787 - Chuck Palahniuk (Part 1): The Art of Writing

12 snips

Oct 28, 2021

In this engaging conversation, Chuck Palahniuk, the acclaimed author of Fight Club, dives deep into the art of writing. He discusses the pivotal idea of starting with less important stories to build momentum. Palahniuk also shares his insights on memoir writing, emotional balance, and storytelling's intricacies, emphasizing the power of omission. He reflects on how personal struggles influence fiction and highlights the role of photography in grounding narratives. Plus, he introduces his new work, People, Places, Things, revealing the challenges of memoir writing for newcomers.

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ANECDOTE

COVID Experience

Chuck Palahniuk describes his severe experience with COVID-19, mentioning it lasted 15-20 days.
He expresses regret for not getting vaccinated, attributing it to laziness rather than political stance.

ADVICE

Memoir Writing Pitfalls

Beginning writers often struggle with memoir due to emotional attachment, hindering objective crafting.
Avoid overly emotional or flippant tones; aim for a balanced, cinematic depiction.

ADVICE

Omission and Creativity

In storytelling, create circumstances for readers to infer conclusions, rather than explicitly stating them.
Omitting certain details can enhance the impact and allow the reader to actively participate.

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It's always fun when I have another fellow writer on, especially Chuck Palahniuk, an American freelance journalist and novelist, and the author of the famous novel/ movie, Fight Club! In this episode, we talked more about writing, and what does he mean by, "Don't start by telling the most important stories?" We also broke down and analyze some of the famous literature, and writing techniques out there. On top of that, we also talked about his new book, People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks, available exclusively on scribd.com Listen to this Part 1 out of 2, and Part 2 will come out the same day too! My new book Skip The Line is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever you get your new book! Join You Should Run For President 2.0 Facebook Group, and we discuss why should run for president. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Stitcher iHeart Radio Spotify Follow me on Social Media: YouTube Twitter ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.