That’s a great quote, thanks. I’ll check out the full interview once I get a decent Internet connection again.

Taking a woman shopping and listening to her advice is something I’ve very recently learned. In the past few weeks I’ve actually done this and have improved my appearance immeasurably. Not only that, but I now feel much, much better while wearing these well-fitting clothes.

As for living in a non-English speaking foreign country and taking risks early on—this is something I really did need to hear today.

I’m currently on a train, travelling to Heathrow before an extended vacation in Japan and Australia. On this trip I plan to think long and hard about my career and a possible move abroad.

Thanks.

I work on a TV show and our whole goal is to get advice from professionals in various fields to give advice to college students — specifically the questions come from students.

So last year I interviewed travel writer Paul Theroux and he gave some of the more interesting advice for writers I’ve heard:

The first rule I tell young writers when they tell me they want to write is “leave home.” Because if you stay home people will ask you questions you can’t answer. They say “What are you going to write.” “where will you publish it?” “Whose going to pay you?” “How will you make a living?” No one has answers to those questions. If you leave home no one asks you questions like that.

1. Learn to be a moderate. There are so many angry young men around that being a moderate on political and social issues actually gains respect from people outside your immediate peergroup. It is all too easy to have extreme views on topics. Bite your lip if you have to. Learn how to sound unconvinced, without saying “I’m not convinced by your stupid argument!”.

2. Next time you go clothes shopping, take a female with you and actually listen to their advice. Your mother doesn’t count though. Women love shopping — especially if its with someone else’s money!

3. Live in a foreign country for a while. Preferably not an English speaking one. Travel really does broaden the mind and makes you a more considerate person (towards people outside your peergroup) and more discerning person (about your own country).

4. Read. Not articles on the Internet, but old-fashioned dead tree media. Get to know a fiction author you like and read everything they did. You’ll express yourself better (something they might not have taught you to do at school) and you’ll have something genuinely interesting to talk about.

5. Take risks early on. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Having a Plan B and a Plan C usually mean you’ll never need them. If you fail, take the pain! And take it with good humour. If you find yourself doing something you hate, start planning your exit strategy but don’t plan on just sticking around in the hope it’ll get better — it won’t.