Why you shouldn’t wait for inspiration to strike with Harlan Coben
Why you shouldn’t wait for inspiration to strike with Harlan Coben  
Podcast: ReThinking
Published On: Tue Sep 22 2026
Description: Harlan Coben has written 35 bestsellers in the past three decades, selling over 90 million novels and spawning some of the most popular miniseries on Netflix– including I Will Find You. He recently published his first nonfiction book, Plot Twist: a writing guide packaged inside a memoir. In this episode, Adam and Harlan take a closer look at the routines and habits that help Harlan stay so prolific with his writing, and Harlan emphasises the importance of being comfortable with boredom and treating writing like a job. Harlan also reflects on what he learned while collaborating with Reese Witherspoon on their novel Gone Before Goodbye, and the difference between equality and equity in relationships. Adam shares insights on the biggest mistakes people make while pursuing happiness, and why successful people aren’t free of doubts. Featured guestFollow Harlan Coben on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and through his websiteBuy Plot TwistConnect with the teamFollow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/Subscribe to Adam’s Substack GrantedWatch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDPodsFollow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.