Today’s guest is Charles Bock, author of the new memoir I Will Do Better, as well as the novels Alice & Oliver and Beautiful Children (which as a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book, and which won the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters). His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, and in numerous anthologies.

Our discussion covered Charles’s experience, thus far, with his memoir (which, it should be stated, has garnered uniformly positive and enthusiastic reviews), but we also found time to discuss the state of “the industry” (as those of us who live in and struggle to define it say), and how a combination of info-overload, technological toys, and changing priorities make 2024 a particularly challenging time for creatives. We go deep into the tenuous academic model, which used to provide established writers stable pathways toward employment; for a variety of reasons (many of them due to our ever dysfunctional late-capitalist model), these opportunities have shrunk considerably, and even for those who have found success inside and outside the classroom, there’s a discernible air of uncertainty. We also come around, as all serious writers should and must, to the purpose of the work itself, and the need to eliminate distraction, and the pursuit of evanescent praise (see: social media). Charles, in short, has a refreshing old school sensibility, but he’s a vital contemporary artist who we all can learn from and be inspired by.

ABOUT GUEST CHARLES BOCK

Learn more about Charles at charlesbock.net

ABOUT SOME THINGS CONSIDERED

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression. Tune in and subscribe at seanmurphy.live

ABOUT HOST SEAN MURPHY

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