This week I'm talking with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” a coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City. “A Gorgeous Excitement” is inspired by Cynthia's own 80s upbringing on the Upper East Side of New York, as well as the infamous Preppy Killer, a former prep school student who killed a girl in Central Park in the summer of 1986 and who frequented a bar called Dorian's, where Cynthia spent many nights drinking with friends.

Her work has won the Pushcart Prize and been anthologized in the Coolest American Stories. Cynthia is also the assistant director of the writer's studio in New York City where, fun fact, I took classes with her in the early 2000s.

We covered:

- The award she won in second grade that hooked her on the writing life

- How she stumbled into teaching writing

- Writing as a “weird compulsion”

- The plus sides of working on a novel for nearly 10 years

- The daily rituals that help her write

- The time management technique that helps her get unstuck

- Why catching up with a friend helps her write

- How living a boring life leaves more space for the work

Connect with Cynthia on Instagram at @cynthiaweiner

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For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

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[Cynthia Weiner, practical matters]: How living a boring life helped her write a novel titled, ironically, “A Glorious Excitement” Ep 1179