Transcript of “One Word Followed by Another Word Followed by Another Word…”
In an interview about her 2010 book, The Warmth of Other Suns, the epic story of America’s great migration, Isabel Wilkerson described her writing process, and I really appreciated it.
She said, it’s basically the same challenge that any writer has. One word followed by another word followed by another word as evocative, as poetic, as lyrical, as vibrant as you can possibly make it. And then write that next sentence. And there you go.
It’s consistency and perseverance, right? I loved her description of one word following another word. And you just make those decisions again and again and again in each sentence and then each paragraph like that.
And this is how she writes wonderful books like The Warmth of Other Suns and Origins, which are fantastic books.
We’d love to hear your writing process. Tell us about how you put your books together. Email words@waywordradio.org or call us toll free in the United States and Canada, 877-929-9673.
