Beth

Beth asked Erik Larson:

Your books include extensive notes and references to sources used. How does your research process impact your approach to storytelling?

Erik Larson In writing narrative nonfiction, research is crucial. Because you can't fake it. You need a lot of really fine-grained archival material, and if you don't have it, you can't tell the story. Part of what persuaded me to write Dead Wake, about the Lusitania, was that the archival base was richer and deeper than for any other book I've written. It gave me the material to infuse the book with maximum suspense. Real-life suspense.

More Answered Questions

Sandy Priester

Sandy Priester asked Erik Larson:

Is there anything in the works as far as making a Devil in the White City movie?

Brendan O'Meara

Brendan O'Meara asked Erik Larson:

How do you excavate story ideas and at what point do you realize there's enough/not enough narrative drive to pursue/abandon fill-in-the-blank project?

Rachel Pollock

Rachel Pollock asked Erik Larson:

I'm a huge fan of your books & always enjoy not only your writing & the depth of research evident on the page, but the way you use structure itself (for example, the wild ride of bouncing back & forth between stories in THUNDERSTRUCK just waiting for them to converge in a sort of apex, like a wireless tower.) How do you approach structuring your books on a macro level?

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