Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Tom Perrotta—known for crafting sharp, intimate portrayals of suburban America—recently shared personal insights into the writing life, offering advice to those hoping to find their creative footing in fiction, film, or television.
Perrotta’s body of work includes the novels Election, Little Children, The Leftovers, and Mrs. Fletcher, several of which have been adapted into major films and HBO series. Little Children, co-written with director Todd Field, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, while The Leftovers became a Peabody Award-winning series he co-created and produced.
His latest reflections come via a video in which he discusses his early inspirations, the importance of mentorship, and the central role reading plays in becoming a better writer.
A Lifelong Love of Reading
Perrotta recounts discovering his passion for storytelling through reading, citing The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien as a formative experience. It wasn’t just the thrill of escaping into fictional worlds—it was the desire to create them that took hold.
“There was just something about writing that felt natural to me,” Perrotta explains. “Once I started, I realized this was what I was supposed to do.”
That realization came to full bloom during college, where he committed to pursuing writing professionally.
Building a Writer’s Identity
For Perrotta, reading isn’t just a hobby—it’s an essential practice. He emphasizes that avid readers are often the best writers, since reading widely exposes one to various styles, voices, and forms of storytelling.
“Reading is how you develop your instincts,” he says. “You absorb tone, rhythm, structure—it teaches you what resonates and why.”
Though he didn’t come from a particularly literary household, Perrotta credits several key English teachers and mentors with helping him discover authors like Raymond Chandler, who shaped his voice and broadened his understanding of prose.
Supportive mentors and like-minded peers, he says, can play a crucial role in a writer’s development. “They didn’t discourage me. They kept me on the path.”
Nurturing the Spark
Perrotta stresses that writing is not only about inspiration—it’s about persistence. The initial spark of creativity must be fanned into a sustainable flame through discipline, feedback, and a willingness to evolve.
“Finding your voice takes time,” he notes. “It takes experimentation and failure. But if you keep reading and keep writing, that voice begins to emerge.”
His advice is clear: immerse yourself in stories, listen to the authors who came before you, and sit down to do the work.
Conclusion
Tom Perrotta’s writing journey—from an inspired reader to an award-nominated screenwriter and best-selling author—underscores the idea that creative success is built on curiosity, community, and consistency.
His message to aspiring writers is simple but powerful: “Read everything you can. Pay attention to what moves you. And write like your voice matters—because it does.”
