Meet Pulitzer-Winning Stanford Professor (Richard Powers Interview)

Richard Powers won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

He's one of the best novelists alive today. This interview is a detailed look at his writing process, inspired by the class he used to teach at Stanford — and he's never done an interview quite like this.

Here are 17 lessons:

1. When you're sure what you're looking at, look harder.

2. There are ultimately only three kinds of novels: (1) Person vs. person, (2) person vs. society, and (3) person vs. environment.

3. Person vs. Person: This is the psychological novel.

4. Person vs. Society: This is the sociological novel.

5. Person vs. Environment: This type of novel has gone out of style, and Richard is bringing it back.

6. Clear out the clutter in your life so you can focus on your writing. The fewer complications you have, the more rich and textured your creative process can become.

7. The best writing advice he's ever received? “Keep your petri dishes open.” Don't tie down your plans or outlines too tightly.

8. There are two kinds of writers: Top-Down and Bottom Up.

9. Top-Down writers: Start with the theme and the formal shape that'll drive the story.

10. Bottom-Up writers: Start with people, faces, voices, and local events… then gravitate toward the design of the book.

11. How do you create compelling characters? Push them to the wall. Make them choose between their top two core values.

12. English speakers are innately bilingual because they can use Latin-inspired words and Anglo-Saxon ones.

13. Editing is the art of excavating what your subconscious mind already knows.

14. When writing dialogue, read it out loud to yourself. That's how readers will read it, too. They'll subvocalize.

15. For years, Richard wrote and wrote and wouldn't leave the computer until he had 1,000 words on the page.

16. “If you would learn the secrets of nature, you must practice more humanity.”

17. “The best arguments in the world won’t change a single person’s mind. The only thing that can do that is a good story.”

And finally, what's his goal as a writer? Here it is: “We have this sense that structure is inimical to emotion or that systems are inimical to individuals, that a book can either be a heart book or a head book. And my desire is to write something that's like us, namely an all-in-one.”

I swear I just saw a quote from Ursula Le Guin that it is a stunted and revealing paradigm that people assume that “plot=conflict.” So unfortunately, I didn’t make it past the intro to this interview.

I listened to this twice this weekend already. It’s a really incredible interview. I paid a lot of money for a weekend online workshop from another well known author recently, and I learned so much more about writing from this podcast. Thank you for giving him this forum.

My story

I am still unclear about why Jack London is not literary. His stories rarely assume men won over nature.

Is it just me or can anybody else picture Richard powers reading you a bedtime story😌😌

Great interview ! And as a voice over script writer I kept saying his voice is soooo perfect for VOICE OVER 😅 ... HE MUST CONSIDER THIIIIIS!!!

"First there was nothing. Then there was everything."
And here Iam bawling my eyes out with those few but powerful words. Amazing interview, for sure one of the most enlightining author podcast I head in a long time. Congratulations and please keep up the marvelous work.

Thank you for this wonderful masterclass. So many craft concepts, so simply and masterfully explained. Loved his humanity and humility - marks of a true genius. Looking forward to reading the book.

A brilliant fantasy series published in 2001, The Bitterbynde, is set in a world swept by weather and storms and natural elements. An amazing series nominated for Locus Award.

I’d hate to see what’s on that guys computer tho lmao

‘White-privilege’, not even five minutes in. This guy may have great literary insights, but you can take anything he says with a grain of salt. His ideology is tainted with post-modern progressivism. God, it’s so difficult to find an educated source NOT laced with that cancer.

Learned more on this podcast than any college lit class 🥹 thank u for this

I thought that was Stephen king.

Professor’s got an almost identical voice as Ethan Hawke

❤"We have to know the world the way a Scientist knows the world and we have to know the world the way an Animist or Pantheist Child knows the world"❤ 🤯

❤

Man against nature... my first thought when to The Old Man and the Sea. Ernest Hemingway wrote that in 1951 and it was met with popular acclaim.

Firstly I wanna say this was incredible. Ive watched this a few times now and ill be revisiting later. Wonderfully paced and im glad you had examples for him to flesh out. Very good questions as well, it was clear you came prepared. As a first time viewer of your podcast i will say the quality of sound and light and camera was excellent. Although my only criticism would be that you were "aggressive listening" not trying to be a dick but the mmms and uuhuhhs every few sentences he said was cluttering and somewhat annoying. Id do the same thing too in real life to be honest so i get it, but its wild how noticeable it can be in the podcast environment. Anyways amazing job dude

Great interview! Really glad the algorithm overlords recommend this. Can’t wait to read The Overstory now!

Really Amazing and I'm only 24 mins in.

Thanks for the interview. He sems like a great, sensible writer.

Excelente clase. Gracias por compartir ✌🏾

At some point ..you just gotta stop trying to have conversations about GOD without saying the word GOD and just...go there. Talk about GOD directly. If not, you just end up confusing people.

Amazing masterclass. I am most certainly going to apply many of these principles and reshape some of my perceptions of writing due to this podcast.

This might be the most useful writing advice I've ever heard. And I'm already loving Overstory. Thank you for sharing! Definitely gonna revisit this one.

His net worth is not that much. Awards can be deceiving in any industry.

mexican gothic is the only modern novel i can think of with strong human vs human vs nature it had all three.... Excellent interview

can one commit identity theft in playwrighting ?

I admit i was a bit skeptical before getting into this podcast because my library of books ive read though very limited does not include The Overstory but you can bet on my life that I am going to give his book a read. His words are so articulate and his insight is absolute treasure for us aspiring writers. i LOVE diving into the "psychoanalytical" aspect of writing and mr Richard here made me fall in love with it even more! So thankyou to both of you for sharing this gem of a podcast! <3

Frustrating camera angle for your guest, but unashamedly glorious for yourself. We didn’t need to see your “mmms”

Might be the best deep dive into the process I’ve ever seen.

21 thumbnail changes...geeeeez lol

Amazing interview.

Best interview thus far. Thank you!

I had never heard of this author until a few hours ago thanks to your video. I rushed to a bookstore and purchased Overstory 30 minutes before they closed. I will start reading it tomorrow.

exceptional interview! Thank you!

This podcast was great! Love the storytelling frameworks and he’s really great speaker.

The Overstory really impacted me - I didn’t really notice it happening while reading it, but by the time I finished, and and now a few years later, I just have a deeper connection and love for trees and nature. Great book.

this episode is a treasure. Thank you!

my favorite part of this podcast is David's thoughtful questions which are a result of his active listening of the guest

## Exploring Character, Voice, and Drama in Storytelling

The sources primarily focus on a conversation with Richard Powers, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Overstory," about the essential elements of compelling storytelling. The main ideas discussed include:

* *Character as the Driving Force of Drama:* Powers emphasizes the importance of complex and relatable characters. He suggests using the Stanislavski method, which encourages actors to locate shared values with their characters, to create authentic and multi-dimensional individuals.

* *The "Onion" Model of Characterization:* To build complex characters, Powers proposes an "onion" model. This involves layering outward traits, mannerisms, and core inner values to create a character whose behavior reveals and conceals their needs and desires.

* *Creating Internal Conflict Through Competing Values:* Powers suggests challenging characters with scenarios where their core values clash. This internal conflict, termed "man versus himself," generates the psychological drama that drives the narrative.

* *Three Levels of Dramatic Conflict:* The sources highlight three levels of drama:
* *Internal Conflict (Man vs. Himself):* A character grappling with their own conflicting values.
* *Interpersonal Conflict (Man vs. Man):* Conflicts arising from differing values between individuals.
* *Environmental Conflict (Man vs. Nature):* The tension between human desires and the natural world.
* *The Importance of Voice in Shaping Character:* Powers argues that a character's voice, or how they express themselves, is crucial in revealing their personality. He explores how word choice, register (level of formality), and sentence structure contribute to a distinctive voice.

* *The Power of Language to Evoke Emotion and Empathy:* The sources stress the ability of language to create visceral experiences for the reader. Powers demonstrates how rhythmic language, vivid descriptions, and surprising word choices can bring life to seemingly mundane objects like trees.

* *The Impact of Descriptive Writing:* Powers provides insights into writing effective descriptions. He suggests embracing initial efforts, even if they seem overdone, as a way to explore the desired effect. He also demonstrates how subtle anthropomorphism can make descriptions more engaging.

* *The Significance of Rhythm and Pacing in Prose:* Powers emphasizes the importance of attending to rhythm and pacing at the sentence and scene level. He explains how sentence structure, particularly the placement of the main subject and verb, can create suspense or other emotional effects.

* *The Role of Solitude in the Writing Process:* Powers acknowledges the importance of solitude for creative work, particularly during the initial stages of composing and revising. However, he also stresses the need to re-engage with the world to test and refine ideas.

Awesome 👍

Super awesome.

This was such a great episode. And i heard it on audio first 👌🏼

One of the best literary podcasts I’ve seen in awhile. Thank you for such a great discussion. I’ve had his book “Overstory” sitting on the desk ready to begin…

👀👀👀

Just when I thought I was out, David pulls me back in