DeepSummary
In this episode, Adam Grant interviews novelist Gabrielle Zevin about her bestselling book "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" and her experiences with success and failure as a writer. Zevin discusses how she has learned to embrace failure as a creative opportunity and how success can sometimes hinder creativity by bringing more demands and pressures.
Zevin shares her journey of writing 10 novels, with some being more successful than others, and how she reached a point where her skills and taste finally aligned with "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow." She emphasizes the importance of creating something truly meaningful over chasing commercial success.
The conversation also touches on various themes explored in Zevin's book, such as the power of creating something for someone and with someone, the role of empathy in writing, and the critique of cultural appropriation concerns. Grant and Zevin engage in a thoughtful discussion on the essence of great storytelling and what makes compelling characters, plots, and worlds.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Embracing failure can be a creative opportunity for writers and artists.
- Success can sometimes hinder creativity due to increased demands and pressures.
- Aligning one's skills and taste is crucial for creating truly meaningful work.
- Great novels are defined by compelling characters that stay with the reader.
- Writers should strive to imagine and depict experiences different from their own.
- Empathy, despite its flaws, is vital for writing and human connection.
- The most important measure of success is the freedom to pursue one's passions without external constraints.
- Creating something meaningful should be prioritized over chasing commercial success.
Top Episodes Quotes
- βWhen you have something that succeeds, then your phone rings a lot. You're very busy. It's hard to find a place creatively to go that's quiet enough and private enough. And so, in a sense, success can be a less creative place.β by Gabrielle Zevin
- βI think the thing that separates a good novel from a great novel is not that it doesn't have a plot. It should have a plot. You know, it should have a world. And honestly, Adam, I want all the things. I want the world. I want the plot, I want the characters, and I think readers should want all of those things. But I think the thing that makes a great novel is the character you talk about after you've closed the book, the people that you're left with because the things that happen to them, maybe you'll remember them, maybe you won't.β by Gabrielle Zevin
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Episode Information
WorkLife with Adam Grant
TED
6/25/24
Gabrielle Zevin wrote the runaway bestseller Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, but she doesnβt expect anyone to know most of her other nine books. The acclaimed novelist joins Adam to discuss how to face failure, find inspiration, make sure success doesn't hinder creativity, and stay motivated when your goals don't align with your skills. Then, they riff on the most important elements of a story and several mic drop moments in her work.Β
Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts