Ever thought to yourself, “I would love to write a memoir someday”? Then you’re in the right place. Rob has an exceptional story — from foster care to Yale, from a troubled childhood to a best-selling memoir called Troubled — and in this episode, he demystifies the memoir-writing process just for you. We cover questions like: Which stories are worthy of sharing? How do you pace the narrative? How do you excavate difficult memories? How do you balance the emotional highs with the lows? Buckle up, and get ready to learn how to write a gripping memoir. WRITE OF PASSAGE: Want to learn more about the next class for Write of Passage? https://writeofpassage.com/ SPEAKER LINKS: Newsletter: https://www.robkhenderson.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/robkhenderson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robkhenderson/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Memoir-Foster-Family-Social/dp/1982168536 TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:20 Why Rob decided to write a memoir 00:04:15 What Rob learned by writing a memoir 00:05:30 Selecting your core themes 00:07:00 Who am I in this story? 00:07:45 Voice of Innocence vs Voice of Experience 00:10:00 What is Rob's editing process 00:12:20 Good writing can be one sentence, phrase, anecdote 00:14:30 Why you should not making yourself look good 00:19:20 How to decide which stories are worthy 00:23:00 The power of emotional variance 00:24:20 How your voice changes over a lifetime 00:28:00 How much honesty is needed in your memoir 00:29:00 Which stories are the hardest to include 00:33:20 What stories you should keep vs cut 00:38:40 How to write about difficult experiences 00:44:55 What makes good dialogue 00:50:35 What JD Vance taught Rob about writing 00:54:40 Why Tara Westover told Rob to "Break the spell" 00:58:55 How to end a memoir 01:01:45 Elite environments and luxury beliefs 01:04:25 What's the point of writing a preface 01:19:25 What to know before writing your memoir 01:25:20 How Rob would teach a writing class PODCAST LINKS: Website: https://writeofpassage.com/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.
Rob Henderson — Troubled Description: Friend-of-the-show Rob Henderson returns to discuss his powerful, moving and important debut book, Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (published TODAY). We discuss Rob’s experience of the American foster care and adoption system, the life-changing impact of the military, the rise of Luxury Beliefs, the benefits of standardized testing, and MUCH more. Important Links: - Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class - https://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Memoir-Foster-Family-Social/dp/1982168536/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= (Amazon) - The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/06/opinion/sat-act-dartmouth-test-optional-colleges/; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe) - Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way - https://www.thefp.com/p/rob-henderson-lessons-i-learned-the; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press) - Rob’s Substack - https://www.robkhenderson.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile - Rob’s Twitter - https://x.com/robkhenderson?s=20 Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:52 Foster Care, Adoption & Social Mobility 0:12:41 Structural Origins of the Foster System 0:17:16 Why Early-Life Stability is Underrated 0:35:24 How Ideas Can Change Outcomes 0:37:53 The Life-Changing Impact of the Military 0:46:22 Young Male Syndrome 0:53:05 The Role of Intelligence in Governing Outcomes 0:58:22 The Benefits of Standardized Testing 1:11:58 Yale, Luxury Beliefs & the Rise of Identity Politics 1:27:01 Are Luxury Beliefs a Political or Class Phenomena? 1:33:25 Trickle-Down Meritocracy 1:41:19 Technology, Assortive Mating & Social Mobility 1:46:35 Is the Overton Window Shifting on Campus? 1:52:29 Rob as Emperor of the World Books and Articles Mentioned: - Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class - https://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Memoir-Foster-Family-Social/dp/1982168536/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=; by Rob Henderson - The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/06/opinion/sat-act-dartmouth-test-optional-colleges/; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe) - Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way - https://www.thefp.com/p/rob-henderson-lessons-i-learned-the; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press) - Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society; by Nicholas A. Christakis - Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010; by Charles Murray - Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World, by Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross - A Suitable Boy; by Vikram Seth - The Son Also Rises; by Gregory Clark