How Bestselling Author Jay McInerney Writes: Part Two

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

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 see new interviews, and help other writers find us.

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

• The Author’s Astute Anatomical Analogy for Writer’s Block
• How a Short Story Became a Series of Bestselling Novels
• Why Writers Need to Stretch the Boundaries of Their Genres
• The Big City as Creative Muse
• Some Timeless Advice from Raymond Carver on the Importance of Discipline

The Show Notes

• JayMcInerney.com
• Bright, Precious Days: A novel – Jay McInerney
• Prince Street Podcast
• Jay McInerney: why Gatsby is so great
• Jay McInerney on Twitter
• Kelton Reid on Twitter

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