#305 Writing Great Fiction | Andrew Davidson

Psychologist and SuperPsyched host Dr. Adam Dorsay interviews novelist Andrew Davidson about Davidson’s debut novel The Gargoyle and the role fiction can play in empathy and mental health. Davidson summarizes the book as a burn-ward patient approached by a woman who claims they were lovers 700 years ago, highlighting the tension between the narrator’s atheism and Maryanne Engel’s faith. He discusses his research-driven writing process, including firsthand outreach to a burn survivor, extensive historical sourcing, and deliberate choices balancing accuracy with emotional truth. Davidson explains cutting a much longer manuscript, securing representation from agent Eric Simonoff, and how the book’s global publication—including translations and a reported $1.25 million advance—led to an overwhelming publicity tour that altered his relationship with writing. He describes later work in theater and ends by naming empathy as the key insight to improve society.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:26 Why Fiction Matters

00:49 Introducing The Gargoyle

02:28 Meet Andrew Davidson

03:24 What The Book Is About

06:44 Characters and The Author

09:09 Researching Worlds and Trauma

13:59 Accuracy vs Emotional Truth

19:02 Trusting Intuition and Editing

21:12 Loving the Writing Process

22:26 Why Only One Novel

24:39 Writing for Love

25:40 Japan and The Gargoyle

26:30 Fame and Touring Burnout

29:11 Reset in Paris

30:26 Theater and New Writing

31:57 Writer Identity and Intrinsic Drive

33:48 Landing a Top Agent

36:07 Editing Down the Manuscript

40:11 Luck Preparation and Gratitude

42:35 Movie or Limited Series

45:34 Winnipeg Theater Mission

47:54 Empathy and Farewell

Helpful Links:

Andrew Davidson Facebook

The Gargoyle Book