Derek Thompson weaves together ideas from all over the place — economics, public policy, sports, and even pop culture. His writing is a breath of fresh air in a world of cookie cutter Internet content. Where other click-hungry journalists have caved to antagonistic practices, Derek’s writing is cool and charitable. And it’s also poetic. With a background in theater, he draws inspiration from the likes of literature and playwrights. This conversation will appeal to anybody who wants to write more elegantly, deal with critics, and master the art of the non-fiction story. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:50 What is Derek’s process for writing 00:03:30 Derek’s cocoon of darkness 00:04:24 How does Derek set up his daily routine 00:05:20 The literal way that Derek writes 00:06:05 Does Derek dream about writing 00:06:25 The Eminem of Macroeconomic Analysis 00:06:55 Having a schedule like John Updike 00:08:15 Why Derek’s self-talk is loud 00:09:25 How theater has influenced Derek’s writing 00:11:15 Every good scene is a fight 00:12:25 How Derek thinks about conflict and tension 00:14:50 Derek’s recently contentious article on masking 00:16:30 What Derek thinks about critic 00:18:25 Moments of despair 00:21:25 Moments of Aha! 00:22:25 Subconscious dreams 00:23:25 Derek’s 9am mindset 00:26:10 Derek’s formula for interesting-ness 00:29:55 Writing and trust 00:31:15 Rants 00:32:25 Writing process as a Darwinian process 00:35:55 The Darkside of Moneyball 00:39:55 The Internet allows you to be weird at scale 00:41:25 The impressionist canon 00:45:15 Derek’s obsession with naming things 00:46:55 Hit Makers 00:49:30 How Derek’s distribution is now different 00:50:25 Balancing simplicity and complexity 00:51:25 Writing musically 00:52:35 "Repetition is the god particle of music" 00:57:25 What we see when we read 01:03:25 Why Derek writes SPEAKER LINKS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dkthomp Website: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/derek-thompson/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plain-english-with-derek-thompson/id1594471023 Books: Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction - https://a.co/d/3yAif4H WRITE OF PASSAGE: Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage? Click here: https://take.writeofpassage.school/writing-sprints PODCAST LINKS: Website: https://writeofpassage.school/how-i-write/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv ABOUT THE HOST: I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. How I Write is a podcast by Write of Passage // Production by Adam Soccolich