Before me, separated by 600 miles and a glitching video call, is Brandon Taylor. Behind him is his library of books, ensconced on his bookshelves, in a stack on his coffee table, enjoying the late-morning sun pouring in from the windows along their spines. Our conversation has been littered with references to Alexander Chee, Samanta Schweblin, Lauren Groff, and Karl Ove Knausgaard, among others. It takes no time at all for me to know this is a person who loves the written word in its various forms-from the classics to fan-fiction, literary fiction to romance novels. "Beverly Jenkins," he says, "so amazing. What an icon."
We've just been discussing the necessity of kindness one must offer oneself when you're no longer writing in the dark but writing in the public. It's a lesson he learned after the meteoric success of his first novel, Real Life. Published weeks before mass shutdowns in the early months of 2020, he assumed the book would be received quietly. "It's about a scientist in the Midwest; nobody really cares about that," he says. And yet, his modest expectations for his work were to be proved wrong, with the book receiving universal acclaim and reviews in The New Yorker online, Time magazine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. It was unexpected, at times a dream come true and at other times a discombobulating unreality. And just as all seemed to be settling down, it was announced that Taylor was one of the six authors shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Suddenly, he found himself on British radio several times a week and attending countless Booker Prize events.
この記事は Writer’s Digest の May - June 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Writer’s Digest の May - June 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Writing for a Warming World - Imagining the overwhelming, the ubiquitous, the world-shattering.
Climate change is one of those topics that can throw novelists—and everyone else—into a fearful and cowering silence. When the earth is losing its familiar shapes and consolations, changing drastically and in unpredictable ways beneath our feet, how can we summon our creative resources to engage in the imaginative world-building required to write a novel that takes on these threats in compelling ways? And how to avoid writing fiction that addresses irreversible climate change without letting our prose get too preachy, overly prescriptive, saturated with despair?
Kids' Author Meg Medina Inspires Readers
WD chats with the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature.
The Horrors of Grief
Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.
The Mystery of Growing Up
New York Times-bestselling author Jasmine Warga tackles a new genre with her signature blend of empathy for her readers, agency for her characters, and the belief that art is the great connector.
Education
Even if it's not your thing, you're probably familiar with the term dark academia.
A Do-Over Romance
Karin Patton, the first-place winner of the 24th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Awards, shares a funny story about secondchance love and a brief Q&A.
Everyday Wonder
How to mine awe from the mundane
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Unveil the hidden beauty in the facts and transform your nonfiction with the power of wonder.
Childhood: Our Touchstone for Wonder
How to get in touch with Little You and create big new work for today.
Agent Roundup
22 agents share details, about what kind of writing will pique their interest and offer tips for querying writers...
