[Allegra Goodman, Inner stuff]: Thinking of writing as being a performer “in the theater of the reader’s imagination” + the joys of genre-hopping Ep 1189

Welcome to part two of my interview with Allegra Goodman, author of the recent Reese's Book Club selection, “Isola” as well as “Sam,” “The Chalk Artist,” “Intuition,” “The Cookbook Collector,” “Paradise Park,” and “Katterskill Falls.”

Today, I'm talking with Allegra about what I call inner stuff, the thoughts, ideas, and beliefs that influence your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it.

- How she thinks of being a writer like being a performer “in the theater of a reader’s imagination”

- Why starting a new project is the hardest part–and how she gets herself through it

- How she trusts her inner critic to offer constructive criticism

- The one part of the writing process that really makes her nervous

- How she got past being pigeon-holed as a writer of a certain genre and built a career on writing many different types of stories

- Making the shift from being intimidated by studying the great works of literature to being inspired by them

- Why now is the best time of her career

- How living to be older than her mother was when she died influences Allegra’s work and her life

- How it’s OK to have multiple different voices as a writer

Connect with Allegra on Instagram @allegragoodmanwriter.

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

Thank you for listening!

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