“I thought that if things were hard it somehow meant that you shouldn’t be doing them. I think that was a youthful notion.” --Cynthia Sweeney

Cynthia Sweeney (@CynthiaDSweeney) is an American author, whose debut novel, The Nest, was a New York Times bestseller.

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf speaks with Cynthia about therapy and hugging (2:00); career changes, writing her first novel, and the benefits of obtaining an MFA (6:30); writing tactics (21:15); starting a career in writing later in life (27:00); signing a seven-figure advance for her debut novel, and navigating the resulting expectations (34:00); writing in different genres, and the process of adapting a novel into a screenplay (46:40); the idea of talent, and its relationship to hard work within the creative process (57:00).

For more information on Cynthia Sweeney, you can visit her website, https://www.cynthia-sweeney.com/.

Topics discussed:

Esther Perel podcast
UCLA Extension (writing program)
MFA in Writing at Bennington (graduate program)
Scriptnotes podcast advice for MFA degrees
Poets & Writers (magazine)
UCB Theater (improv program)
John Irving's The World According to Garp (novel)
Six by Sondheim (documentary)
Memento Mori (theory of mortality)
"Tell me why I shouldn't hate you" interview with Cynthia

People mentioned:

Bret Antony Johnston (author)
Peter Ames Carlin (author)
Amy Poehler (actress and comedian)
Conan O’Brien (TV host and comedian)
Jill Soloway (writer/director)
Henry Dunow (book agent)
George R.R. Martin (author)
Dennis Lehane (author)
Stephen Sondheim (Broadway composer)
Gillian Flynn (author who adapted her own novel for the screen)

This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel's 2017 album Lumber.

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