The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

From wildly successful transmedia serial writer to internationally published author, this week’s guest — Michelle Miller — has tapped into her former life in high finance to create a hit franchise in The Underwriting.   Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! Billed as social satire, Ms. Miller’s original 12-part serial drew angel investors that helped her build it into a viral, multi-media maelstrom. Her marriage of the cutthroat worlds of both investment banking and tech landed her a traditional publishing deal, and her debut novel is now being developed into a TV series. Join us for this two-part interview. In Part One of the file Michelle Miller and I discuss: Why Transmedia is Redefining Author Marketing How Different Workouts Can Change Your Writing Mindset The Creative Space Between Sleeping and Waking Why You Don’t Procrastinate the Fun Stuff One Perfect Analogy for Writer’s Block Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes hashtagmm.com — Michelle Miller’s Website The Underwriting (Book) Michelle Miler on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and Fast Company Editor Joe Berkowitz stopped by the podcast this week. His latest, a humor book titled You Blew It!: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life, lands this October. He took a break from his busy schedule to rap with me about how he survives the harried life of a big city journalist.   Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! In addition to his work for Fast Company, Joe’s writing has been featured in The Awl, Salon, The Village Voice, Vulture, RollingStone.com, GQ.com, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and many others. For a writer who works with breakneck deadlines, and almost never gets a rest from the writing life, he has some pretty solid advice for keeping the cursor moving. Join us for this two-part interview. If you missed Part One you can find it here: How Joe Berkowitz (Journalist and Fast Company Editor) Writes: Part One In Part Two of the file Joe Berkowitz and I discuss: How Creativity Makes the ‘Familiar Strange and the Strange Familiar’ Why Your Audience Is Your Best Creative Motivation How Great Writers Hook You and Never Let Go The Reassuring Existence of Paper Book Collections Joe’s Reverence for David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest Why You Should Edit Until “… the Words Stop Moving on the Page” Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Joe Berkowitz for Fast Company And Now for Something Completely Unnecessary … (Joe’s Tumblr) You Blew It!: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life by Joe Berkowitz and Josh Gondelman Joe Berkowitz on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and Fast Company Editor Joe Berkowitz stopped by the podcast this week. His latest, a humor book titled You Blew It!: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life, lands this October. He took a break from his busy schedule to rap with me about how he survives the harried life of a big city journalist.   Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! In addition to his work for Fast Company, Joe’s writing has been featured in The Awl, Salon, The Village Voice, Vulture, RollingStone.com, GQ.com, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and many others. For a writer who works on breakneck deadlines, and almost never gets a break from the writing life, he has some pretty solid advice for keeping the cursor moving. Join us for this two-part interview. In Part One of the file Joe Berkowitz and I discuss: How a Bad Breakup Can Boost Your Productivity When to Throw Out the Rule “All Killer, No Filler” How to Build Your Writing Endurance Don Draper’s Advice for Beating Writer’s Block How Making Lists Can Help Your Head The Magical Power of 4 AM Dementia Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Joe Berkowitz for Fast Company And Now for Something Completely Unnecessary … (Joe’s Tumblr) You Blew It!: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life by Joe Berkowitz and Josh Gondelman “My Superpower Is Being Alone Forever” (links to all parts of the series at The Awl) Hemingwrite – A Distraction Free Smart Typewriter How Joe Berkowitz (Journalist and Fast Company Editor) Writes: Part Two Joe Berkowitz on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript Coming soon … Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The New York Times bestselling author of The Martian dropped by to chat with me about his writing process and the upcoming movie adaptation of his hit book directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon (release date October 2nd, 2015).   Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! The author’s journey to #1 on the NY Times Best Sellers list began as a humble series of blog posts that grew enough interest to demand self-publishing to Amazon. When The Martian‘s popularity sky-rocketed, traditional publisher Random House called, and the rest is history. From software engineer to sci-fi phenom, Andy is a down-to-earth writer and self-described “space nerd,” who still answers all of his fan mail. Join us for this two-part interview. If you missed Part One, you can find it here: How Andy Weir (Bestselling Author of ‘The Martian’) Writes: Part One In Part Two of The File, Andy Weir and I discuss: How Recurring Daydreams Can Turn into Great Stories The Mystery of Truly Immersive Writing Why Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell Should Be in Prison Shakespeare’s and Kepler’s 16th Century Bromance How Mr. Weir’s Book Started a Relationship with NASA 3 Tips and Tricks to Becoming an “Actual” Writer Why Hollywood Adds Special Effects Last Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes The Martian: A Novel andyweirauthor.com Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach Andy Weir on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript Coming soon … Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The New York Times bestselling author of The Martian dropped by to chat with me about his writing process and the upcoming movie adaptation of his hit book, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon (release date October 2nd, 2015).   Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! The author’s journey to #1 on the NY Times Best Sellers list began as a humble series of blog posts that grew enough interest to demand self-publishing to Amazon. When The Martian’s popularity sky-rocketed, traditional publisher Random House called, and the rest is history. From software engineer to sci-fi phenom, Andy is a down-to-earth writer and self-described “space nerd,” who still answers all of his fan mail. Join us for this two-part interview. In Part One of the file Andy Weir and I discuss: How a Science Geek Became a Bestselling Author The Power of Setting Word Counts One Great Trick for Improving Your Dialogue Why Your Writer’s Block May Just Be Laziness How Your Enthusiasm Doesn’t Always Determine the Quality of Your Writing The Creative Power of a Walk and a Hot Shower Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes How Andy Weir (Bestselling Author of ‘The Martian’) Writes: Part Two The Martian: A Novel andyweirauthor.com Notes from Hugh Howey’s Editor “The surprising story of how Andy Weir’s self-published book ‘The Martian’ topped best seller lists and got a movie deal” Andy Weir on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered why storytelling is such an omnipresent theme of human life? Welcome to another guest segment of “The Writer s Brain” where I pick the brain of a neuroscientist about elements of great writing. Research scientist Michael Grybko — of the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington — returned to the podcast to help me define storytelling from a scientific standpoint.If you missed the first two installments of The Writer s Brain — on How Neuroscience Defines both Creativity and Empathy — you can find them in the show notes as well as on writerfiles.fm and iTunes.In this file Michael Grybko and I discuss: Why Storytelling is the Default Mode of Human Communication How Empathy Makes Storytelling Such an Effective Tool Why Hollywood Continually Taps into ‘The Hero’s Journey’ How Blueprints Help Writers Connect with Their Audience Why Reading Fiction Makes Us More Empathetic Writers’ Addiction to Stories (Especially the Dark Ones) Where Humanity Would Be Without Storytelling The Show Notes How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defines Creativity How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defines Empathy The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell) Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee “Reading literary fiction improves empathy, study finds” from The Guardian The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prolific, bestselling, multi-genre author Hugh Howey took me on a walk through the writer’s process.Mr. Howey is the well-known author of Wool, and his self-published dystopian “Silo Series,” that has sold over two million copies worldwide. His books have been optioned for film and TV by well-known Hollywood director Ridley Scott and Heroes creator Tim Kring respectively.He has been a fierce advocate for self-publishing authors and even inked a rare print-only contract with major publishers to retain the electronic rights to his early works. Hugh is a tireless proponent for the pure craft of writing, and he has built an intensely loyal following.As he prepares to sail around the globe on his catamaran, Hugh took a time out from his busy schedule to talk with me on a short walk.In this file Hugh Howey and I discuss: The Importance of Starting Each Day the Right Way Why You Need to Learn to Hit Publish from Anywhere How to Alleviate Your Natural Self-Doubts Why Writing is Like Exercise How Writers Can Fine Tune Their Creativity Where the True Magic of Writing Springs From Why You Should Be a Tourist in Your Own Town The Show Notes Hugh Howey on Amazon The Five Tibetans HughHowey.com Hugh Howey on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Showrunner behind multiple top-ranking podcasts and Vice President of Marketing for the Rainmaker.FM podcast network, Jerod Morris, paid me a visit this week to talk about his beginnings as a writer, podcaster, and digital marketer.Mr. Morris started out online as a sports blogger and became the editor of a high-traffic blog that was tapped by Fox Sports.His blogging has led to quite a few opportunities for the writer, including: Co-founding a WordPress hosting company Leading the editorial team for Copyblogger.com Launching and co-hosting multiple top-ranked podcasts … and becoming the VP of Marketing for the Rainmaker.FM podcast network — to name only a few On the eve of the launch of his new Showrunner Podcasting Course, we had a chance to talk shop.In this file Jerod Morris and I discuss: How Sports Blogging Led to a Host of Opportunities A Simple Writing Hack for Email Marketers Why Writing Makes You a Better Podcaster How Scheduling Greatly Increases Your Productivity Why Writers Need to Embrace Their Imperfection How to Infuse Everything You Do with Creativity Some Very Wise Words from Teddy Roosevelt The Show Notes Jerod Morris on Copyblogger Primility The Showrunner Podcast The Lede Podcast The Showrunner Podcasting Course The Assembly Call — IU Basketball Postgame Show The Writer Runs This Show “The Credit Belongs to You” by Jerod Morris (Downloadable Teddy Roosevelt Quote & Poster) Jerod Morris on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multiple New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink stopped by The Writer Files to chat about his secrets for getting words onto the page. Mr. Pink is the author of five provocative titles on the subjects of business, work, and human behavior — including To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others — and has written for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Sunday Telegraph, Fast Company, and Wired.In addition to having one of the most viewed TED talks of all time — “The puzzle of motivation” — Dan recently hosted and co-executive produced the TV series “Crowd Control” for the National Geographic Channel.In this file Daniel Pink and I discuss: Why You Should Never Check Email Before You Write The Effectiveness of Word Count Quotas Why the Adage “Butt-in-Chair” Really Works How to Structure Your Writing Schedule to Beat “Resistance” The Author’s Exhaustive Reading Recommendations His Fantasy Chipotle Table Guests And Why You Need to Get Over Yourself and Get to Work The Show Notes http://www.danpink.com/ Dan Pink’s TED talk: “The puzzle of motivation” Crowd Control on National Geographic Channel Daniel Pink on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New media pioneer and entrepreneur Darren Rowse — creator of both Digital Photography School and ProBlogger — joined me to chat about the opportunities that 13 years of blogging have provided, his new podcast, and the importance of having the right mindset as a writer.This sage blogging veteran and educator has blazed an inspiring path for enterprising online publishers.His step-by-step blog series — 31 Days to Build a Better Blog — went from zero to viable business in no time, and now it’s a podcast every content creator can listen to … for free.In this file Darren Rowse and I discuss: Why You Should Write Like You Talk How a Book Deal Was Born from a Blog Series How Writing Offline Can Boost Your Word Count The 3 Types of Writer’s Block All Bloggers Eventually Face How Public Accountability Can Light a Fire Under Your Ass Why You Need a Balance Between Dreaming and Doing How to Get the Maximum Impact From Your Writing The Show Notes ProBlogger.com Digital Photography School Darren Rowse Speaking at WDS Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Problogger Podcast Problogger on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices