francis Ford Coppola, author Stephanie Danler, and celebrity chefs including Eric Ripert, to name a few.
Join us for this two-part interview, and if you’re a fan of the show, please subscribe in iTunes to automatically get new interviews, and help other writers find us.
In Part One of the file Jay McInerney and I discuss:
- Why It’s Not a Bad Thing to Be Compared to Your Betters
- How to Incorporate Your Passions into Your Writing
- Why You Need to Sit at Your Desk Every Day and Listen to the Voices in Your Head
- The Author’s Process of Discovery at the Level of Language
- How the Right Soundtrack Can Inspire Your Writing
The Show Notes
- How Bestselling Author Jay McInerney Writes: Part Two
- JayMcInerney.com
- Bright, Precious Days: A novel – Jay McInerney
- Prince Street Podcast
- Jay McInerney: why Gatsby is so great
- Book Excerpt: Jay McInerney on Joy Division’s Heyday
- Jay McInerney on Twitter
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
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