It’s Boring, But It’s How You Write a Bestseller

Summary

Alyssa Matesic argues that writing bestselling books is less glamorous than it may seem. Drawing on interviews with five successful novelists, she shares five lessons for aspiring writers.

1. Writing isn’t always fun — Harlan Coben

• Writing often feels like work rather than inspiration or magic.
• Moments when the words flow and time disappears can be exhilarating, but they are not the norm.
• Writers don’t need to enjoy every session. Persistence and finishing the work matter more than waiting for the muse.

2. Many writers have regular jobs — Andy Weir

• Weir worked as a software engineer while pursuing writing and returned to that work after an early novel failed to find a publisher.
• A writing career doesn’t have to mean writing full-time or relying on book income alone. Other work and interests can provide financial stability and fresh ideas.
• Early rejection doesn’t predict eventual success: Weir’s first book went nowhere, but he kept writing and later became known for The Martian.

3. Revision is difficult for everyone — Matt Haig

• A draft can feel finished after repeated rereading, yet still need major changes.
• Haig described removing about 40,000 words from an early version of a novel, then adding about 55,000 words between drafts.
• Writers need outside perspectives because they may be too close to their stories to see what readers will experience.
• Be willing to cut scenes or characters you love (“kill your darlings”) and try to assess feedback objectively. Extensive revision isn’t proof of failure; it can be how a story improves.

4. Never stop learning — R. F. Kuang

• Writing can be treated as a craft: passages can be examined to understand how they work and what choices make them effective.
• Writers can develop by reading widely, analyzing fiction, and applying what they learn to their own work.
• Classes and writing advice can help, but sustained reading is essential. Reading and writing are complementary practices.

5. Writing never gets easier — David Baldacci

• Experience can make writing feel harder as a writer’s standards and understanding of what is possible continue to rise.
• Writers may notice weaknesses in new work—and in earlier books—that they couldn’t see before.
• Greater difficulty can be a sign of growth, not decline. Writing is an ongoing apprenticeship, with room to improve at every stage.

Overall Takeaway

The authors describe writing as persistent, often unglamorous work: showing up without inspiration, revising substantially, accepting feedback, and continuing to learn. The central encouragement is that aspiring writers don’t need to wait for writing to feel easy or magical; commitment to the process is what carries a project forward.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Alyssa Matesic — Narrator and commentator; a book editor who frames the lessons.
• Harlan Coben — Novelist discussing the workaday reality of writing.
• Andy Weir — Novelist discussing his engineering career and early rejection.
• Matt Haig — Novelist discussing extensive revision.
• R. F. Kuang — Novelist and writing teacher discussing craft and continued learning.
• David Baldacci — Novelist discussing rising standards and ongoing improvement.
• David Perell — Identified by Matesic as the interviewer whose conversations with the authors she watched.
• Oscar Madison / The Odd Couple and Philip Roth — Referenced in connection with a quote about preferring what has been written to the act of writing.