How to Get Out of Your Own Way, featuring Garth Stein
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If you believe in the idea that your book knows what it wants to be, or if you’re interested in hearing more about the ways in which this might be true, this episode is for you. Join Brooke and Grant for a conversation about how we’re in relationship with our books—which means we sometimes have to play and dance with them, listen to what they’re telling us, and even take some time apart at times. Guest Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, has some impassioned advice—and a little tough love—for authors on the path to creation, and explains his theory of “pushing the rock,” a metaphor for writing your book.
ABOUT GARTH STEIN
Garth Stein is the author of four novels, including the international bestseller, The Art of Racing in the Rain, which spent more than three years on the New York Times bestseller list and will soon be released as a major motion picture by Fox 2000. He has also written four children’s picture books and a full-length play. Garth is the co-founder and co-executive director of Seattle7Writers, a non-profit collective of ninety Northwest authors whose mission is to energize readers, writers, booksellers, and librarians. He is also a founding board member of Seattle City of Literature, which is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Garth lives in Seattle with his wife and three sons, and is currently working on a new novel and a graphic novel, both to be released in 2019. His website is garthstein.com.
Writing Action: The Sisyphean Act of Revision
Here are three pre-revision tips for authors to help you reacquaint yourself with your characters, go deeper, and have more fun with your revision process.
- Write a 100-word story for each of your main characters.
- Write down a one-sentence description of each of your characters’ one primary wound.
- Describe how your characters dance and see what you learn about them as a result.
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