Tim Tams are the Go-To Vice Here: Smashing the Angsty Author Myth

Tim Tams are the Go-To Vice Here: Smashing the Angsty Author Myth

Dorothy Parker said, “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favour you can do them is to present them with copies of ‘The Elements of Style’. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”

We’ve all heard the stories about angst-ridden writers who hit the bottle or worse, trying to escape the demons in their mind, demons exorcised only via a keypad. Hemingway, Plath, Virginia Woolf, David Foster Wallace, the story of their downfall is as famous as their work.

Readers are fascinated by the life of writers… the stories behind the story, which is why our podcast of the same name is so incredibly popular.

At Better Reading, we meet with and work with authors every day. Yes we’ve met some quirky ones. Over the years there may have been one or two authors who were difficult, but even writing this now we can’t think of one quickly. Overwhelmingly, the authors we meet are lovely, friendly, smart, passionate professionals who are so grateful that anyone might consider reading their words.

How’s that for smashing the angsty author myth?

It would be fun to have a few stories to share about the prima donnas, but they simply don’t exist. For all we know, some authors might hit the bottle hard after hours. But at our offices, Tim Tams are the go-to vice.

Recently, we recorded a 6-part podcast series called Better Reading On Writing. We had five bestselling authors, and one publisher discuss aspects of writing and being a writer.

The series is not a ‘how to’, rather an inspirational and highly entertaining listen for those who are intrigued about the minds of authors, their processes and their worlds.

In one episode, Candice Fox talks about her jaw-dropping experience of lunching with Bill Clinton and meeting a serial killer on death row on the same day, all in the name of research! Trent Dalton talks about how you need to ‘open up a vein’ when you set out to write and Melina Marchetta finds material everywhere including in the aisles of the supermarket where the most revealing of conversations happen in the most ordinary of places.

There were no meltdowns, no tantrums, no stench of stale booze and no angst. Just great conversations with six professionals in the book industry.

After listening to our new series, you’ll be ignoring Dorothy Parker and telling any young friends who aspire to become writers to go for it.

And to perhaps listen to Better Reading On Writing too…

Tell us who your favourite author is. And which author would you love to meet?

 

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