How Bestselling Author Fred Waitzkin Writes

The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

Bestselling author, Fred Waitzkin, spoke with me about journalism, Searching for Bobby Fischer, the thin veil between fiction and non-fiction, and the Zen of his latest novel ANYTHING IS GOOD.

Fred Waitzkin is the journalist and internationally acclaimed bestselling author of Searching for Bobby Fischer, made into the Academy Award-nominated film of the same name.

His work has appeared in Esquire, New York Magazine, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and Forbes, among other publications.

Fred Waitzkin’s fourth novel, Anything Is Good, is described as a “... hypnotically compelling tale of a man haunted by the fate of his childhood buddy, and of that friend’s pleasures and misfortunes as he navigates an unhoused life.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks said of the book, “Anything Is Good, based on the true story of a brilliant and beleaguered childhood friend, offers a deeply affecting dive into the lives of the unhoused.”

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In this file Fred Waitzkin and I discussed:

Finding his unique voice as a journalist

Why great writers blend non-fiction and fiction

How he chose the subject matter of his latest book

The evolution of his process as a novelist

Why he hates the question, “What’s next?”

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

FredWaitzkin.com

Anything Is Good by Fred Waitzkin (Amazon)

Fred Waitzkin Amazon Author Page

Fred Waitzkin on Facebook

Fred Waitzkin on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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