Bestselling author Annie Hartnett talks about channeling her real-life anxiety during a period of  family disasters into the darkly humorous novel, 'The Road to Tender Hearts.'  She discusses her style of blending magical realism, improbable events, and tragic episodes into a compelling, character-driven story and reveals that in Tender Hearts, the book’s flawed hero is based on her own father.  Annie shares her technique for creating difficult-to-like characters that still appeal to readers.  Hartnett also reflects on the misery of writing a first draft and the motivational tricks she uses to keep on writing in the face of self-doubts and distractions.  

Chapters

00:00 Annie Hartnett and The Road to Tender Hearts
01:03 Origin Story – Channeling Disaster and Anxiety into 'The Road to Tender Hearts'
05:01 Finding Humor inside Tragic Events
08:22 Crafting Flawed Yet Lovable Characters
13:16 Putting Family Members into Starring Roles
15:43 First Draft Misery and Tips for Writing Through Doubts
21:00 The Evolution of Annie's Writing Journey
25:24 Embracing Magic and Magical Realism

Takeaways

Anxiety as a motive force for creative expression.
Revealing flaws gradually to build empathy for difficult characters.
When the flawed hero is based on your father
Every writer has their unique process and struggles.
Magic in storytelling can serve as a metaphor for deeper emotions.
The first draft is about exploration, not perfection.