How To Write a Bestseller with Taffy Brodesser-Akner

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3.8 • 546 Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2022

⏱️ 30 minutes

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Summary

Lauren already knows the plot of her bestselling novel—the problem is she hasn’t written a word. Paralyzed by self-criticism and an earlier rejection, this former English major has spent years journaling instead of attempting the scary, difficult work of creative writing. On this episode of How To!, we turn to writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, whose debut novel Fleishman Is in Trouble, was one of the hottest books of the year. Can she help Lauren finally put pen to paper? The first thing Lauren needs to do, Taffy says, is stop journaling, and start writing. And then keep writing: “You can't get to the good sentences if you don't write the bad ones first.” Next, find a trusted reader, not a cheerleader, to give you honest feedback. And when doubt begins to creep in again, look at the writers you admire and simply ask, “Why them and not me?” Do you have a problem that needs a solution? 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. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey listeners, do you remember that book Fleishman is in trouble by the writer Taffy Brodasar
0:05.4	Ackner? A few years ago, it was a runaway bestseller, one of those novels that seemingly
0:10.6	everyone was talking about all at once. It's been called a maddening, unsettling masterpiece.
0:16.7	Well, now Fleishman is in trouble is a TV series on Hulu.
0:21.0	I did not become a doctor to get rich, okay? I did it to live a meaningful life.
0:24.5	Money doesn't buy you happiness.
0:25.8	Oh, Toby, of course it does.
0:27.8	What, are you crazy?
0:30.1	You've reached Rachel Fleischman.
0:32.6	Meanwhile, November is officially national novel writing month.
0:36.1	So, what are you doing? Get on it. And to help you,
0:39.3	we thought this was a great time to revisit one of our all-time favorite episodes, How to Write a
0:45.3	Bestseller with Taffy Brodus R. Ackner. You will laugh and learn a lot, I promise. I'm going to pass the
0:51.9	mic back to our previous host, Charles Duhigg, but we'll be back
0:55.1	next week with a brand new episode. If you are in your 40s like I am and you're a woman, you have
1:02.5	earned a head full of stories in which someone better than you out there is doing this. Why should
1:08.7	you even do this when there's dinner to be made, when you already have a good job, when your children need you to write a book right now? There are
1:18.1	so many forces that are at work that the first thing I want to say is congratulations for
1:24.7	overcoming all of the fear because I already know that you should be writing a book.
1:32.8	Welcome to how to. I'm Charles Duhigg. If you remember back at the beginning of the pandemic,
1:39.6	remember back then, there were all these articles about how we should make the most of this time at home.
1:45.0	We should get in shape and learn to cook sourdough and take up the guitar. And while you're at it,
	...

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