Jan 30 2008
Did you see that interesting interview with John Grisham on ‘Today’?
Through the marvel of working at home and with a little help from our DVR, I get to see some interesting interviews with writers. Yesterday’s “Today Show” interview with John Grisham was one of those. Click on the link and enjoy it for yourself. (Yeah, I know it’s one of those online videos which forces you to watch a commercial first, but it’s worth the wait.)
I especially enjoyed two things from the interview. First, when Grisham talks about his newest book, “The Appeal,” he speaks out strongly on judicial corruption and the evils of big-money swaying our legal system. He makes it very clear that the book is not based on speculation; it is based on events that have already happened.
This hit home with me because I have a lawyer friend who has spent several years battling and exposing some corrupt judges within the federal judiciary, and it has been an uphill fight all the way. So I was able to appreciate Grisham’s crusade for a better judicial system.
Secondly, I loved hearing that Grisham does his novels from a very detailed outline. It was interesting to hear one of the mega-writers speak of that approach. In recent years, Stephen King, Dean Koontz and others have admitted that they use only sketchy outlines if any at all. Personally, I lack the patience or discipline to outline in detail. Perhaps I need to work harder at that?
Oh, and as a parting response to viewer email, Grisham gives his minimum standard for “aspiring writers”: If you don’t write at least a page every day, don’t expect to succeed as a published writer. I think he’s got something there.
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