How To Start Writing (w/ Anna Quindlen & John Dickerson)
How To! with Mike Pesca
Peach Fish Projects
4.3 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 5 April 2022
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
You've probably heard about the importance of journaling, putting thoughts on paper to help process the daily vicissitudes of life. But it's easy to stall once you see a blank page or get self conscious about what exactly you're writing. On this episode of How To!, we bring together Anna Quindlen, bestselling novelist and author of the new book Write For Your Life, and John Dickerson, co-host of Slate's Political Gabfest, CBS News reporter, author and veteran journaler. They share their wit and wisdom on how to start writing about your personal life — and how to keep it going amid all the distractions. (And stay tuned after the credits for an exclusive sneak peek of Anna Quindlen's next novel).
If you liked this episode, check out "How To Write a Bestseller" and "How To Get Your Book Published."
Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi everyone, I'm Susie Weiss, and I've noticed there's just simply not enough podcasts in the world. So I'm launching my own. Let's go. Let's go, baby. Second Thought is a weekly show about pop culture. The stuff everyone's been binging, arguing about, obsessing over. Here's the thing about heated rivalry. I mean, even the most devoted swifties, I think we can agree, not our best work. We'll be hosting thoughtful conversations with culture's most important figures. Talk about genius. |
| 0:22.6 | Talk about generational talent. |
| 0:23.7 | Coming to headphones near you |
| 0:24.8 | on April 17th with a first guest you won't want to miss. Available wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:30.5 | Anyone out there who feels like you're being shredded by all of the interruptions in your life, |
| 0:35.7 | if you want refuge from that, this is a great way to sit down and write |
| 0:39.8 | engages you and your attention in a way that is, even if you don't write anything that is terribly profound, |
| 0:46.9 | it is a safe harbor from the constant pelting of the rest of the world. |
| 0:53.9 | Welcome to how to. I'm Amanda Ripley. If you're a regular listener of this show, you might have noticed that there are a couple of universal pieces of advice that come up again and again. |
| 1:05.0 | One is to practice rhythmic breathing. In fact, we just heard about this again on our last episode on |
| 1:11.3 | finding your voice. It's just the most proven way to calm yourself down |
| 1:15.6 | anytime you're under stress. And that one I've been doing for years. But the other |
| 1:20.8 | piece of go-to can't-fail advice is to write or journal. Write about the |
| 1:27.0 | argument you just had with your partner. |
| 1:29.0 | Write about your regrets. |
| 1:30.7 | Write something every day. |
| 1:33.2 | And yet, even as someone who writes professionally, |
| 1:35.6 | I just can't get into a regular practice of writing personally. |
| 1:40.1 | I know I should be doing it. |
| 1:42.0 | Studies show that writing can help you sleep better, boost your IQ, |
| 1:46.0 | even strengthen your immune system. It's incredible. So how do people get into the habit of doing it |
| 1:53.0 | in addition to everything else they're supposed to do? For that, we're turning to two very talented and very busy people who managed to write every day. |
... |
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