Challenges of the Writing Life30 min. Being a writer isn’t all book signings and fat royalty checks. By looking squarely at the potential downside of the writing life—rejection letters, second-novel syndrome, and really bad reviews—this program offers insider tips on coping while encouraging viewers to press on to success. Professional writers such as Martin Amis, Pat Conroy, Joyce Carol Oates, and Maxine Hong Kingston are joined by an editor, an agent, and a publisher to share knowledge they’ve accumulated in the school of hard knocks. In addition, depression, an illness frequently linked in the popular imagination to the writer’s art, is explored by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison. Some language may be offensive.