True Stories with Michael Finkel

📚 Overview

The best nonfiction often starts with an unbelievable tale. When Michael Finkel had his identity stolen by a wanted killer, he transformed this absurd series of events into a bestselling true-crime memoir. Years down the line, a film adaptation of the memoir – starring Jonah Hill as Michael himself – changed the writer’s life once again.

Join the award-winning writer and journalist to discuss the writing of his autobiography, True Story, and learn how to craft stories out of facts that are even more bizarre than fiction.

Whether you’re writing your own story or telling someone else’s tale, don’t miss out on hearing how to capture real life events in thrilling narratives.

Schedule

EVENT

3pm - 4pm EDT

In this special hour-long talk with Michael Finkel, you will learn:

How to sequence real-life events into a cohesive storyline
Strategies for writing narrative nonfiction that reads like a novel
What it’s like to adapt your own life into an autobiography

Following the talk, there will also be a live Q&A where you can ask Michael any questions about writing nonfiction, and having your book adapted into film.

Speakers

Michael Finkel

Writer

Michael Finkel is the author of The Stranger in the Woods, an international bestseller, and True Story, which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture starring James Franco and Jonah Hill. He has reported from more than 50 countries and written for National Geographic, GQ, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting, The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The Best American Travel Writing, and The Best American Non-Required Reading.