The Reader's Journey

21. John David Mann: How To Write Good (Or At Least, Gooder)

• Alex & Books

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My guest today is John David Mann, the author of How To Write Good (Or At Least, Gooder). John has coauthored over 30 books including The Go-Giver, The Latte Factor, The Slight Edge, and many more bestselling books. 

In our conversation, John shares the three ingredients for good writing, how reading more will improve your writing, the writing process John used to write several bestselling books, the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, and much more.

TIMESTAMPS:

  • [00:42] -  How John went from musician to bestselling author
  • [03:00] - Why you don’t need a degree or MFA to become a writer
  • [03:40] - The 3 ingredients for good writing (intention, practice, critique) 
  • [09:30] - How reading more books will make you a better writer 
  • [13:20] - The importance of deliberate reading & analyzing books
  • [18:50] - John’s book writing process
  • [24:00] - How to get over writer’s block
  • [30:50] - How to decide what to write about
  • [37:00] - Traditional publishing vs Self-publishing 
  • [41:40] - Differences between writing fiction and non-fiction books
  • [48:40] - Books John recommends for aspiring writers


Resources:

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