Episode 141—Evan Ratliff on Garbage-ing, Legwork in Pitching, and ‘The Mastermind’

Evan Ratliff, author of ‘The Mastermind’, came by the show to talk shop. Photo credit: Jonah Green

By Brendan O’Meara

“My system is, it’s okay not to have a system.” —Evan Ratliff (@ev_rat)

“I’m the opposite of the 500-words-a-day person. Sometimes I’ll be like, ‘I’m not gonna get anything done today.’ … Whatever …I’m a freelancer!”—Evan Ratliff

This week I spoke to Evan Ratliff, who puts the bad in badass. Yes, that means I put the ass in badass. Neither here nor there.

Evan came on the show to talk about his career as a freelance journalist and, most recently, his epic new book titled The Mastermind: Drugs, Empire, Murder, Betrayal. It’s a book that combines all the tools of the trade a master reporter needs to tell the globetrotting story

That’s right, this is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show were I talk to badass writers, filmmakers, and producers about the art and craft of telling true stories. I try and unpack their origins and how they go about the work so you can apply those tools of mastery to your own work. 

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