Working: Author J. Robert Lennon on the Importance of Revision

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4.2 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to J. Robert Lennon, author of numerous short stories and novels. In the interview, Lennon discusses his daily writing practices, the importance of revision, and the creation of his new novel, Subdivision, which features a supernatural world with its own unique makeup and logic. Lennon also talks about his recently published short story collection, Let Me Think. After the interview, Isaac and co-host Rumaan Alam discuss Lennon’s process of taking notes and drawing material out of his subconscious. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Lennon shares the origins of a short story he wrote called “Falling Down the Stairs.” 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. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:27.2	Criteria and Geographical Restrictions apply.
0:57.6	I feel like a lot of romance is attached to the notion of inspiration.
1:11.5	It is a real thing, but it is what gets me to a certain place after which time logic
1:17.8	and reason have to take over, so that these ideas that seem so rich to me when I was
1:22.5	training down can be made communicable to other people.
1:30.2	Welcome back to Working.
1:31.7	I'm your host, Ramon Alam.
1:33.7	And I'm your other host, Isaac Butler.
1:36.0	Isaac, this week's episode opened with a banger.
1:39.2	I thought a perspective on inspiration that I'm not sure that I've heard before.
1:44.9	You know, it had me really nodding my head, though.
1:47.9	Who is this wise guest of yours?
1:50.9	Our wise and wonderful guest today is the author J. Robert Lennon.
1:55.9	I should say also that he actually personally goes by the first name John.
1:59.9	So you hear me call him John quite a bit, but you can understand why professionally,
	...

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