I interviewed Alain de Botton, a philosopher and writer who has turned personal pain into universal wisdom. He's written dozens of books and built The School of Life into a YouTube channel with nearly 10 million subscribers, but the thing that makes him unique is that he approaches writing as a form of emotional archaeology. We talked about why good writing requires suffering, why loneliness is essential to the creative process, and how writing is actually a form of revenge. He also shared his approach to writer's block and why he believes the pressure is on us creatives to deepen our self-exploration. If you want to understand how to write with emotional honesty and create work that genuinely connects with people, this conversation will show you a completely different way to think about the craft. Enjoy!

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices