New year, new habits: How to start writing with author Kelly Corrigan

Summary

TED Radio Hour: New Year, New Habits – How to Start Writing with Author Kelly Corrigan

Podcast Information:

• Title: TED Radio Hour
• Host: Manoush Zomorodi (Note: The transcript mentions Minouche as the host, likely a transcription error for Manoush)
• Episode Title: New Year, New Habits: How to Start Writing with Author Kelly Corrigan
• Release Date: December 25, 2024
• Description: Exploring the biggest questions of our time with the help of the world's greatest thinkers. Host Manoush Zomorodi inspires us to learn more about the world, our communities, and most importantly, ourselves.

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Introduction

In the December 25, 2024 episode of TED Radio Hour, host Manoush Zomorodi engages in a heartfelt conversation with bestselling author Kelly Corrigan. The episode, titled "New Year, New Habits: How to Start Writing," delves into Corrigan's journey as a writer, her approach to capturing the mundane moments of life with extraordinary insight, and the process behind her acclaimed memoir, Tell Me More. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and advice shared during the episode, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps for reference.

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Kelly Corrigan’s Writing Philosophy

Developing a Writing Habit

Kelly Corrigan emphasizes the importance of establishing a daily writing routine. She suggests that consistency is key to nurturing one's writing practice.

Kelly Corrigan [06:24]: "I think it's a daily habit. I think there's a lot of value in reading while you're writing. I think it's helpful to have a little writing group or, like, an accountability partner."

Incorporating Reading into Writing

Corrigan highlights the symbiotic relationship between reading and writing, advocating for writers to engage in regular reading to enhance their own writing skills.

Kelly Corrigan [06:24]: "I think there's a lot of value in reading while you're writing."

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The Inspiration Behind Tell Me More

Personal Motivation and Emotional Connection

Corrigan shares the deeply personal motivation behind her memoir, Tell Me More, which chronicles her final days with her father. Her desire to capture these moments stems from a place of love and the wish to preserve her father's legacy.

Kelly Corrigan [06:24]: "I think having a fantasy about who you would give this book to or these pages to, or this document to can be very motivating."

Anecdote of Her Father's Reaction

She recounts a poignant moment when her father received a copy of her book, illustrating the emotional impact of her work.

Kelly Corrigan [07:XX]: "I had tears in my eyes. He's like, lovey, what is it? ... he just put, like, his fist to his heart and was like, mm, lovey."

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Achieving Bestseller Success

Unexpected Recognition

Corrigan reflects on the surprising success of her memoir, which resonated with a wide audience despite being a deeply personal and ordinary story.

Kelly Corrigan [08:52]: "If this newest cancer was going to kill him, he had made good on life's most exquisite promise. He loved and was loved in equal measure."

Navigating the Bestseller List

She discusses the dynamics of the nonfiction bestseller list, noting how her work stood out among stories typically dominated by high-profile figures and dramatic narratives.

Kelly Corrigan [09:33]: "This was like such a happy story. It was a love story, basically. And it worked and people wanted it."

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The Power of Detail in Storytelling

Making the Mundane Extraordinary

Corrigan underscores the significance of detailed descriptions in writing, which bring scenes to life and engage readers on a deeper level.

Kelly Corrigan [10:19]: "The detail that makes it come alive. So don't say, like, I had a drink, say I had a soda. ... you went from, like, having a drink to being somewhere to being this one place in space and time."

Practical Writing Tips

She offers actionable advice for writers to enhance their storytelling by focusing on specific details that create vivid imagery.

Kelly Corrigan [10:18]: "Like, I had a grape Fanta and the condensation was making my whole hand wet."

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Overcoming Writing Challenges

The Reality of Writing as a Solitary Endeavor

Corrigan candidly discusses the solitary nature of writing and how it doesn't align with her inherently social personality. She shares how writing became a medium to process grief, making the experience more manageable.

Kelly Corrigan [12:13]: "I'm compelled to communicate. I'm compelled to make sense. I'm compelled to compare notes. But it doesn't have to be in writing."

Embracing Solitude for Personal Growth

She highlights how writing, despite its solitary aspects, served as a therapeutic tool during her mother's passing, allowing her to navigate her emotions through the creative process.

Kelly Corrigan [12:17]: "I cry a lot when I'm writing and that's probably a good thing. I mean, it's probably helps move things along inside me."

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Conclusion: Embracing New Writing Habits

In this episode, Kelly Corrigan provides invaluable insights into cultivating a writing practice, the importance of detail in storytelling, and the profound impact of writing as a means of personal expression and healing. Her journey underscores that writing does not require innate talent but rather dedication, consistency, and a willingness to delve into the ordinary to uncover the extraordinary. As listeners embark on their own writing journeys, Corrigan's experiences offer guidance and inspiration to start anew with meaningful habits that enrich both their craft and personal lives.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• [06:24] "I think it's a daily habit... having a fantasy about who you would give this book to can be very motivating." – Kelly Corrigan
• [07:XX] "He put, like, his fist to his heart and was like, mm, lovey." – Kelly Corrigan
• [08:52] "He loved and was loved in equal measure." – Kelly Corrigan
• [09:33] "This was like such a happy story. It was a love story, basically. And it worked and people wanted it." – Kelly Corrigan
• [10:19] "The detail that makes it come alive... you went from having a drink to being somewhere to being this one place in space and time." – Kelly Corrigan
• [12:13] "I'm compelled to communicate... But it doesn't have to be in writing." – Kelly Corrigan
• [12:17] "I cry a lot when I'm writing... it helps move things along inside me." – Kelly Corrigan

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Final Thoughts

Kelly Corrigan's candid discussion on the TED Radio Hour offers a blueprint for aspiring writers seeking to develop their habits and refine their craft. Her emphasis on consistency, attention to detail, and the personal motivations that drive her storytelling provide actionable strategies for anyone looking to start or enhance their writing journey in the new year.

Transcript

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[Minouche]

Hey, it's Minouche. I am here with one more bonus episode to give all of our listeners a look into what we make for TED Radio Hour. Plus SO plus supports all the work we do and as a supporter you get access to ad free episodes as well as extra interviews with TED speakers and practical advice from experts. You can go to plus.npr.org to find out more. Okay, so here's what we got for you. It is that time of year, maybe when we feel a little wistful about what was and what's even to come. And maybe you have thought about getting some of those thoughts down on paper, even writing a memo, maybe for yourself or even to share with the world. So writer Kelly Corrigan was recently on our episode about how to be brave in relationships, but I also wanted to ask her about how she approaches her craft. Because Kelly became a bestselling author by writing about the mundane and ordinary aspects of her family's life and her own life, but capturing those moments in an extraordinary way. I wanna read a brief passage from her latest book, which is called Tell Me More. It's about spending time with her dad during the last few days of his life. After we got him to bed that night, my mom explained that he came downstairs once a day to sit by his new gas fireplace that turned on with a remote control. She also said his pain was extraordinary. Cancer that had been many years before in his bladder had bloomed in his right shoulder blade and rooted in several spots along his spine. Still, for the four or five hours a day when he was awake, my mom said, he was himself, which is to say, positive. During that first week when he wasn't in his spot by the fire, my mom, my brothers and I cycled in and out of his bedroom, pulling up a chair if he was awake, turning off his light if he had fallen asleep. There was so little to be done, so little that could be done. We watched whatever was on espn, even bowling, and talked about Duke basketball, Notre Dame Lacrosse, and whether LeBron could hold off the Warriors. I felt lucky that my work and my children were back in California, too far to pull me from him. Edward, that's her husband, kept saying, stay, we're fine. So I did. For 14 days, I cleaned his reading glasses and showed him pictures on my phone, stretching them so he could see the detail hidden in the pixels, which often led us into the catalog of spectacular people he had known, the all time greats as he dubbed them. Listening to him gush about Jock Janky and Noodles Nolker, it occurred to me that if this newest cancer was going to kill him, he had made good on life's most exquisite promise. He loved and was loved in equal measure. Isn't that so beautiful? So how does Kelly do it? I wanted to understand her approach. When we come back, our chat about writing her dad, her wildly successful memoir, the Middle Place, and her best advice on how to get started.

[Kelly Corrigan]

Foreign.

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[Minouche]

SIPC this message comes from NPR sponsor Viking Committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, destination focused dining and cultural enrichment on board and on shore. And every Viking voyage is all inclusive. With no children and no casinos, discover [e-mail] I think a lot of people, you know, we live in an age where we really think about chronicling and documenting our lives. What are your suggestions to anyone who's thinking, I want to start doing this either for myself or maybe for a wider audience?

[Kelly Corrigan]

I think it's a daily habit. I think there's a lot of value in reading while you're writing. I think it's helpful to have a little writing group or, like, an accountability partner. I also think it's interesting and bonding. So you get a lot of value out of it in and of itself. And then also it can help move you along in the writing process. I think having a fantasy about who you would give this book to or these pages to, or this document to can be very motivating. Like, for me, that's what got me to sit down every day, was, I'm gonna write the story of what it is for me to be George Corrigan's daughter, and I'm gonna hand it to him. I'm gonna give it to him. And I did. And he put it in his bathrobe pocket. So I was, like, waiting for him at the kitchen table one morning, and I was like, here? And I had tears in my eyes. He's like, lovey, what is it? I'm like, you'll see. And he went upstairs and he came downstairs, like, four hours later, and he just put, like, his fist to his heart and was like, mm, lovey. And I was like, I'm done. That's all I needed. I mean, the outcome of that book is so crazy that it had this fantastic commercial life, and we passed Obama on the bestseller list. And my husband made this classic joke of like, do you think Michelle just rolled over to Barack with the New York Times bestseller list in her hand and said, who the hell is Kelly Corrigan? Which was like, the perfect visualization so that it had a life for people is kind of amazing. I mean, my mom, when she read it, said, well, Kelly, it's very good. There are no grammatical errors and there's no spelling errors. But who's gonna wanna read about us? Like, we're not rich, we're not poor, we're not dumb, we're not stupid. Like, it just. And I said, I don't know. I really don't know. Like, that's not actually our problem. That's the publisher's problem. But I hear what you're saying. Like, I do think it's unlikely that people are gonna wanna read about us on the nonfiction bestseller list. It's a lot of men and it's a lot of men's stories. Like, it's. At the time it was Barack Obama and Tony Dungy, who was an NFL coach and like Lee Iacocca. So there are all these business, sports, musicians, actors writing their memoirs and then.

[Minouche]

Conquering heroes.

[Kelly Corrigan]

Yeah, conquering heroes. And then there was like, my dad, basically. And I would say, week after week, I would say to my dad, how crazy is this? Like, you're on the bestseller list. You. This is what people want is this story about an ordinary guy who was especially good at loving people. That's so great. That's such a great fact about the world that people are interested in that story. Because there's typically, like, one slot on the nonfiction side for somebody like me. Like, Eat, Pray Love held the slot for a long time. Before me was Glass Castle. But those are typically like horror stories in a way.

[Minouche]

Yeah. Shocking.

[Kelly Corrigan]

Yeah. Abuse and rape and abject poverty. And this was like such a happy story. It was a love story, basically. And it worked and people wanted it. I just think that's so great. Maybe that's why I'm an optimist, you know?

[Minouche]

Well, you for sure. One of the things, though, that I think is so attractive about your writing is that you're very, very detail oriented. And so the mundane, you just feel like you're standing next to you eavesdropping. Like, you note how strong the drinks are or what color the pile of laundry was that was annoying the crap out of you. And did you keep journals?

[Becca Anderson]

Like, how do you.

[Kelly Corrigan]

I did. I did, yeah.

[Minouche]

Every day.

[Kelly Corrigan]

No, but more than once a week and for so long now. Minouche, like seventh grade. So, I mean, I have like a. I have crates. And also I was a letter writer. So I used to write these long, detailed letters home from Camp Taqua. I used to go to this YMCA camp on the Chesapeake Bay for a month every August, and I would send home like 14 page letters about the bug juice and the Siouxyut dance and the tetherball match. And so I think that for a long time I was in the habit of chronicling and categorizing what was happening. And, you know, it's funny, I have done a little teaching over the years and I always say to people, it's the detail that makes it come alive. So don't say, like, I had a drink, say I had a soda. And don't say, I had a soda, say I had a Fanta. And don't say, I had a Fanta, say I had a grape Fanta. And don't say I had a grape Fanta. Say I had a grape Fanta and the condensation was making my whole hand wet. Like, all of a sudden you went from, like, having a drink to being somewhere to being this one place in space and time where with this one set of objects around you. And that's just totally different experience for a reader. And I feel like that in person, like, I feel like that's the difference between a good conversation and a great conversation and a good question and a great question.

[Minouche]

Do you think you have to be a writer? You sound like you've always been compelled. I struggle with this. Like, I don't think, like, it hurts me to sit down and write. And I think there are other people who are like, they just like their body just like moves them to the desk and they pick up the pen and like there's a force within them that takes their ideas and puts them on the page.

[Kelly Corrigan]

That is not me. That is not me.

[Minouche]

Oh, good. Okay.

[Kelly Corrigan]

I mean, I'm compelled to communicate. I'm compelled to make sense. I'm compelled to compare notes. But it doesn't have to be in writing. And in fact, in all the ways that I work in the world to do those three things, writing is the least satisfying for me because it's solitary and I'm not a solitary gal. And sometimes I feel like the reason why the writing right now in the wake of my mom dying is more enjoyable for me is because grief is isolating. And so I might as well just be in it and try to make sense of it. And, you know, like, I cry a lot when I'm writing and that's probably a good thing. I mean, it's probably helps move things along inside me.

[Minouche]

That was best selling memoirist Kelly Corrigan. Her latest book is called Tell Me More Again. If you'd like to get access to all of our bonus episodes and ad free listening and support public radio, please consider signing up for TED Radio Hour Plus. You can find out more at plus.npr.org if you are already a Plus supporter, thank. Thank you so much. And please tell a friend or give a gift subscription. We're always asking for more, aren't we? Sorry about that. Make sure you listen through December and January as we bring you more on how to start your new year off right.

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