James Patterson

Yeah. If you can write beginnings and ends, you'll sell well. If you actually write middles, too, you'll get to a Pulitzer, maybe. Yeah. This was on Chris Wallace's show. Okay. That was something, too. because he wanted it, and I get it. He thought that a hook of the show would be that you go for whatever the time was, 45 minutes, or there's no editing, no blah, blah, blah.

Yeah. If you can write beginnings and ends, you'll sell well. If you actually write middles, too, you'll get to a Pulitzer, maybe. Yeah. This was on Chris Wallace's show. Okay. That was something, too. because he wanted it, and I get it. He thought that a hook of the show would be that you go for whatever the time was, 45 minutes, or there's no editing, no blah, blah, blah.

Yeah. If you can write beginnings and ends, you'll sell well. If you actually write middles, too, you'll get to a Pulitzer, maybe. Yeah. This was on Chris Wallace's show. Okay. That was something, too. because he wanted it, and I get it. He thought that a hook of the show would be that you go for whatever the time was, 45 minutes, or there's no editing, no blah, blah, blah.

And I just wouldn't play it. I wasn't trying to be unpleasant, but I just wouldn't let him do that. I wouldn't let him cut me off and stuff like that. So it was going to go over, and I knew there were going to be things, because I was cursing occasionally, that he'd want to cut. And he turned to my wife, Sue, who was in the studio. He said, is he always like this? And she said, yes, unfortunately.

And I just wouldn't play it. I wasn't trying to be unpleasant, but I just wouldn't let him do that. I wouldn't let him cut me off and stuff like that. So it was going to go over, and I knew there were going to be things, because I was cursing occasionally, that he'd want to cut. And he turned to my wife, Sue, who was in the studio. He said, is he always like this? And she said, yes, unfortunately.

And I just wouldn't play it. I wasn't trying to be unpleasant, but I just wouldn't let him do that. I wouldn't let him cut me off and stuff like that. So it was going to go over, and I knew there were going to be things, because I was cursing occasionally, that he'd want to cut. And he turned to my wife, Sue, who was in the studio. He said, is he always like this? And she said, yes, unfortunately.

Listen, I mean, that's one of the issues with network television with fiction shows, where the scene has got to work so that it's time for a commercial break versus when you're writing for Netflix or Amazon or whatever, and you don't have to write to commercial breaks. That's really good.

Listen, I mean, that's one of the issues with network television with fiction shows, where the scene has got to work so that it's time for a commercial break versus when you're writing for Netflix or Amazon or whatever, and you don't have to write to commercial breaks. That's really good.

Listen, I mean, that's one of the issues with network television with fiction shows, where the scene has got to work so that it's time for a commercial break versus when you're writing for Netflix or Amazon or whatever, and you don't have to write to commercial breaks. That's really good.

Pretty much. I probably could show off a little bit, but I don't want to do that. And a lot of writers really, I think they want to show off or they want to talk to their friends more than tell an honest story or try to tell stories as well as you can. I'm on Substack now and I do interviews and they're short. They're 20, 30 minutes. And it's been cool. I did President Clinton.

Pretty much. I probably could show off a little bit, but I don't want to do that. And a lot of writers really, I think they want to show off or they want to talk to their friends more than tell an honest story or try to tell stories as well as you can. I'm on Substack now and I do interviews and they're short. They're 20, 30 minutes. And it's been cool. I did President Clinton.

Pretty much. I probably could show off a little bit, but I don't want to do that. And a lot of writers really, I think they want to show off or they want to talk to their friends more than tell an honest story or try to tell stories as well as you can. I'm on Substack now and I do interviews and they're short. They're 20, 30 minutes. And it's been cool. I did President Clinton.

I did Baldacci and Ellen Hildebrand. And it's been fun. I enjoy it. I just did Dolly Parton, which was really great. That was fun.

I did Baldacci and Ellen Hildebrand. And it's been fun. I enjoy it. I just did Dolly Parton, which was really great. That was fun.

I did Baldacci and Ellen Hildebrand. And it's been fun. I enjoy it. I just did Dolly Parton, which was really great. That was fun.

And it's true with President Clinton and Dolly, and now I'm working with Viola Davis, and they've all become friends.

And it's true with President Clinton and Dolly, and now I'm working with Viola Davis, and they've all become friends.

And it's true with President Clinton and Dolly, and now I'm working with Viola Davis, and they've all become friends.

Well, it's, you know, when I interviewed David Baldacci, he doesn't use outlines at all, which is interesting. He just wings it. And some writers do. I'm big on outlines. Interestingly, the first Alice Cross, I really wanted to do it differently than what I'd done before then. And the outline was something like 350 pages. That's like the whole book. It wasn't, but it was close.

Well, it's, you know, when I interviewed David Baldacci, he doesn't use outlines at all, which is interesting. He just wings it. And some writers do. I'm big on outlines. Interestingly, the first Alice Cross, I really wanted to do it differently than what I'd done before then. And the outline was something like 350 pages. That's like the whole book. It wasn't, but it was close.