Conan Interviews Author Erik Larson

Conan O'Brien is more known for his nightly talk shows and comedy routines. But he has has an interest in serious writing, especially in the years between the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era (1880 to 1920).   Conan periodically films interviews with non-fiction authors that he loves in a series he calls "Serious Jibber Jabber."  In this video, he interviews one of my favorite authors Erik Larson, who wrote The Devil in the White City, Dead Wake, In the Garden of Beasts, Isaac's Storm, and Thunderstruck--all excellent examples of how to create tension and drama in works of history.  

For those of you interested in Larson's writing methods, you can skip to minute 40 of the recording.  Larson researches a topic in depth for about 2 years.   Eventually he reaches a point at which his research is not complete but he feels he has to start writing the book.  The book, like a baby, is ready to come out now.  He typically writes one page a day--just one--and leaves a sentence or paragraph uncompleted--a tip he obtained from Grahaem Greene.  Conan points out the Ernest Hemingway in A Moveable Feast also suggested this approach to authors. 

I am off to check out more serious jibber-jabber with Conan.