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Working: A Hollywood Actor Learns to Write Novels

Slate Daily Feed

Slate

Society & Culture, Business, News

3.91.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2023

⏱️ 48 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, host Karen Han talks to actor, director, and writer Tim Blake Nelson, who just came out with his first novel, City of Blows. In the interview, Tim explains why he decided to reference real life events–like the #MeToo movement and COVID–in a fictional story about Hollywood. He also talks about the challenges of writing fictional prose and offers some useful wisdom about writing in general.  After the interview, Karen and co-host June Thomas discuss the best ways to juggle multiple projects at once.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Tim shares his rejected idea for the cover image of City of Blows.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. -- Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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1:13.0

When you go to write, always remind yourself nobody has to read it and lets you show it to them.

1:29.0

And if you don't ever speak it worthy of sharing with others, are you going to tell me you wasted your time by writing? That's never a waste of time.

1:41.0

Welcome back to Working. I'm your host, June Thomas.

1:46.0

And I'm your other host, Karen Han. Karen, it is great to see you again, but I have to ask.

1:53.0

The voice we heard at the top of the show, it sounded really familiar. Who does it belong to?

1:59.0

I am delighted to report that that voice belongs to Tim Blake Nelson. He is an actor who has appeared in movies like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

2:08.0

Obrother were Arthur, Minority Report, and shows like HBO's Watchmen and an upcoming episode of Pokerface.

2:15.0

He has also written and directed movies, including The Grey Zone and Leaves of Grass.

2:20.0

And he's a playwright as well, most recently of Socrates, which starred Michael Stulberg in its run at the public theater.

2:27.0

Oh, good grief. Talk about Renaissance man. And why did you want to talk to him now?

2:33.0

He just published his first novel, City of Blows, which takes place in Hollywood and sort of focuses on the production of a movie.

2:42.0

Some people want to get it made and some people really don't. And it's the intertwining lives of three characters, and eventually four, as they all kind of fight around this production.

2:52.0

So you mentioned he's written plays before, but writing a novel is pretty different, right?

...

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