How to Write Vividly Well — Michael Connelly

This episode is presented by Mercury, the banking platform that makes this show possible. I can’t imagine trying to run my business without them. Learn more at https://mercury.com Michael Connelly is a crime novelist famous for series like 'Harry Bosch' and 'The Lincoln Lawyer'. Combined, his series have sold more than 100 million books, and they've become TV shows on Netflix, MGM, and Amazon Prime, where he's not just writing but is also the executive producer. His fingerprints are all over the work. I wanted to ask him how he dreams up vivid characters and how he writes about a city, a town, or a place. If you want to write, come up with stories, imagine worlds and put them onto the page, you're in the right place. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:51 The 'Telling Details' trick 00:04:45 Michael's rewriting process 00:07:39 Fiction vs truth 00:09:54 Michael's writing routine 00:11:02 Character above all else 00:12:46 Why Michael loves writing LA 00:16:10 Michael's favorite book chapter 00:20:47 How to write in different voices 00:24:06 The best piece of advice for writers 00:27:59 When the place becomes a character 00:29:16 Every murder is a city's story 00:34:28 The origin of Harry Bosch 00:41:01 Why dialogue needs to be cut 00:47:13 Heroes vs villains 00:52:14 How to hooks readers 00:56:50 Books vs TV 01:00:43 Inside a Hollywood writer's room 01:06:06 Advice for junior writers 01:09:20 Have readers changed 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