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The James Altucher Show

Hooked on the First Line: Mastering Memoir

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher

Society & Culture, Talk Radio, Writer, Philosophy, Comedy, Chess, How To, Entrepreneurship, Jay, James, The James Altucher Show, Altucher, Author, Jay Yow, Education, Jay The Engineer, Business, James Altucher

4.62.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2024

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, James and Cal Fussman return for another episode of "Hooked on the First Line", where they each bring to the table books that had them hooked from page one!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This isn't your average business podcast and he's not your average host.

0:06.0

This is the James Altager show. I think the hardest thing to write in any kind of book, essay article are the first line and the last line.

0:27.0

And because the first line gets your attention and the writer is competing with

0:32.0

Tik-Toc and all social media and now AI and TV and everything.

0:38.0

And the last line has to go boom.

0:40.4

Like what you read was just worth it and here's the last line to really put the imprint in your brain about what you just read.

0:48.0

Yeah, I can't think of any satisfaction without a last line that's great.

0:57.0

Yeah, I talked about Dennis Johnson's book of short stories.

1:00.0

He's like for me the master of the last line, but almost every great book I've read as like you could tell the author put a lot of thought I mean put a whole book's worth of thought into that last line

1:17.0

Well, you know what, maybe it should have another podcast about last lines. We should definitely do an episode or two about last lines.

1:19.0

Did I tell you this right?

1:21.0

Like one time, and I feel sorry for this is like in 1994 I read a book with such a great last line I

1:29.0

described the entire plot summary of the book to my girlfriend at the time just to tell her the last

1:35.6

line thinking that she would be as excited about it as me.

1:38.8

I feel sorry for I must have spent an hour describing this book just so I could tell her the last line and she was like,

1:44.0

wow, that's a great last line, but thinking back on it, I'm sure she did not care at all about the last

1:49.0

line.

1:51.0

Was this the Golden golden glove boxer?

1:55.0

No, no, this was pre-that. This is like my grad school girlfriend.

2:00.0

So, uh, you're doing good, James, you're doing good, you found the right woman.

2:05.0

Yeah, you know, I actually I've never met your wife. Did you find the right woman?

2:10.0

You will, you will, we're all gonna get together.

...

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