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Jonathan Vatner

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Jonathan Vatner

Goodreads Author


Born
in Boston, MA, The United States
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Member Since
July 2017

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JONATHAN VATNER is the author of THE BRIDESMAIDS UNION, launching June 14, 2022, from St. Martin's Press. His first book, CARNEGIE HILL (Thomas Dunne Books, 2019) earned praise from People, Town & Country, The New York Post, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. He teaches creative writing at New York University and the Hudson Valley Writers Center. ...more

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Jonathan Vatner A good writer needs both a powerful inner creator and an razor-sharp inner critic. When writing the first draft, the creator needs to be fully present…moreA good writer needs both a powerful inner creator and an razor-sharp inner critic. When writing the first draft, the creator needs to be fully present, and the critic should be kept at bay. When revising, those roles should be reversed. I think writer's block is the result of an oppressive inner critic, who has grown so strong that the inner creator cannot squeeze out a single sentence without being censored.
So how to fix this? One way is just to write aimlessly -- a diary, or a silly story that doesn't matter, or morning pages (a la The Artist's Way). That revs up the creative engine and is often enough to quiet the critic. Another is to examine the critical voice and figure out what lies it's telling you, in the hope of dismantling them.
I've noticed that if I haven't written for a few days, the first day back is torture. I give myself permission for the writing not to be good, but I force myself to put in an hour or two. The next day, my writing always flows.
(less)
Jonathan Vatner I would guess that every writer has the same answer: It's the high you get when the writing seems to create itself, when the characters surprise you a…moreI would guess that every writer has the same answer: It's the high you get when the writing seems to create itself, when the characters surprise you as you're writing them, when you write a sentence that's better than you, and when the world around you has dissolved, leaving nothing but the world you're creating, line by line.
The magic of it is, every writer can reach this high. And the more I write, the better it gets.(less)
Average rating: 3.25 · 1,441 ratings · 381 reviews · 6 distinct worksSimilar authors
Carnegie Hill

3.24 avg rating — 1,120 ratings — published 2019 — 6 editions
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The Bridesmaids Union

3.22 avg rating — 306 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions
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Best Gay Stories 2012

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4.45 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions
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The Bridesmaids Union: A Novel

3.50 avg rating — 4 ratings
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Carnegie Hill

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
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Moore's inventive work of autofiction is a real trip -- back to the early days of the pandemic and wayyy back to 1930s Paris. It refuses to conform to the shape of a typical novel, refuses to settle into a pattern, and in doing so, becomes a queer di ...more
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I blazed through this brilliant novel about art and climate change and looking back at the path you didn't take. Shocking, sexy, and gorgeously written. Reminded me a bit of Michael Cunningham's wonderful By Nightfall. I recommend to all! ...more
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The Hundred Waters by Lauren Acampora
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I blazed through this brilliant novel about art and climate change and looking back at the path you didn't take. Shocking, sexy, and gorgeously written. Reminded me a bit of Michael Cunningham's wonderful By Nightfall. I recommend to all! ...more
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The Town of Babylon by Alejandro  Varela
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If Tolstoy had been POC and lived in the suburbs of Long Island, he might have written The Town of Babylon. On one level, it's the story of Andres, who goes to his high school reunion and reconnects with friends and enemies after years of being away, ...more
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I gobbled this book up! It's deranged in the best way--it opens with the anti-hero Jignesh accidentally killing his co-worker by sitting on her face, and it gets wilder from there. The tension does not let up from beginning to end. The characters are ...more
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“I think he has a dee sensitivity that others don’t understand, and they hate it. They hate his sensitivity so much they would rather destroy him than understand it.”
Jonathan Vatner, Carnegie Hill

“I think he has a deep sensitivity that others don’t understand, and they hate it. They hate his sensitivity so much they would rather destroy him than understand it.”
Jonathan Vatner, Carnegie Hill

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