In this week’s episode of Drafting the Past, I talked with John Garrison Marks about his new book, Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory.

It’s an excellent book, one with a lot to teach Americans about how we remember and use our history—and written so that most Americans would enjoy reading it, I think! I was eager to talk with John because the book was great, but even more so because his career is in public history, not academia. I had a hunch that he would have a lot to say about how that work—thinking about why people visit museums and historic sites, and how to connect with them—shapes his approach to writing. I was not disappointed! I loved hearing what he had to say about audience and style, and how we can connect with readers who are hungry for history.

Listeners know that I usually ask my guests to share the most influential writing advice they’ve ever received. John mentioned some advice that came to him via actor/writer/comedian Bill Hader. When I wrote the show notes, I went to find the interview that John mentioned, and discovered that, in a pretty short clip, it’s packed with great writing advice. The piece I most needed to hear? “Be wrong fast.” Get that bad draft, that rough first idea out as quickly as possible. You’ll need to revise anyway; might as well not agonize over it for coughcough years on end. (As with all writing advice, your mileage may vary! Take what works for you and leave the rest!)

One last thing—literally as I was writing this email, a newsletter from literary agent Kate McKean popped into my inbox with the subject “What If You’re Scared: Of Writing.” At the risk of revealing too many of my own vulnerabilities, let’s just say I found it helpful. Maybe you will, too.