Episode 191 - Running at the Creative Risk with Doug Dorst
June 20, 2023
This week on The Indy Author Podcast, I talk with Doug Dorst about RUNNING AT THE CREATIVE RISK, using the book he co-authored with J.J. Abrams, S., as an example. We discuss the power of thinking you have no chance, sacrificing verisimilitude for the reading experience, how having a creative safety net lets you run straight at the risk, the joy of creating a tactile experience, the importance of not turning away from what's strange or complicated, lo-fi options for creating your own outside-the-box book, and the freedom of creating without expectations.
If one of those topics piques your interest, you can easily jump to that section on YouTube by clicking on the flagged timestamps in the video description.
If one of those topics piques your interest, you can easily jump to that section on YouTube by clicking on the flagged timestamps in the video description.
Doug Dorst is the author of the best-selling novel S., a collaboration with filmmaker JJ Abrams, which was published by Mulholland Books in 2013. His other works include the novel ALIVE IN NECROPOLIS, the story collection THE SURF GURU, and the play MONSTER IN THE DARK, created in collaboration with foolsFURY Theater of San Francisco. He was also a staff writer on the Amazon show Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING. He directs the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Texas State University in San Marcos.
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"I see it in my students, the ones who are just letting it go and not writing to what they imagine the workshop sensibility will be, but just doing their stuff their way, doing it big and loud and crashing and burning if they need to crash and burn, the people taking the chances. Every semester, that's the most electric work." —Doug Dorst
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Links
From episode intro:
If you hate typing on your phone, check out the Samsers foldable Bluetooth keybaord with touchpad!
Doug's Links:
https://twitter.com/dougdorst
Matty's Links:
S. on Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/42PT0ci
Affiliate links
Events
If you hate typing on your phone, check out the Samsers foldable Bluetooth keybaord with touchpad!
Doug's Links:
https://twitter.com/dougdorst
Matty's Links:
S. on Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/42PT0ci
Affiliate links
Events
I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Doug! Have you had an experience where lack of expectation enabled you to really tap into your creativity? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Please post your comments on YouTube--and I'd love it if you would subscribe while you're there!
NOTE: After several years of trying to cover the costs of producing the podcast with earnings from patronage and sponsorships, I finally had to acknowledge that, for now at least, The Indy Author Podcast is more a labor of love than an income stream. As a result, I needed to find ways to reduce my expenses, and the expense I finally decided to eliminate was the editing of the transcript.
However, it's valuable for me to know that you were looking for it! If you miss the transcript, please click here to drop me a note!
If you'd like to become a patron of The Indy Author, please click here.
When AI transcription improves to the point that it doesn't require the time and expense of a human edit, or once my earnings from the podcast enable me to cover the costs of a human editing, I will resume that offering!
However, it's valuable for me to know that you were looking for it! If you miss the transcript, please click here to drop me a note!
If you'd like to become a patron of The Indy Author, please click here.
When AI transcription improves to the point that it doesn't require the time and expense of a human edit, or once my earnings from the podcast enable me to cover the costs of a human editing, I will resume that offering!
