Cambridge Professor: Why All Writing Sounds the Same Now (Robert Macfarlane)

I interviewed Robert Macfarlane, a writer who has mastered the art of nature writing. What makes him fascinating isn’t just that he writes beautifully about landscapes, but how he thinks about language itself. We talked about why he rewrites first sentences hundreds of times, what happens when entire languages die forever, why AI makes all writing sound the same, and how to build a stronger feel for using vivid and rich language. If you want to write more powerfully and develop your distinctive voice, this conversation will show you how to do that. Enjoy!

00:00:00 Growing Up in Mountains
00:06:16 How to Write Like Water Flows
00:10:12 Why He Rewrites First Sentences 100 Times
00:16:15 How Messy Notebooks Become Real Books
00:21:37 How Your Brain Finds Hidden Patterns
00:27:03 Why Wonder Keeps Kids Alive
00:34:34 It Took 300 Pages to Answer One Question
00:42:52 Do Writers Plan Their Books or Wing It?
00:48:06 Why He Started Writing About People Too
00:53:08 How Learning Songs Made Him a Better Writer
01:00:19 He Spent 3 Years Collecting Weird Words
01:04:30 Why Writing Is Like Making Pottery
01:08:44 Why AI Makes All Writing Sound the Same
01:11:32 How to Make Readers Feel 'Visceral'
01:19:35 Why Some Words Feel Thick and Heavy
01:23:54 Why "Cut Extra Words" Is Terrible Advice
01:27:08 The Weird Fact About the Word "River

Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSbo...
X: https://x.com/david_perell