Working How to Write Every Day and Stick to It
Feb 18, 2024
Writer Amitava Kumar discusses his daily writing habit and novel process. Co-hosts talk about writing voice and creativity. Plus segment on love for novels about ordinary life. Tips for developing daily writing practice and overcoming artist's block. Craft unique voices in writing for narrative intimacy.
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Train Dreams Sparked The Novel
- Amitava read Dennis Johnson's Train Dreams on a train and imagined an Indian counterpart.
- That provocation led him to shape My Beloved Life around a father's ordinary life across a century.
Drafting Is Discovery
- Major discoveries happen on the page; you can't foresee every turn before drafting.
- Writing is like driving in the dark: the immediate light is enough to guide the next steps.
Draft Linearly And Keep Idea Notebooks
- Draft linearly but keep notebooks for fragments and later cues.
- Jotting down later-era events or images lets them enter the story when you reach that time.