Complexity and Authenticity in Writing with Judith Turner-Yamamoto

Judith Turner-Yamamoto, an award-winning author hailing from a mill town in rural North Carolina, began her writing journey as an art historian, learning to appraise and describe what moved her. Her debut novel LOVING THE DEAD AND GONE, a Mariel Hemingway Book Club pick, is the 2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medalist in Southern Regional Fiction and was shortlisted for the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize and awarded an honorable mention in General Fiction. Her writing assignments have taken her all over the world and include interviews with luminaries such as Frank Gehry, Annie Leibovitz, Marcel Wanders, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Judith talks with me about the importance of deciding who to listen to, how nothing is ever wasted, how revisiting your work over a period of decades brings new perspective to it, and more—we may even have figured out why some people are predisposed to be plotters and some fly by the seat of their pants. There’s a lot of wisdom here for writers in particular, but it certainly applies in other fields as well.    Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 04:10 Library books became salvation in my youth. 09:07 Analyzing art criticism and photography exhibition experiences. 10:48 Curated exhibitions, managed processes, positioned for director. 14:08 Psychic's advice led to successful PR career. 20:09 Structured writing involves quoting experts, evoking places. 23:03 Discovery: Plotters focus on plot, pantsers on journey. 25:35 Friend writes crime mystery, minimal world-building, character depth. 30:12 Patience in revising manuscript based on feedback. 33:12 New York Times: essential for writing inspiration. 35:23 Grieving and death shape personal and literary journey. 38:38 Reading challenge due to overthinking and editing. 43:10 Being selective and positive to avoid negativity. 44:49 Editor resists removing crucial elements from book. 47:50 Endure publishing industry rejection, stay true. Successful. 50:34 Praise for a book with unresolved plot. 55:14 Striving for perfection in book pitching process.   Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend. Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.