Jimmy Soni is a master of biographies and a professional speechwriter. If you want to write serious, research-backed non-fiction or build your writing career while working a full-time job, this episode is for you.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:45 Writing upward vs downward
00:02:30 When an idea becomes a book
00:04:50 Peter Thiel
00:05:50 The entrepreneurial way to think about writing
00:09:30 Jimmy's process for research
00:15:25 How Jimmy manages so much information
00:17:00 Jimmy's process for note taking
00:19:00 Jimmy's experience with interviewing Elon Musk
00:21:49 Writing like an athlete
00:24:15 A painstaking part of the writing process
00:30:30 Overcoming fear and anxiety of writing
00:32:00 How Google's voice type can help with writer's block
00:34:20 Jimmy's best technique when stuck or need to be sharper
00:37:35 One of Jimmy's favorite writers, Michael Lewis
00:42:12 Why Jimmy study's other books like The Everything Store
00:45:00 Applying the Apple model to a book or piece of writing
00:47:00 Funding Secured and Elon Musk
00:49:25 Warmth and word choice
00:52:25 The writing factor with Paypal
00:55:40 Jimmy's process for notes and sources
00:58:00 How will readers get value from Jimmy's books
01:00:50 Jimmy's insanely narrow media diet
01:04:15 The life that you lead away from writing
01:05:00 Jimmy's morning routine
01:07:18 Why Jimmy needs to write
01:09:15 How writing in public changed Jimmy
01:14:00 What writers can learn from speechwriting
01:24:00 Writing as a team sport
01:25:55 How Jimmy does research before writing
01:28:45 Analysis paralysis, research paralysis
01:31:30 What Jimmy learned from Walter Isaacson
01:36:00 Making your books extremely readable
01:38:00 What Jimmy learned from Robert Caro
01:40:00 Why productive discomfort is important for Jimmy
01:42:00 Jimmy's letter to his daughter

SPEAKER LINKS:
Site: https://www.JimmySoni.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmyasoni
Books: The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley

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.