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Chuck Palahniuk — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing | The Tim Ferriss Show

Chuck Palahniuk, Author of Fight Club — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing | Brought to you by ShipStation (http://shipstation.com), ButcherBox (http://butcherbox.com/tim), and Thrive Market (http://thrivemarket.com/tim). Writer Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) has published twenty-three national and international best-selling books. These include fifteen prose novels, a collection of short stories, two graphic novels, two coloring books, a travel guide, a collection of essays, and a memoir about his life as a writer. He was raised in a desert town with a population of three hundred at the time of his birth in 1962. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. Palahniuk is best known for his novels Fight Club and Choke, both of which were made into films. Publication of his short story Guts in the Sunday Guardian prompted a sharp drop in circulation. He frequently contributed fiction to Playboy, where his stories Romance, Cannibal, and Zombie had to be personally approved by Hugh Hefner. His new book, The Invention of Sound, is coming out on September 8th. Please enjoy! The fallout from Chuck’s short story Guts [05:24] Short stories vs. novels [10:39] Tom Spanbauer and Gordon Lish tighten up Chuck's writing [12:28] Writing with constraints [15:43] What is dangerous writing? [17:31] Chuck has said, “resolution is death,” so how does he end a story in a way that satisfies? [21:38] In praise and defense of the short story [23:48] How to engage an audience [27:06] The day Chuck understood minimalism [30:17] The secret leverage of making intentional mistakes [31:24] The importance of mythology [37:31] The consequences of disappointing his guardian angel [43:31] Joseph Campbell’s secondary father concept and what it means for society [44:58] How Chuck knows if he’s got a story worth telling [47:17] Why 31 is not too old to write a genre- or generation-defining novel [49:22] Can a narrative dictate social change? [51:16] Thoughts on fathers and daughters, Jeffrey Epstein, The Wizard of Oz, and Nazis [55:11] Has Chuck ever used narrative in hopes of generating social change? [57:06] What’s behind Chuck’s fascination with cults social models? [58:50] The story behind his acceptance of “kiss-off” money for Fight Club 1:05:23] Was it immediately apparent that Fight Club would become a cultural mainstay? [1:07:30] What may go to the grave with Chuck about Fight Club [1:08:40] Does Chuck fear the abyss? [1:11:48] What can we expect from Chuck’s latest literary offering: The Invention of Sound? [1:13:04] Parting thoughts on novels as diaries, and how Chuck spent his childhood looting [1:16:25] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 500 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

Tim FerrisshostChuck Palahniukguest

Sep 6, 20201h 25mWatch on YouTube ↗

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EPISODE INFO

Released: September 6, 2020
Duration: 1h 25m
Channel: Tim Ferriss
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Chuck Palahniuk, Author of Fight Club — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing | Brought to you by ShipStation (http://shipstation.com), ButcherBox (http://butcherbox.com/tim), and Thrive Market (http://thrivemarket.com/tim). Writer Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) has published twenty-three national and international best-selling books. These include fifteen prose novels, a collection of short stories, two graphic novels, two coloring books, a travel guide, a collection of essays, and a memoir about his life as a writer. He was raised in a desert town with a population of three hundred at the time of his birth in 1962. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. Palahniuk is best known for his novels Fight Club and Choke, both of which were made into films. Publication of his short story Guts in the Sunday Guardian prompted a sharp drop in circulation. He frequently contributed fiction to Playboy, where his stories Romance, Cannibal, and Zombie had to be personally approved by Hugh Hefner. His new book, The Invention of Sound, is coming out on September 8th. Please enjoy! The fallout from Chuck’s short story Guts [05:24] Short stories vs. novels [10:39] Tom Spanbauer and Gordon Lish tighten up Chuck's writing [12:28] Writing with constraints [15:43] What is dangerous writing? [17:31] Chuck has said, “resolution is death,” so how does he end a story in a way that satisfies? [21:38] In praise and defense of the short story [23:48] How to engage an audience [27:06] The day Chuck understood minimalism [30:17] The secret leverage of making intentional mistakes [31:24] The importance of mythology [37:31] The consequences of disappointing his guardian angel [43:31] Joseph Campbell’s secondary father concept and what it means for society [44:58] How Chuck knows if he’s got a story worth telling [47:17] Why 31 is not too old to write a genre- or generation-defining novel [49:22] Can a narrative dictate social change? [51:16] Thoughts on fathers and daughters, Jeffrey Epstein, The Wizard of Oz, and Nazis [55:11] Has Chuck ever used narrative in hopes of generating social change? [57:06] What’s behind Chuck’s fascination with cults social models? [58:50] The story behind his acceptance of “kiss-off” money for Fight Club 1:05:23] Was it immediately apparent that Fight Club would become a cultural mainstay? [1:07:30] What may go to the grave with Chuck about Fight Club [1:08:40] Does Chuck fear the abyss? [1:11:48] What can we expect from Chuck’s latest literary offering: The Invention of Sound? [1:13:04] Parting thoughts on novels as diaries, and how Chuck spent his childhood looting [1:16:25] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 500 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

SPEAKERS

Tim Ferriss
host
Entrepreneur, author, and host of The Tim Ferriss Show.
Chuck Palahniuk
guest
Novelist and author of Fight Club, known for transgressive fiction and writing craft insights.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Tim Ferriss, featuring Tim Ferriss and Chuck Palahniuk, Chuck Palahniuk — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing | The Tim Ferriss Show explores chuck Palahniuk on Dangerous Writing, Minimalism, Myth, and Social Change Palahniuk recounts how his story Guts made audience members faint and cost The Guardian subscribers, explaining it as a deliberate setup of laughter followed by heartbreak.

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