Episode 533: Susan Orlean on Her 'Best' Rejection, Coming Up with Ideas, and Letting the Reporting Meander

"You don't have to go to the far ends of the earth, but I'm willing to do that for you, and tell you what I found," says Susan Orlean, bestselling author of several books, including her latest, Joyride: A Memoir.Look who’s back! It’s Susan Orlean, author of the memoir Joyride about her roller coaster career as a writer and journalist spanning decades from her time at Willamette Weekly here in Oregon to the summit of The New Yorker, from her first book Saturday Night to reaching bestseller heights with The Orchid Thief, Rin Tin Tin, and The Library Book. It’s a book that braids her life story along with hard-earned writing wisdom.We talk about: Using notebook and pen over the recorder The quality of her attention Resilience What is it that clicks with her for a story Working through three regime of trust at The New Yorker The more you learn of the world the better Curiosity as a form of compassion Idea generation Her ‘best’ rejection Why books loom larger for her There is no end to a story The breeding ground of jealousy Letting the reporting meander And Patreon questions!This episode pairs well with:Eps. 61, 121, and 281 with SusanEp. 500 with John McPheeEp. 514 with Tony RehagenFollow the show on Instagram @creativenonfictionpodcast and subscribe to my newsletters Pitch Club and Rage Against the Algorithm.