Ask the Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Answered Questions (118)
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Savannah,
The inspiration for Evelyn Hugo came from reading Ava Gardner's biography and the inspiration for Daisy Jones came from all of the rock biopics and documentaries that I love so much. Thank you for reading!
The inspiration for Evelyn Hugo came from reading Ava Gardner's biography and the inspiration for Daisy Jones came from all of the rock biopics and documentaries that I love so much. Thank you for reading!
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Zoya,
Thank you so much. I think Daisy Jones and The Six was probably the most surprising. I had wanted to write about singers for a long time but I never really thought that I could. So I suppose I surprised myself by taking it on, rather than the idea itself surprising me. But I'm glad I did! I'm very proud of the book.
xo,
t
Thank you so much. I think Daisy Jones and The Six was probably the most surprising. I had wanted to write about singers for a long time but I never really thought that I could. So I suppose I surprised myself by taking it on, rather than the idea itself surprising me. But I'm glad I did! I'm very proud of the book.
xo,
t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Lindsay! Thank you so much! My new book, Daisy Jones and The Six, comes out March 5th.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi!! I watched a lot of rock documentaries and read a lot of biographies. And then I listened to a lot of 70s rock! It was on in my house on repeat for the better part of a year. Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, etc.
It was not a bad way to do research!
It was not a bad way to do research!
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi! It is only an e-book. xo
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Adrienne,
I spend a few months researching the areas I'm interested in before I start writing. For Evelyn, it was film and Hollywood. For Daisy Jones and the Six, it was rock n' roll in LA in the 70s. I mostly start by thinking of what sort of atmosphere I want to spend the next year of my life in and then going from there. It means that I'm always fascinated by what I'm working on and hopefully that shows on the page.
xo,
t
I spend a few months researching the areas I'm interested in before I start writing. For Evelyn, it was film and Hollywood. For Daisy Jones and the Six, it was rock n' roll in LA in the 70s. I mostly start by thinking of what sort of atmosphere I want to spend the next year of my life in and then going from there. It means that I'm always fascinated by what I'm working on and hopefully that shows on the page.
xo,
t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi! I've gotten this question twice this week! I hadn't thought much about this in year but I'll pass along to you what I told the other person in Champaign who asked and hopefully that will shed some light for you.
I thought a lot about where Harry would be from and I wanted to show that so many of the people that make it big in Los Angeles come from other places.
Harry felt somewhat Mid-Western to me, deep inside. And Illinois felt really right. I chose Champaign because it was a big enough city to not feel rural but also small enough that he might still feel that classic feeling of wanting to go to a big city and find his own way in the world.
I have never been to Champaign -- so I did my research entirely off of a map.
I love Harry very dearly. I hope you found him interesting, too.
xo,
t
I thought a lot about where Harry would be from and I wanted to show that so many of the people that make it big in Los Angeles come from other places.
Harry felt somewhat Mid-Western to me, deep inside. And Illinois felt really right. I chose Champaign because it was a big enough city to not feel rural but also small enough that he might still feel that classic feeling of wanting to go to a big city and find his own way in the world.
I have never been to Champaign -- so I did my research entirely off of a map.
I love Harry very dearly. I hope you found him interesting, too.
xo,
t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Janae,
I started out writing essays about my life and posting them on writer community blogs. I have to say, if it wasn't for the encouragement of other writers, I don't know if I would have had the guts to start writing fiction. Eventually, I wrote a book, started selling personal essays to a couple of women's interest sites, and then eventually got a book deal. But it all started with sharing my work online with strangers.
Those first readers made all the difference for me.
Best of luck to you!
xo,
t
I started out writing essays about my life and posting them on writer community blogs. I have to say, if it wasn't for the encouragement of other writers, I don't know if I would have had the guts to start writing fiction. Eventually, I wrote a book, started selling personal essays to a couple of women's interest sites, and then eventually got a book deal. But it all started with sharing my work online with strangers.
Those first readers made all the difference for me.
Best of luck to you!
xo,
t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Thank you so much! I highly recommend Karma Brown, Amy Reichert, Amy Hatvany, Jill Santopolo, Helen Hoang, Celeste Ng, Ann Patchett, Curtis Sittenfeld, Emily Giffin, and J Courtney Sullivan. But I could go on for days!
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi! We don't have a deal yet for a Spanish translation but fingers crossed! xo, t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi!
Thank you so much! I have always been fascinated by the idea that things are fated to be. I'm not sure that I believe it, myself, and yet I can't completely dismiss it, either. I wanted to play with the idea that small moments in our lives can have huge consequences we never see coming. Do we get to the same place regardless of our actions? Is something guiding us? Can one small step in one direction or another change the entire course of our lives? I wanted to explore all of that in one story.
Thank you so much! I have always been fascinated by the idea that things are fated to be. I'm not sure that I believe it, myself, and yet I can't completely dismiss it, either. I wanted to play with the idea that small moments in our lives can have huge consequences we never see coming. Do we get to the same place regardless of our actions? Is something guiding us? Can one small step in one direction or another change the entire course of our lives? I wanted to explore all of that in one story.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi JJ,
You know, I'm not sure.... I find endings pretty easy. I enjoy writing the end of a book because it means I've gotten to the point in the story that I always envisioned. The middles are really tough for me. But the hardest book for me to write, including the ending, was ONE TRUE LOVES. I had an original vision for the characters that didn't work and it took me a really long time to see the book in a different way. That book still feels like one I am very close to because of how much work and heart went into it.
You know, I'm not sure.... I find endings pretty easy. I enjoy writing the end of a book because it means I've gotten to the point in the story that I always envisioned. The middles are really tough for me. But the hardest book for me to write, including the ending, was ONE TRUE LOVES. I had an original vision for the characters that didn't work and it took me a really long time to see the book in a different way. That book still feels like one I am very close to because of how much work and heart went into it.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Brandi,
Yes, I knew in advance. Evelyn Hugo was the first book that I needed to really sit down and sketch out before I started writing. I knew all of her husbands and all of her secrets before I began. It's not normally that way for me. I usually write with only a beginning and an end in mind. For this book, though, I had to prepare a lot more to make sure everything unfolded properly.
xo,
t
Yes, I knew in advance. Evelyn Hugo was the first book that I needed to really sit down and sketch out before I started writing. I knew all of her husbands and all of her secrets before I began. It's not normally that way for me. I usually write with only a beginning and an end in mind. For this book, though, I had to prepare a lot more to make sure everything unfolded properly.
xo,
t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Ashley,
I tend to work in spurts -- I write a first draft very quickly, maybe two months. I'm fortunate in that I've been able to dedicate weeks of time to my books without having to do anything else. But when I had to write on nights and weekends, it took much longer. My first book was very short and I barely got it done in under a year. (I was frantically writing at midnight on New Year's Eve 2009 to try to finish that book so I could finally say it was done.)
My advice is to create structured time so that you can look ahead and say, "In [x] many months it will be done." If you write/edit a certain number of words per week, how long until you're at your final word count? (i.e. probably somewhere between 85-95k)
That way, you get rid of that feeling that it will never be done. It can take years if that's what you need. Some great writers take over a decade.
Just don't give up if you love it!
xo,
t
I tend to work in spurts -- I write a first draft very quickly, maybe two months. I'm fortunate in that I've been able to dedicate weeks of time to my books without having to do anything else. But when I had to write on nights and weekends, it took much longer. My first book was very short and I barely got it done in under a year. (I was frantically writing at midnight on New Year's Eve 2009 to try to finish that book so I could finally say it was done.)
My advice is to create structured time so that you can look ahead and say, "In [x] many months it will be done." If you write/edit a certain number of words per week, how long until you're at your final word count? (i.e. probably somewhere between 85-95k)
That way, you get rid of that feeling that it will never be done. It can take years if that's what you need. Some great writers take over a decade.
Just don't give up if you love it!
xo,
t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Chelsey,
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed Evelyn Hugo and then went back and read all the rest. News coming soon about new stuff!
xo,
t
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed Evelyn Hugo and then went back and read all the rest. News coming soon about new stuff!
xo,
t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hi Christine!
Thank you so much. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the story. It was such a pleasure to write it and I'm thrilled to hear it resonated with you.
All the best!
Taylor
Thank you so much. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the story. It was such a pleasure to write it and I'm thrilled to hear it resonated with you.
All the best!
Taylor
Taylor Jenkins Reid
I do have a book coming out in 2019, and hopefully, I will be able to share it soon!
Taylor Jenkins Reid
I would love to write that! Maybe someday. I'm certainly not ruling it out!
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Thank you so much! I tried to make sure Elsie and Ben had what felt like an honest connection. I appreciate you reading! xo, t
Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo paperback comes out this year and then I have a new book for 2019 that I will be sharing soon!
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