Interview with the Author
I would answer that in two ways. First,
as a speechwriter, I have been heavily influenced by a wide range of
rhetoricians spanning centuries. Folks like Cicero, Isocrates, and
Lincoln all the way to Ted Sorensen, Peggy Noonan, Dr. Martin Luther
King, Winston Churchill, Tony Dolan, and Michael Gerson. Quite a range!
Now, in terms of polemical prose or straight nonfiction, I’d have to go
with Gertrude Himmelfarb, Allan Bloom, Shelby Steele, Richard Weaver,
John Keegan, David Herbert Donald, Myron Magnet, William F. Buckley,
Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom, Robert Caro, and David Brooks. Oh, and
I can't forget one of my favorites, John McWhorter. Given my passion
for rhetoric, McWhorter's background in linguistics makes him a fellow
intellectual traveler of sorts.
I see them as two different tool boxes.
The academic toolbox is filled with specialized terminology,
theoretical jargon, and a panoply of polysyllabic words that have
limited resonance outside disciplinary circles. There is also the issue
of curtailing one’s own judgment or biases.
The “popular” writing toolbox is both more constricting and liberating.
By that I mean you can—and often should—use contractions, incomplete
It strikes me as a bit elitist in tone.
Some writers think if an author becomes a mainstream, commercial
success that they are a “sell out.” This view holds that a book’s
intellectual value is somehow inversely related to the number of books
an author sells.
I find that somewhat offensive. The way I see it, if readers spend $25
of their hard earned money on your book, you should be grateful. Heck,
that’s a dinner at Chili’s or a night out at the movies. That reader
has, in effect, said he or she would rather spend time reading your
work than engage in the hundred other things that fill our busy, modern
lives. To me, there could be no greater compliment.
Absolutely! I’m a political “nerd” of the worst kind.
I have always been interested in politics, even as a child. I was
probably the only 10 year old boy in America whose favorite channel was
C-SPAN. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not.
One time Marlin Fitzwater and I were chatting about the origins of our
political interests. I told him that as a child I used to play a game
where I would put C-SPAN coverage of House floor debates on in one room
and then go in the room next to it. As Representatives shuffled to and
from the microphone, I would try and guess their name, party
affiliation, and home state solely by the sound of their voice. What
was REALLY scary was that I got pretty good at it.
To me, it’s the difference between writing for the ear versus the eye.
Speechwriters don’t have the same luxuries as prose writers. When a
person delivers a speech, his or her words become butterflies—they
flutter around an audience’s ears and then float away. If listeners
didn't catch it the first time, they don't get a second chance. As a
result, when writing a speech, I always strive for concision, or, as
the ancients called it, brevitas.
I am an inveterate researcher, so that’s
usually my starting place. My academic training in archival and primary
source research methodologies turned me into an informational
scavenger. Plus, I love to talk to people. Voice, rhythm,
cadence--these interest me greatly. As a result, I often begin by
combing archives or private collections before conducting a series of
interviews.
Then it’s on to the outlining and writing phase. Here, I like to pull
back and get an “aerial view” of what I have to work with and the major
themes I wish to integrate. My outlines are more like matrixes; I weave
thematic undercurrents with the actual content I intend to cover. The
result: my outlines often look more like diagrams than anything else.
In the immortal words of Winston
Churchill, “Never, never, never, quit.” Landing a big time NY literary
agent and publisher isn’t easy.
You've got to remember: this is a business. Major NY publishing houses
receive a tidal wave of book proposals, query letters, and manuscripts
every day. Everyone wants to be a writer, and there are literally tens
of thousands of gifted writers out there. Talent gets you to the
starting line, not the finish line.
My advice is to read everything in your genre, study the "Writer’s
Market," and constantly hone your craft. Experiment, for example, with
different writing styles, syntactical constructions, and words. Find
your own voice.
Finally, stay humble and hungry. Ask questions. When a person goes out
of his or her way to offer assistance, write them a thank you note.
It's a simple gesture, but you'd be surprised in our internet age how
few people are willing to take the time. Not only is it the polite
thing to do, it's one more chance to get your name on someone's desk
and mind.
I've been blessed with a great literary agent. He knows the New York
publishing world, because he's been at it for over 15 years. He knows
my genre [nonfiction]; it's all he represents. More than that, he's
there for me when I need him and believes in my writing. So I'd say
make sure you put your career in the hands of someone you trust.
Lastly, be sure to meet your editor's deadlines! She'll love you for
making her job that much easier. In fact, on "The Greatest
Communicator," that was one thing our stellar editor, Hana Lane, said
she appreciated most--rendering quality copy at or before deadlines.
At the end of the day, though, a lot of it boils down to the same
things it always does: hard work, good old fashioned self discipline,
and giving up sleep so you can meet your goals.
My next book will be written with former
Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. My literary agent sold the book
to Forge, an imprint of St. Martin's Press. The tentative title is,
"Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror."
Secretary Weinberger and I decided we wanted to pay tribute to the 2.4
million men and women serving in the U.S. military. Currently, there
are 160,000 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. These folks are
accomplishing acts of unbelievable heroism. But sadly, these
individuals have received only scant attention by media. Secretary
Weinberger and I felt that was wrong. So the book will tell the stories
of 19 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines and their valorous actions
in Afghanistan or Iraq.
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