Hemingway has inspired me the most – his ability to capture hardship, and the human valor in soldiering onwards despite it is the highest expression of human optimism.
Would you please tell us a little about your writing process?
I like to write first drafts in broad strokes and reflect on them over time. Sometimes the writing withstands scrutiny and I keep it in the broader work; sometimes the ideas are good, but not fit for the overarching shape of the piece; sometimes I’ll write something just for myself, to clarify an idea or a feeling. The first draft of Racing to the Red Light I wrote several years ago as a loose collection of ideas and experiences. It was only later, after some life experience and emotional distance, that I would come back and revise it into something readable.
How do you believe a writer improves? Practice? Mentors? Reading everything? Attending festivals?
The most important thing for a writer to grow is to write. That aside, I think the most valuable resource is an audience that is both interested in your work and capable of providing constructive, critical feedback. Writing can be deeply personal, to the point of becoming its own echo chamber. It helps tremendously to be grounded by outside perspective.
What is the best piece of advice you have received? Or, what is the best piece of advice you would offer an aspiring writer?
My advice to an aspiring writer is this: don’t limit yourself by expecting perfection on a first draft. “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” Writing poorly is still movement in the right direction. You make mistakes, you learn, you grow. You can always cut, revise, or polish your work later. Putting words to paper, creating something from nothing, is oftentimes the hardest part of writing.
Who would you say are your literary forebears? Who have you learned the most from?
John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and Sebastian Junger are the authors that I derive the most inspiration from. They don’t mince words or substitute flowery language for substance. They experienced uniquely trying times, and still chose to seek out the best in people. Hemingway has inspired me the most – his ability to capture hardship, and the human valor in soldiering onwards despite it is the highest expression of human optimism.
What are the major benefits of being a writer?
Writing is a way of sharing the things that matter to you with others. It’s a rare opportunity for others to experience what you experience, to feel what you feel, to see the world the way that you see it. I feel this all the time when I read other authors: it’s an extraordinary thing to see the world through the perspective of others.
What do you find most inspiring?
There are people who have lived their whole lives striving for a cause, knowing that they might not live to see it fulfilled. John Brown walked to the gallows not knowing the pivotal role he played in abolishing slavery. Franz Kafka died never knowing that his work would receive worldwide recognition. Senator Ted Kennedy strived his whole life to make healthcare affordable for all Americans. It has reframed my perspective on success and legacy. To try and fail at something because you believe in it is a truly noble thing.
Nelson Wu obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2016. He went on to work as a 911 emergency medical technician, responding to calls throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. He obtained a Master’s of Public Health in Epidemiology & Biostatistics from Boston University in 2021. Nelson lives in San Francisco. He works now as a researcher studying socioeconomic disparity and cancer at the University of California, San Francisco. He enjoys reading and rock climbing in his free time.