What is your favorite childhood book? Or one book you think everyone should read? Sometimes my days crowd out my nights, but I'm happiest when I can maintain some kind of balance between the two. I keep a to-do list on paper, and if I'm not hurtling through short tasks as fast as I'd like, I use a timer to stay on track. I walk the dog, scramble eggs, answer email, spend time with (or at least talk to) people I hope to write about, mess around with narrative structure, edit journalism students' stories, devise seminars, write pitches, get some exercise, water my unruly plants, etc. Morning people rule our world, making it difficult for night creatures to avoid their influence.ĭuring the day, I'm usually occupied with tasks that don't require a solitary and trancelike state. When I'm in flow, I feel like I'm driving at night on an empty highway, just cruising, sipping that coffee and keeping my eyes on the spot where my headlights break the dark. There's nothing like making a hot cup of coffee and firing up my laptop when most people are winding down. When given the choice, I'll start writing after dinner and go until maybe 2 a.m. "It's a great way to flatten resistance."īruder shared more about her vampire-like writing routines, as well as how her reporting for "Nomadland" eventually developed into a book. "This was a strategy she'd picked up from Alcoholics Anonymous, but it works for writing, too," Bruder told the PBS NewsHour in a recent questionnaire. May told Bruder that when she worked in an Amazon warehouse and felt like quitting, she'd ask herself, "Can I do this for just 10 more minutes?" The answer was invariably, "Of course!" The tip came from Linda May, a nomad that Bruder met on the road and chronicled in her 2017 book, "Nomadland." May also played herself in the recent film adaptation of Bruder's book. Journalist Jessica Bruder says she's seen a lot of great writers' advice over the years, but one trick that she particularly likes "wasn't devised for writers."
Become a member of the Now Read This book club by joining our Facebook group, or by signing up to our newsletter. It served as inspiration for the Oscar-nominated film starring Frances McDormand, which was directed by Chloé Zhao.
Our March/April 2021 pick for Now Read This, the PBS NewsHour's book club with The New York Times, is Jessica Bruder's "Nomadland," which chronicles the lives of older workers on the road.
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