Ask the Author: Judith Matloff
Answered Questions (8)
Judith Matloff
Read, read, read. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.
Judith Matloff
Oy. Let's leave that for another time.
Judith Matloff
My favorite bit is the research -- interviewing people from other worlds and uncovering peculiar facts.
Without a doubt, I feel supremely satisfied when I finally finish something I've been toiling over. I spend years working on each book. Reporting, writing, rewriting, rewriting, more rewriting. And then - voila! It's a reality that I can hold.
Without a doubt, I feel supremely satisfied when I finally finish something I've been toiling over. I spend years working on each book. Reporting, writing, rewriting, rewriting, more rewriting. And then - voila! It's a reality that I can hold.
Judith Matloff
I take long walks or swims, and compose in my head. There's something about motion that gets me thinking. My best work occurs when I'm in nature. I was at a writer's residency upstate earlier this year and the daily hikes opened floodgates of creativity.
I also read books or articles that might be related to the topic I'm working on. If I feel cramped stylistically, I'd read someone whose use of language I aspire to.
I also read books or articles that might be related to the topic I'm working on. If I feel cramped stylistically, I'd read someone whose use of language I aspire to.
Judith Matloff
My latest book comes out in a few days, so I'm writing essays and feature articles related to it. There's a ton of material for me these days due to Covid-19. Everyone wants to know how to navigate this strange, dangerous situation as best they can. They are worried about what comes after we emerge from the lockdown cave.
Judith Matloff
I teach journalists how to do their jobs safety. I've been doing this for about 20 years, as a professor at Columbia University and in workshops offered all over the world. One evening I was sitting with an editor friend and she said, "You should share all this knowhow with the general public." So I sat down that night and started working on the book.
Judith Matloff
I dictate my thoughts to someone who sits at the screen. I find it's easier to let go when standing.
I also find it easier to write longhand on a yellow legal pad, in a cafe or another public space. There's something about a computer that can make me freeze it. If I'm sitting surrounded by strangers away from my desk the words flow more easily.
Another technique: I simply vomit thoughts onto the computer and put them aside for another day.
Some colleagues set a time when they do that, but I find the time pressure can paralyze me.
When I'm writing a book, I work on three chapters at once. One is pure vomit and research. The second is a cleaned up version and the third is a fully wiped floor. I rotate between the three; each time I get blocked on one I move to another.
I find
I also find it easier to write longhand on a yellow legal pad, in a cafe or another public space. There's something about a computer that can make me freeze it. If I'm sitting surrounded by strangers away from my desk the words flow more easily.
Another technique: I simply vomit thoughts onto the computer and put them aside for another day.
Some colleagues set a time when they do that, but I find the time pressure can paralyze me.
When I'm writing a book, I work on three chapters at once. One is pure vomit and research. The second is a cleaned up version and the third is a fully wiped floor. I rotate between the three; each time I get blocked on one I move to another.
I find
Judith Matloff
Hi, tks for the interest in the book. I think you'd have to order it on Amazon and get them to ship. There's an ebook version -- do you have a Kindle? Or ask your local bookshop to order. I'm afraid I don't have a handle on international distribution. Where have you been looking?
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