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b"With Winston Groom, an American novelist and non-fiction writer best known for his book Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump author, Winston Groom
Winston Groom is a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction books, best known for his unforgettable portrait of an American eccentric: Forrest Gump.\\xa0 One might say that Groom instantly broke the mold with the character of Forrest Gump, an honest, good-hearted, and somewhat child-like man whose life is propelled by historical currents and a romantic storyline far from his small town Southern roots.\\xa0 The story of a man who seems guided more by his innocence and loyalty than his intellect and ambition, whose adventures humorously revealed his steadfast love of home and country and a naive trust in the kindness of strangers, the movie Forrest Gump captured the imagination of Americans and continues to be considered a classic and a high point in actor Tom Hanks' career.
The Origins of Forrest Gump, an American Eccentric
Winston is here with us today to discuss the inspiration and development of the novel Forrest Gump, a life in writing and publishing, and his recent work El Paso, among other topics.\\xa0 Fans of the movie and novel will find insight into Winston's creative process in his re-telling of the humble story that got him started with Forrest Gump \\u2013 one he heard from a friend of his father's while visiting in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama.\\xa0 If you've ever wondered what tapping into the muse of inspiration feels like for a writer, Winston describes how he became \\u201can instrument\\u201d while writing Forrest Gump, channeling what he calls \\u201cthe lizard brain\\u201d of almost automatic creativity.\\xa0 He also reminds us that this isn't exactly like normal workaday writing and, in fact, is far closer to the exception than the rule.
Winston Groom on the New York publishing industry
By way of many colorful anecdotes, Winston also talks with Steve about his own journey from journalist to book author and his experiences with the maneuvering, deal-making, and the role of various personalities in the publishing and journalism worlds.\\xa0 Anyone with an interest in having their own work published (his advice? \\u201cMake friends in the Hamptons\\u201d) or is simply curious about how the industry operates behind-the-scenes will be fascinated by his commentary.
El Paso, a historical novel
The latter part of the interview delves into his most recent novel, El Paso.\\xa0 Similar to the hand-me-down origins of Forrest Gump, the backstory Winston provides on the genesis of El Paso is an interesting case of making use of a sort of patchwork quilt of tales borrowed from a friend and remade into a unified narrative.\\xa0 The story is set in New Mexico in the early 1900s,"