David Yoon

First Draft Episode #209: David Yoon

David Yoon, debut author of Frankly in Love, talks about how writing a rom-com turned into writing about his greatest fears; portraying aspirational male friendships; and working to be able to write from a place of unconditional love.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• The term “latchkey kid” refers to a child who returns from school to an empty home, or a child who is often left at home with little parental supervision, because their parent or parents are away at work.

• David was reading Stephen King at an early age, as well as The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence were some of the books David read at an early age, at his dad’s behest

• David is married to fellow YA author, Nicola Yoon, writer of New York Times bestselling books Everything Everything and The Sun is Also a Star (listen to her episode of First Draft here)

• BTS is the only Kpop David knows

• The TV show VEEP can be mean-spirited, but it’s so good at it that people still love it

• David did the JET Program, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, for three years after college

• David and Nicola both attended Emerson college to get their MFA

• David was channeling Haruki Murakami (author of Norwegian Wood and Kafka on the Shore) in that program, and Nicola was channeling Ann Beattie (author of Chilly Scenes of Winter and Walks With Men)

• David was in the Emerson MFA program with Gregg Rosenblum author of the Revolution 19 series

• I share my fav quote from Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of the books in the Grishaverse, including the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology, as well as author of forthcoming adult novel, Ninth House (listen to her episodes of First Draft here and here)

• The addictions of writers like Truman Capote and Gertrude Stein are often romanticized. In Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert tackles the masculine language of pain and suffering surrounding art, dispelling the myth that writers need those things to be creative

• When David watched Frozen, he wanted to know what happened with the parents

• David’s favorite advice is from Margaret Atwood: “Read, read, read. Write, write, write.” He adds: Go to therapy.

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Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. You can also email the podcast at firstdraftwithsarahenni@gmail.com. 

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Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too;  Michael Dante  DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

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