In a recent Members Spotlight, Pozzi described writing as a way to sit with unresolved moments, allowing him to explore uncertainty rather than simplify stories after outcomes are known.
He cautions against quick fixes for writer’s block, preferring to lower the stakes and produce a paragraph he expects to discard, treating doubt as useful information and adjusting conditions when needed.
When asked about his preferred writing time, Pozzi said he no longer adheres to a sacred hour, viewing writing more like clocking in for work and focusing on progress rather than the clock.
He highlighted the most valuable advice he’s received: stop defending the imagined book and attend to the actual manuscript, a lesson that helped him reshape his debut, The Mess That Made Them.
Pozzi is enthusiastic about today’s porous writing landscape, where research can move from historic archives to digital conversations, and a single project can span books, essays, podcasts and events.
The Mess That Made Them: How History’s Greatest Artists Failed, Floundered, and Made Something Brilliant Anyway is now available from Bloomsbury Academic.