Booker Prize Winner Gives His Best Writing Advice (Yann Martel Interview)

Yann Martel is famous for writing "Life of Pi", which wasn't just a standout book but also an Academy Award-winning movie. What stood out to me about him is that he's strikingly well-read, and he's developed a unique approach to storytelling. Many writers say it's all about character, but Yann says other things are more important. Where other writers obsess over beginnings, it's the endings of stories that he truly falls in love with. If you want to learn about place, plot, people, and prose, you're in the right place. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:34 Writing good scenes 00:11:43 Why animals are good characters 00:19:31 How to hook readers 00:32:52 Breaking the rules of writing 00:37:19 Should you write with AI? 00:44:55 Genre fiction vs literary fiction 00:48:56 When should you read reviews? 00:52:38 Writing lessons from plays 00:54:59 Beware of describing characters 00:57:54 Facts don’t make for good stories 01:02:40 What makes for a good ending? 01:08:20 Artists can’t be indifferent About the host Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube:    / @davidperellchannel   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSbo... X: https://x.com/david_perell