Sopan Deb: There Is No Blueprint

I’m a writer for the New York Times, where I’ve covered culture and sports. I’m extremely fortunate that I’ve been able to do this.

I’m an introvert. When people meet me, I’m pretty outgoing, but deep down, I love my alone time.

Right now, I’m reading Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami. This is my first Murakami book and I’m really enjoying it. Honestly, I’ve long wanted to read him and saw it on my friend’s bookshelf. I asked to borrow it.

My favourite author as a child was Gordon Korman. His book called Who is Bugs Potter? about this mysterious drummer who keeps breaking convention was formative for me, both as a musician and as a reader.

Much of this book is exploring my lived experience. For example, the book has a lot to do with my love of theater. I wrote about theater extensively for the New York Times. I also was part of my high school musicals. Most characters in the book are named after a close family friend growing up. The story is based on the Bengali-American community I grew up with. It was important for me to be as authentic as possible in writing this.

You Can’t Be Serious by Kal Penn. I’m a big admirer of Kal’s and he’s been such an amazing trailblazer for creatives of South Asian descent.

I don’t know what I’d make required reading because books get consumed in so many different ways. But if I had to pick a couple.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – to show what happens when a writer has unlimited ambition for a story

Educated by Tara Westover – one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read, but what stands out to me is that it’s so easy to digest. Westover really lets the story speak for itself.

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian – is a beautiful book by one of the best young writers in the country. It is a mixture of supernatural and realism, and a great example that rules can be broken within literature.

This one is easy. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s an obvious answer as a Bengali-American writer, but I felt very seen in her writing in a way that I didn’t think was possible.

I’m right now writing a novel inspired by my father. Beyond that, I don’t want to say too much!

Blood in the Garden by Chris Herring, – a book about the 1990s New York Knicks. Well-researched, fun to read. I read it in two days.

It’s a great question. This may sound silly, but in high school, I put together a talent show to raise money for student government. It was extraordinarily difficult, but we sold out the show and I’m still proud of that to this day.

There is no blueprint on how to become a great writer. There aren’t rules. You don’t have to outline if you don’t want to. Do what works for you because all you need is one editor to like your work for you to become a published author.

Once you do sell something, document as much of the process as you can. Take pictures of yourself writing or with each milestone along the way. Writing is hard and you won’t remember how hard it was afterwards. The pictures will remind you.

That’s an interesting one.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah – a funny, beautiful memoir about overcoming difficult circumstances across cultures and a mother’s love.

All That You Leave Behind by Erin Lee Carr – a lovely memoir about Carr’s relationship with her father, the writer David Carr.

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar – this is less about showcasing humanity in the best possible way, but more about showcasing humanity.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders – mostly because I’ve heard amazing things about the book.