How I Write

Richard is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory, one of the most praised novels of the decade. His writing absolutely explodes with life. But perhaps Richard’s most impressive skill is his character development. And we’re not talking about the stodgy character arc you learned in English class. Richard shares 40+ years and 14 novels worth of insight on how to write characters that readers can’t get out of their head.  This episode is a deep dive into the psychoanalytical complexities of character: drama and tension, thinking and feeling, motivation and suspense. Plus, we dive into the three different types of character-driven drama: People against People, People against Themselves, and People against the Environment.  In a nutshell, this episode is a novel-writing masterclass that you don’t want to miss.  SPEAKER LINKS:  Website: https://www.richardpowers.net/ Books: https://www.richardpowers.net/category/novel/ New Novel “Playground”: https://a.co/d/g9nzmbO WRITE OF PASSAGE:  Want to learn more about the final class for Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/ PODCAST LINKS:  Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know him as the CEO of OpenAI — but did you know that Sam Altman is an avid writer?  As one of today’s most successful entrepreneurs, Sam champions the tremendous value of writing: how it clarifies your thinking, expands your ideas, and levels-up your life in every sense, both personally and professionally. Plus, he has a love for the creative. (Have you ever met someone who can recite Percy Bysshe Shelley poems from memory? Well, Sam can.)  In this episode, we discuss how Sam uses ChatGPT in his daily life; how LLMs are changing the future of writing; what it means to be a novelist in the age of technology; and Sam’s best-learned writing lessons from Paul Graham. If you want to learn how the king of ChatGPT writes, this episode is for you.  SPEAKER LINKS:  Website: https://openai.com/ Blog: https://blog.samaltman.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sama WRITE OF PASSAGE:  Want to learn more about the final class for Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/ PODCAST LINKS:  Website: https://writeofpassage.school/how-i-write/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert went from being “a drunk, failed screenwriter” to writing seven bestsellers with millions of copies sold. Entrepreneurs, politicians, and hip-hop artists like 50 Cent all love his work. His secret ingredient? Storytelling. In Robert’s eyes, story is a form of seduction. So, welcome to 76-minutes of seductive storytelling advice. You’ll learn how to write stories that have timeless resonance, swapping cute and clever for crisp and clear. You’ll dive deep into style, themes, research, and revision. And you’ll hear all the nitty-gritty details that make a story sell.  And his books have flown off the shelves. 48 Laws of Power has sold millions of copies, and is as popular today as it was when it came out 25 years ago.  If you want behind-the-scenes storytelling advice from a seasoned bestselling author, this episode is for you.  SPEAKER LINKS:  Website: https://powerseductionandwar.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/RobertGreene Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Greene/author/B001IGV3IS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RobertGreeneOfficial WRITE OF PASSAGE:  Want to learn more about the next class for Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/ PODCAST LINKS:  Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to 74-minutes of storytelling strategy that’s better than all of your English classes combined. Nick is a journalist who has written for The New York Times and Vanity Fair. He’s a screenwriter, an author, a murder mystery enthusiast. In other words, he knows how to push a story through a brick wall. And he’s going to show you how you can, too.  This episode is the ultimate storytelling toolkit. Cliffhangers. Tension. Dialogue. Character. Motifs. You’ll learn it all.  And here’s the thing: if you can tell great stories, then you will succeed in life. Stories make up our entire world — from a politician’s speech to the back of a cereal box to a dinner party with friends. Good storytellers always have the upper hand. So, if you want to tell fast-paced and dizzying stories, this episode is for you.  SPEAKER LINKS:  Website: https://www.nickbilton.com/ Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nick-Bilton/author/B003UP0RIM Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/nick-bilton Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickbilton Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickbilton WRITE OF PASSAGE:  Want to learn more about the next class for Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/ PODCAST LINKS:  Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices