Why should I be interested in your happiness project? You admit that your book and your blog revolve around you. Jacobs (The Year of Living Biblically) and Robyn Okrant (Living Oprah) and I were joking that we should start a union for writers following this approach. A year feels like enough time for real change to be possible – but manageable.Īt a book conference recently, A.J. Whether it’s because we measure our lives according to the passing of birthdays or holidays, or because of the influence of the school schedule, a year feels like the right length of time for an “experiment in living,” to borrow Thoreau’s phrase. The “year of…” approach resonates with people. Thoreau moved to Walden Pond in 1845 (he did a two-year project, instead of a one-year project, but the idea was the same). I’ve seen it called “schtick lit” and “method journalism” and “stunt journalism” and “annualism.” Of course, this approach isn’t new. Gretchen: There are a lot of great names for this “year of” approach. Don’t you think that gimmick is tired and obvious? You spent a year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific studies, and the lessons from pop culture about how to be happier. Hostile reader: So many people these days write these “Year of…” books. In this interview, I get my chance to answer that hostile reader. When I’m writing, one of my bad habits is to imagine every criticism a reader (or reviewer or interviewer) could raise against my book.
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