Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This episode is presented by Mercury, the banking platform that makes this show possible. I can’t imagine trying to run my business without them. Learn more at mercury.com
Ocean Vuong is a poet, a novelist, and a professor at NYU. He's just really good at writing in this fresh, enchanted, and imaginative way. He has this way of seeing and experiencing the world that's alive and filled with wonder. If you want to write prose that's lush, words that are vivid, and stories that pulse with life, then you're going to love this episode.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:40 Writing metaphors
00:04:52 The problem with writing workshops
00:13:02 How AI homogenized the sentence
00:23:32 Why did writing get so rigid
00:28:04 Rescue the cliche
00:32:06 Seeing vs recognizing
00:34:37 80% of writing isn’t writing
00:41:31 What makes sentences memorable
00:50:31 Poetry as a testing ground for writers
01:02:30 Synchronic vs diachronic reading
01:09:03 Daringness and disobedience
01:14:27 The limits of language
*About the host*
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
*Follow me*
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
This episode is presented by Mercury, the banking platform that makes this show possible. I can’t imagine trying to run my business without them. Learn more at mercury.com
Ocean Vuong is a poet, a novelist, and a professor at NYU. He's just really good at writing in this fresh, enchanted, and imaginative way. He has this way of seeing and experiencing the world that's alive and filled with wonder. If you want to write prose that's lush, words that are vivid, and stories that pulse with life, then you're going to love this episode.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:40 Writing metaphors
00:04:52 The problem with writing workshops
00:13:02 How AI homogenized the sentence
00:23:32 Why did writing get so rigid
00:28:04 Rescue the cliche
00:32:06 Seeing vs recognizing
00:34:37 80% of writing isn’t writing
00:41:31 What makes sentences memorable
00:50:31 Poetry as a testing ground for writers
01:02:30 Synchronic vs diachronic reading
01:09:03 Daringness and disobedience
01:14:27 The limits of language
*About the host*
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
*Follow me*
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
