Hosted By
“No endeavor to write a travel book is ever lost, since it gives you a useful perspective on (and intensified attention to) the reality of the travel experience itself. When embraced mindfully, the real-time experience of a journey is invariably its truest reward.” –Rolf Potts
In this episode of Deviate, Rolf touches on nine lessons from attempting to write a (never finished) van-life vagabonding memoir at age 23, including:
On Pilgrims in a Sliding World (1:00)
Lesson #1: No work is lost (and “failure” has lessons to teach)
On the author as a character (6:30)
Lesson #2: “Show, don’t tell” is still good narrative advice
On depicting other people (14:30)
Lesson #3: Travel books require reporting (not just recollecting)
On recounting dialogues (22:30)
Lesson #4: Be true to what was said (but make sure it serves a broader purpose)
On veering from the truth (32:30)
Lesson #5: The truth tends to work better than whatever you might make up
On depicting places (39:30)
Lesson #6: “Telling details” are better than broad generalizations about a place
On neurotic young-manhood (48:30)
Lesson #7: Balance narrative analysis with narrative vulnerability
The seeds of Vagabonding (1:01:30)
Lesson #8: Over time, we write our way into what we have to say
The journey was the point (1:06:30)
Lesson #9: In the end, taking the journey counts for more than writing it
Books mentioned:
Essays, poems, and short stories mentioned
Places and events mentioned
Other links:
The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.
Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at [email protected].
“There’s nothing that will stop white people from trying to do some black shit. It’s fundamentally baked into every aspect of American popular culture....
“The Sears Christmas Wish Book was, for me, a kind of foundational text — a secular counterpoint to the Bible stories I learned around...
“Do not hold on to any one vision of what your life should look like.” – Rachel Friedman In this episode of Deviate, Rolf...
