How to Write Good (or at least Gooder) with John David Mann
Recently, I had the distinct pleasure of having the legendary John David Mann on my podcast to talk about his new book How to Write Good (or at least Gooder).
Now you may have read some of John’s work before, such as The Go-Giver or The Latte Factor, but this book stands out from his other works because this one is entirely his own. During our interview, he told me exactly how this book came to fruition.
You see, John’s been on hundreds of podcasts to talk about his writing. And whenever he has been interviewed, folks always ask him the same things.
“How do you write this?”
“What do you do first?”
“How do you build an idea into a best-selling book?”
Now, asking a writer how to write is like asking a painter how to paint. It’s a culmination of things they learned from others, picked up, and molded to create their method. But John has given thousands of answers to these questions over the years and decided to compile all of these into his new book, How to Write Good (Or at least Gooder).
This book is John’s love letter to writers, writers, and readers. It’s been a labor of love that he has decided to offer his readers for free on his website to help them write their own stories.
One of the most exciting sections of this book comes in the latter half, where John tells the story of one of his most successful books, The Go-Giver. This book has sold over a million copies, and with that kind of success, you wouldn’t guess that it was rejected by publishers 22 times! During our talk, John told listeners that he still keeps a copy of his first book draft and says it is awful. But he goes on to say that these rejections made the book so powerful and successful. He urges readers to take stock of the rejections and look for valuable clues in those rejections because, often, they are right to reject the book. Rewriting is the real meat of writing itself.
Simplifying stories, taking things out and moving them to different sections, omitting things that take away from the story, and coming out with something better is what writing is all about. Many people think good writing is about having a natural God-given talent, but it is often about a love for the craft. The craft of writing is loving every aspect of the writing, including rewriting. As John says,
“...the craft of it is taking a sentence that’s maybe okay and just changing a few words and having it suddenly sing.”
As a ghostwriter, I can’t tell you just how true this is. Writing is rewriting. So often, folks come to me with their initial manuscripts that I am to look over, rewrite, and add to them to tell their story in a way that makes people want to read it. Let’s face it: everyone has a story. Everyone’s story is good in its own way because we, as humans, live such intricately beautiful lives. No one, not even your partner, sees every moment of your life, and they certainly don’t see it the way you do. When it comes to writing, it’s never been about getting it right the first time. It’s about splashing all the ideas on paper and rewriting them into a masterpiece.
This interview was such a gift for me, and I hope you take the time to listen to the full podcast and download John’s new book, How to Write Good (or at least Gooder). And if you have a story begging to be told, let’s build your masterpiece together. Click here to get started.
