Annie Jacobsen’s Persistent Approach to Writing
“If you’re writing, you can’t lose.”
It’s a philosophy that has paid off for 2016 Pulitzer finalist Annie Jacobsen, a New York Times bestselling author and writer on the Amazon Prime series Jack Ryan. A national security reporter by trade, she admits she “became successful late in life,” at least in regard to her writing.
Annie stopped by Writers Blok to discuss that writing journey, making one thing absolutely clear: just keep writing.
At 14 years old, Annie went off to boarding school with a typewriter, ready to be the next Great American Novelist. She wrote. And wrote. And wrote. And when the book deals didn’t materialize, her job became a means of supporting her writing, even as that job became reporting on national security. War, weapons, and secrets became the focus of her work, in the process becoming the focus of her own writing. Her books now had a direction, and that long, winding road ultimately led to Operation Paperclip, her first New York Times bestseller, published in 2011.
That road was paved with consistency. Ten years ago, Annie wrote 20 minutes a day. It was all she could manage without burning out. But it was every day, because it was imperative that she kept writing. Over time, the minutes turned to hours, and now she can write all day. Which is good, because when it comes to the American government and national security, there’s a lot to write about.
It didn’t happen overnight, and hard work alone guarantees nothing, but persistence was Annie’s (not so) secret weapon.
Because if you’re writing, you can’t lose.
Writers Blok is a co-writing space in Los Angeles. We specialize in structure, support, and community for writers.
Upcoming events include Q&As with Randall Winston, producer of shows like Scrubs and Cougar Town, and Stephen Neary, story artist for Rio.
