Episode · How I Write · 2026-04-01
Books mentioned on Wright Thompson: Learn Storytelling in 63 Minutes | How I Write
Wright Thompson is one of the best nonfiction storytellers in the world right now. He showed up to my place, and I immediately liked his vibe.
Wright Thompson recommended Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner, and discussed The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and The End of the Myth by Greg Grandin.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Absalom, Absalom!
Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner is a monumental American novel exploring family trauma, ambition, race, and the heavy burdens of the past in the deep South.
Recommended“I think one of the tricks of like if you're trying to learn how to be a writer is to figure out the things that you're interested in. And so one of the for me like like I'm like I mean, for me the the greatest piece of American art ever made is Absalom, Absalom, and it is a deep,”
Where to get it
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The Body Keeps the Score
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is a landmark scientific exploration of how psychological trauma physically alters the brain and body, storing deep emotional pain within human physiology.
Discussed“And you know, the the idea that you know, there's that book The Body Remembers the Score. The ground remembers the score, too.”
Where to get it
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The End of the Myth
The End of the Myth by Greg Grandin is a historical exploration of the American frontier, examining how the concept of manifest destiny and westward expansion has shaped the national soul, identity, and foreign policy.
Discussed“And you know, we manifest destiny is such an important idea to the American identity and you know, I love Greg Grandin's book The End of the Myth that like when we lose the desire and the ability to explore and to move, we've lost something essential about our national soul.”
Where to get it
