Episode description

Nothing intimidates a writer more than a blank page. Yet, the tranquillity in the white space is what stimulates thinking. As a communicator and storyteller, isn't creativity all about contemplating filling up those white spaces with words?

Margaret Atwood is an award-winning author whose work has been published in more than forty-five countries in multiple forms of creative expression, including graphic novels, TV series and films. Her latest novel, The Testaments, sequel to her award-winning bestseller The Handmaid's Tale, won the 2019 Booker Prize. She is the recipient of numerous other awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kadka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Los Angeles Times Innovator's Award.

In this discussion, Margaret answers questions about how to unleash the potential of the blank page, turn the idea of a character or a theme into a novel, and retell your story through a different creative medium. Margaret also explores storytelling in exquisite detail, drawing from her love for history to explain its origination and historical significance.

A novel is not a box you get to store things into; it's an art you sculpt. You decide what to make out of it. And as Margaret explains, it doesn't always turn right. It could take several misspellings and failures before landing the perfect draft.

Enjoy!

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