334 - Brad Meltzer: Creating a Bestselling Novel (The Secret X-Factor Revealed)

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher

Education, Business

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 March 2018

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brad Meltzer is one of the most passionate writers I've ever met. He writes page-turning thriller novels. "The Tenth Justice", "The Millionaires" and his most recent, "The Escape Artist". The first book Brad wrote got 24 rejection letters. But he trusted his gut and kept fighting. He found what he loved: 1. Character creation and 2. writing. I wanted to find out the X-factor in his books... and how he pressed on to become the writer he is today. Show Notes: The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer Brad's Ted Talk: How to Write Your Own Obituary Jack and Bobby the TV Series The Godfather by Mario Puzo Games Magazine 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: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Instagram ------------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.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This isn't your average business podcast and he's not your average host.
0:06.4	This is the James Altiger Show on the Choose Yourself Network.
0:12.4	Today on the James Altiger Show.
0:15.2	I feel like the one thing you have to do when you write a novel for a reader.
0:18.4	It has to be something that the reader could hook onto.
0:20.8	Something that makes the reader feel like that little part of that short of them is in that character.
0:26.8	When I'm reading every one of your characters I'm going to figure out pretty early on what basic thing motivates them.
0:32.4	The plot is really there for the publishers and the audience to say,
0:36.9	oh okay, it's just thriller inside the White House.
0:39.6	But what really makes this good is not that it's a thriller inside the White House.
0:43.2	That's the answer.
0:44.4	The answer is never the plot.
0:46.4	What my best books have in common and it took me a while to even figure it out myself is,
0:50.8	it's not the White House, it's not the Millionaires, it's not the big bank,
0:54.4	it's that you care about that character.
0:58.0	The number one question I ask myself with every character is,
1:00.4	what does this character want?
1:02.4	What do they want?
1:04.0	And if I can't answer that question, I shouldn't be writing the character, I gotta go back.
1:08.4	If you just make the character, oh he just wants to save the girl.
1:12.4	Like why?
1:13.4	No, no, that's a plot.
	...

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