How Bestselling Author Jay McInerney Writes: Part One

The bestselling author of 11 books, including the eighties defining Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney, took a break to chat with me about his new book, the writing process, and some timeless tips from his mentor, Raymond Carver.

Vanity Fair called Mr. McInerney “Our modern-day Fitzgerald,” and his most recent book — Bright, Precious Days — is described as “… a sexy, vibrant, cross-generational New York story — a literary and commercial triumph of the highest order.”

The author is a renowned short story writer, screenwriter, and actor, who has lived in New York for three decades and rubbed elbows with a laundry list of literary lions, including his mentors Tobias Wolff and Raymond Carver.

In addition to fiction, Jay writes a highly regarded wine column for Town & Country magazine, and has written several essay collections on wine.

The author most recently joined the Prince Street podcast as a culinary and arts correspondent and has interviewed director Francis Ford Coppola, author Stephanie Danler, and celebrity chefs including Eric Ripert, to name a few.

Join us for this two-part interview, and if you’re a fan of the show, please subscribe in iTunes to automatically get new interviews, and help other writers find us.

In Part One of the file Jay McInerney and I discuss:

• Why It’s Not a Bad Thing to Be Compared to Your Betters
• How to Incorporate Your Passions into Your Writing
• Why You Need to Sit at Your Desk Every Day and Listen to the Voices in Your Head
• The Author’s Process of Discovery at the Level of Language
• How the Right Soundtrack Can Inspire Your Writing

The Show Notes

• How Bestselling Author Jay McInerney Writes: Part Two
• JayMcInerney.com
• Bright, Precious Days: A novel – Jay McInerney
• Prince Street Podcast
• Jay McInerney: why Gatsby is so great
• Book Excerpt: Jay McInerney on Joy Division’s Heyday
• Jay McInerney on Twitter
• Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices