Matt Bell, author of Refuse to be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts

Matt Bell is the author most recently of the novel Appleseed (a New York Times Notable Book) and the craft book Refuse to Be Done, a guide to novel writing, rewriting, and revision.

He is also the author of the novels Scrapper and In the House upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods, as well as the short story collection A Tree or a Person or a Walla non-fiction book about the classic video game Baldur's Gate IIand several other titles. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Tin House, Fairy Tale Review, American Short Fiction, Orion, and many other publications. A native of Michigan, he teaches creative writing at Arizona State University.

Matt joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about—what else—revision, and his new book, Refuse to be Done.

For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. To listen to past interviews, visit our website.

(Recorded on January 12, 2023) 

Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
Co-Host: Marrie Stone
Music and sound design: Travis Barrett

Previous
Previous

Jessamine Chan, author of “The School for Good Mothers”

Next
Next

V.V. Ganeshananthan, author of “Brotherless Night”