How to Write Something Truly Beautiful (Alain de Botton Interview)
David Perell
492,032 views
I interviewed Alain de Botton, a philosopher and writer who has turned personal pain into universal wisdom. He's written dozens of books and built The School of Life into a YouTube channel with nearly 10 million subscribers, but the thing that makes him unique is that he approaches writing as a form of emotional archaeology. We talked about why good writing requires suffering, why loneliness is essential to the creative process, and how writing is actually a form of revenge. He also shared his approach to writer's block and why he believes the pressure is on us creatives to deepen our self-exploration. If you want to understand how to write with emotional honesty and create work that genuinely connects with people, this conversation will show you a completely different way to think about the craft. Enjoy!
00:00:00 What Gives a Writer Joy
00:07:59 Why Great Books Start as Fragments
00:14:56 How to Live Like a Writer
00:21:59 Why Suffering Makes Better Artists
00:27:53 Why Writing Is About Revenge
00:36:30 Why Discipline Matters Less Than Attention
00:41:35 How Deep Observation Reveals Hidden Details
00:47:22 How to Write What You Actually Want
00:54:24 Why Writer's Block Is Just Shame
00:57:01 Why Modern News Hijacks Your Mind
01:06:27 Why We Find Certain Things Beautiful
01:14:44 Why Religion Beats Art at Persuasion
01:18:50 Why Wonder Works Better Than Reason
01:22:33 Why AI Pushes Writers to Be More Original
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSbo...
X: https://x.com/david_perell
20 Comments
I tried for years telling this story in various mediums, but it was always surface level, and when it got too deep, I got scared and abandoned the project.
I had to let it cook for a few years. Then, this year, I was able to tackle it and created a project that really means something to me. Debut show in August! 😁
Was an interesting read a few years after
Finally, I ignored all the professional advice and did exactly what Alain said here, wrote the book (scene by scene,) then the story revealed itself.
The worst thing you can do is go on line and look for advice about how to write. The best thing you can do, is write your stories.
Alain, thanks for giving your time to the interview.
I was wrong.
He taught me to listen to myself.
Now, at the age of almost 86, I understand
why I have been a compulsive writer for all of my life. I try to understand and reduce life to such simple descriptions that there is little there for my father to disagree with.
How to Write Something Truly Beautiful (Alain de Botton Interview)
David Perell
492,032 views
I interviewed Alain de Botton, a philosopher and writer who has turned personal pain into universal wisdom. He's written dozens of books and built The School of Life into a YouTube channel with nearly 10 million subscribers, but the thing that makes him unique is that he approaches writing as a form of emotional archaeology. We talked about why good writing requires suffering, why loneliness is essential to the creative process, and how writing is actually a form of revenge. He also shared his approach to writer's block and why he believes the pressure is on us creatives to deepen our self-exploration. If you want to understand how to write with emotional honesty and create work that genuinely connects with people, this conversation will show you a completely different way to think about the craft. Enjoy!
00:00:00 What Gives a Writer Joy
00:07:59 Why Great Books Start as Fragments
00:14:56 How to Live Like a Writer
00:21:59 Why Suffering Makes Better Artists
00:27:53 Why Writing Is About Revenge
00:36:30 Why Discipline Matters Less Than Attention
00:41:35 How Deep Observation Reveals Hidden Details
00:47:22 How to Write What You Actually Want
00:54:24 Why Writer's Block Is Just Shame
00:57:01 Why Modern News Hijacks Your Mind
01:06:27 Why We Find Certain Things Beautiful
01:14:44 Why Religion Beats Art at Persuasion
01:18:50 Why Wonder Works Better Than Reason
01:22:33 Why AI Pushes Writers to Be More Original
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSbo...
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Here's what stood out to me from this interview:
1. A clear night sky is a challenge to everything we think we know.
2. If we really took on board what that night sky is telling us, we'd have to lie down and just question absolutely everything.
3. Writer's block is a conflict between shame and the desire for honesty.
4. The effect of mass media is to industrialize and commercialize our thinking, which leaves no room for the free thinker, the honest thinker, and the authentic thinker.
5. You've got to be attentive to your own sensations and thoughts. That's the real work of writing.
6. Every person is an incredible library of sensations but so often, particularly in the academic world, people think: “Let’s ignore ourselves as a source of data and find out what Cicero said, or what Socrates said, or what Michel Foucault said."
7. Writing can be revenge for the silenced person, which is why so many writers are meek in person but fierce on the page.
8. A work of art is the best thing you can do with your dislocation and distress, and sometimes, it’s even an alternative to losing your mind.
9. Emerson said: "In the minds of geniuses, we find our own neglected thoughts."
10. The thoughts of geniuses aren’t fundamentally different from others. It’s just that they’re able to put words to sensations we’ve long felt but couldn’t articulate.
11. Writing prompt: If there were no rules, if you couldn't fail, if no one was going to laugh, if you were going to be dead tomorrow, what would you actually do and say? How would you write, let's say? That's the thing you should write.