Twisted Fates Await His Characters

John Irving came by Big Think to discuss his latest book, “Last Night in Twisted River,” and the craft of fiction writing.  He explained that for each of his 12 novels, he began by writing the last sentence first and then reverse-engineered the plot, developing it in his head and on Post-It notes plastered to the wall of his study.  He always writes the first draft longhand, he said, and then revises obsessively.

He also spoke about the bears and accidents that populate much of his fiction. Our interview with Irving will be posted in a few days.