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Patrick Radden Keefe: How to Write Captivating Stories | How I Write

Overview

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Patrick Radden Keefe: How to Write Captivating Stories | How I Write

How I Write

Apr 08
How I Write

How I Write

Apr 08
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

This episode is presented by Mercury, the banking platform that makes this show possible. I can’t imagine trying to run my business without them. Learn more at https://mercury.com Patrick Radden Keefe is going to teach us how to write narrative nonfiction....

Highlights

In this episode, David Perell sits down with Patrick Radden Keefe—a master of narrative nonfiction—to unpack how stories take shape when the most powerful people refuse to talk.
04:58
The reading experience should be a bit uncomfortable for the subject
22:01
Bourdain’s immersive cultural presence contrasted sharply with Obama’s detached, bulletproof-glass perspective
30:15
Structure is now developed early in reporting—not after—to shape research and character selection
49:52
Arthur Sackler made a fortune designing the Valium marketing campaign in the 1960s and 70s
1:01:02
Verbal tics are powerful tools for character authenticity and reader immersion

Chapters

What do you do when the person at the center of the story won’t speak to you?
00:00
How does solving a real-world mystery feel like reading a detective novel?
13:50
Why does where a story happens matter more than we think?
27:21
What happens when you stop explaining—and start revealing through contrast?
44:14
How do you make a character feel real without ever hearing their voice?
55:55

Transcript

David Perell: Patrick Radden Keefe is going to teach us how to write narrative nonfiction. It's something he's been doing for 20 years as a staff writer at The New Yorker. And also, he's written six full-length nonfiction books. And what Patrick is known f...