How do you write? A Q&A with Sonali Kohli
On the power of Notion, writing on your phone, and screenwriting advice for nonfiction narrative
Sonali Kohli is a dear old friend of mine from our days of daily reporting in the trenches of the Union Square office of the business(ish, if we’re honest) news site Quartz. More importantly for this newsletter, she is an award-winning journalist who spent much of her career at the Los Angeles Times, and the author of the book Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won, which came out last year with Beacon Press. It’s a YA nonfiction book, a genre which I wish was much more robust when we were younger — I mean how cool is it that the teens of today get a meticulously reported book by an incredible journalist specifically for them? I am not a teen of today, but having read the book, I HIGHLY recommend it to the teens of today, as well as their parents, teachers, and mentors. Or just anyone who needs a little dose of hope from these young women’s inspiring stories.
This book required a ton of reporting and skillful narrative crafting, and I wanted to know all about how Sonali did it, so I asked her to answer my inaugural author process questionnaire, which will be a regular feature of this newsletter because I want all the advice I can get, and because I live for reading about other writer’s tools, tricks, and routines. Sonali gives us permission to write on your phone from bed, evangelizes Notion, and intimidates me with her organization. Take a read, and BUY HER BOOK!
A Q&A with Sonali Kohli
Where do you sit (stand, walk, stationary bike) down to work? Are you someone who sits at a dedicated desk, or are you a floater? Home or office or coffee shop or parking lot? If you have a desk you love, what’s on it?
Right now I'm on my couch, but I often work at a large blue desk in my apartment. However, I find when I'm writing, sitting at the desk in front of my computer is scary and daunting. I wrote whole chapters of my book, Don't Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won, in bed, on my phone, because it felt like less pressure. For creative writing I also find that leaving my house to a dedicated place helped -- I went to one coffee shop consistently on Thursdays while writing the draft, with a lovely calming courtyard. I also fully left the state for artists residencies; I finished the first draft at a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania (Soaring Gardens) and the first big edit on a ranch in Wyoming (UCross).
Do you have a specific time you always write (or write best)? Do you have a writing ritual?
Not at all. Truly depends on what needs to happen and a state of mind
How do you take notes? Do you have a notebook always with you? Notes App? Gimme the deets!
I am a huge fan of Notion. It's where I took notes, kept all of my research organized and wrote/organized the book. It's an app so I was able to write on my phone or computer.
Is there anything that helps you with writing that is not writing? (Like taking a long walk, running, cooking, watching Summer House, whatever.)
Yes, leaving the words alone for a while is always helpful, and then doing something without background noise. Usually I need a soundtrack for my existence, whether it's a podcast or music, to be on at all times when I'm concentrating. But I don't listen to anything on walks as a rule, so going outside for a walk to clear my head, or cleaning up my apartment or putting away laundry all serve as a break from writing that lets my brain percolate.
How do you find your structure? Do you outline? Do you use structure formulas (a la John McPhee) or go with the flow?
My agent had me read a few screenwriting books as I was planning out the book. My book was narrative nonfiction, so I had to write a table of contents as part of the book proposal process, which served as an outline. But I was flexible when things needed to change. I used a Kanban board view in Notion to keep track of the flow and the chapters, and make sure all three narratives were progressing at a relatively equal pace.
Let’s say you feel you’re ready to write: Where and how is all your research and interviews organized? How do you start constructing the story from those building blocks?
Notion, baby. I treat all my research and interviews essentially as elements of a database. Interviews/reporting notes are organized by date, interviewee, subject, type of interaction (reporting in the field, phone, etc). Research is organized in a separate table.
What’s something about writing a book that you wish you knew when you sat down to actually do it? Something you didn’t realize about the process?
Ok so it turns out the work is not done when the book publishes. You then have to market the book and get people to buy it, efforts that often come mostly at the expense of the author.
Is there any writing advice that you turn to over and over? What advice would you give someone who is starting to write their book?
It's ok if it's bad the first time. Just write it down. Also, go to artists residencies! I only applied to ones that were free or offered funding and they were so helpful.
Have there been any craft, process, or reference books that have been particularly helpful in your writing journey?
Save the Cat [by Blake Snyder] was helpful to me in understanding how you write a plot-based narrative that moves.
What’s a nonfiction book you love or turn to for inspiration?
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments [by Saidiya Hartman] is what I hope to see so much more of in nonfiction.
What are tools, physical or digital, that you can’t live without?
Lol, Notion.
Lol indeed. Love you, Sonali!