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

Award-winning designer and marketing consultant Pamela Wilson — who has helped small businesses and large organizations alike create ”big brands” since 1987 — stopped by to chat about what it’s like to run the blog at Copyblogger.com, and her mission to publish impeccable online content.As head of the editorial team for Copyblogger Media, she helps guide an abundance of educational content for one of the top online marketing, blogging, and copywriting sites in the world.Pamela’s unique point-of-view comes from the marriage of design, branding, content, and conversion — something she has coined “Customer Experience Design.”In this file Pamela Wilson and I discuss: How Coming Late to Writing Can Work in Your Favor Why Useful Content Creates Priceless Inroads for Writers The Difficulty of Designing a Remarkable Online Presence How Writing Has Become Her Yoga Practice Why You Should Commit to Writing 750 Words a Day The Hallmarks of Great Online Writing Why Picasso is an Inspiring Model for Writers to Follow The Show Notes Pamela’s Author Page on Copyblogger Big Brand System Blog The Bobby McFerrin Plan for Creating a Remarkable Business The Write Way to Answer Your Most Pressing Questions by Pamela Wilson 750words.com Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content by Mark Levy Pamela Wilson on Instagram Pamela Wilson on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and prolific lit interviewer Brad Listi was named One of LA s most fascinating people of 2015 by the LA Weekly. He stopped by to chat with me about podcasting and the secrets of successful writers.On his “in depth and inappropriate” podcast, Otherppl with Brad Listi, he has interviewed over 350 leading contemporary authors — including George Saunders, Cheryl Strayed, Tao Lin, Jonathan Lethem, Austin Kleon, and Susan Orlean — and his takeaways for writers are often priceless and pointed.In addition to his street-cred as a bestselling novelist, Brad is a screenwriter, and the founder and publisher of The Nervous Breakdown, an online culture magazine and literary community.In this file Brad Listi and I discuss: Why Interviews with Beginners Can Be More Interesting Than Interviews with Superstars The Magic of Deadlines, Caffeine, and Word Counts Why First Drafts are Like Ironing a Shirt The Importance of Meditation for ‘Unplugging’ How Great Writers Capture a Moment That Others Can’t 3 Key Takeaways from over 350 Interviews with Writers The Show Notes The Otherppl Podcast hosted by Brad Listi The Otherppl App Books by Brad Listi The Nervous Breakdown — an online culture magazine and literary community Otherppl on Twitter Brad Listi on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon has been called one of the most interesting people on the Internet by The Atlantic Magazine, and he stopped by The Writer Files to chat with me about creativity and the writing life.Austin is the author of three illustrated books — Steal Like An Artist, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work! — guides I recommend to all writers seeking insights for tapping into your endless reserves of creativity and innovation.In addition to being featured on NPR s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, and The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Kleon speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations as varied as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist.In the second part of this two-part file, Austin Kleon and I discuss: Is “Imagination” Overrated? A Simpler Definition of Creativity Why You Should Write for Just One Person How Minimizing Distractions Can Help Your Creativity Why Your Audience Is Your Most Valuable Asset Is Being Boring the Key to Productivity? The Importance of Being Great at Both Art and Life Why You Need to Pick Your Partners Carefully The Show Notes Here s How Austin Kleon Writes AustinKleon.com Here s How Daniel Pink Writes Here s How Elizabeth Gilbert (Bestselling Author of Eat, Pray, Love) Writes Air Guitar: Essays on Art & Democracy by Dave Hickey Austin’s Interviews at BookCon 2015 Austin Kleon on Instagram Austin Kleon on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon has been called one of the most interesting people on the Internet by The Atlantic Magazine, and he stopped by The Writer Files to chat with me about creativity and the writing life.Austin is the author of three illustrated books — Steal Like An Artist, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work! — guides I recommend to all writers seeking insights for tapping into your endless reserves of creativity and innovation.In addition to being featured on NPR s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, and The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Kleon speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations as varied as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist.In the first part of this two-part file, Austin Kleon and I discuss: Why You Should Read More Than You Write How a Paper Dictionary Can Improve Your Writing The Difference Between Little Writing and Big Writing Why You Should Research Out in the Open How Your Daily Ritual Can Save You from Failure 3 Symptoms of Writer’s Block and How to Cure Them Why You Should Print Your Work and Read It Aloud How to Harness the Power of Productive Procrastination The Show Notes How Bestselling Author Austin Kleon Writes: Part Two Here s How Austin Kleon Writes AustinKleon.com Clive Thompson, The Pencil and the Keyboard: How The Way You Write Changes the Way You Think Elizabeth Gilbert: “Your elusive creative genius” Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey Austin Kleon on Instagram Austin Kleon on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered why great writing creates an emotional response in readers? Welcome to another guest segment where I pick the brain of a neuroscientist.Research scientist Michael Grybko — of the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington — returned to the show to help me define empathy from a scientific standpoint.Mr. Grybko sheds some light into the darker corners of our understanding of how to tap into the hopes, dreams, and fears of your readers.In this file Michael Grybko and I discuss: How Science is Changing Our Definition of Empathy Why Pathos is a Good Jumping Off Place for Writers What Actors and Doctors Have in Common with Writers Are Mirror Systems the Key to Human Empathy? How to Resist the Dark Side of Empathy The Difference Between Good Storytelling and Great Storytelling Why Writers Need to Crawl Inside the Heads of Their Audience How Marketers Tap into Well-Worn Paths in Our Brains The Key to Empathizing with Your Readers Why Great Marketing Starts with the Desire to Help People The Show Notes Mirror Neurons Empathy Maps: A Complete Guide to Crawling Inside Your Customer s Head Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, award-winning, globe-trotting travel journalist Adam Skolnick returns as guest host for another edition of Writer Porn, where we discuss pertinent, writerly paraphernalia that has crossed our collective radar. Adam is the author and co author of 25 Lonely Planet guidebooks. He has also written for publications as varied as the New York Times, ESPN, Men’s Health, Outside, and Playboy.He recently finished his first narrative non-fiction book — based on his award-winning New York Times coverage of the death of the greatest American free diver of all time — titled One Breath (slated for publication in January).In this 41-minute file Adam Skolnick and I discuss: What is Writer Porn? How to Counteract the Negative Effects of Sitting All Day Why You Think Better on Your Feet Is Binge Reading Online Making Us Dumber? How Taking Notes by Hand Might Boost Comprehension Why Relaxing Your Process Can Help Your Productivity Learn How to Write a Bestseller with James Patterson Is the MasterClass Startup onto Something Huge? Adam Skolnick s Patterson MasterClass Experiment How to Listen to Moby Dick for Free The Show Notes “Inside the Perilous, Marvelous World of Competitive Free Diving,” Adam Skolnick for Playboy Is Sitting a Lethal Activity? Everything Science Knows Right Now About Standing Desks Yoga Hacks: How to Undo the Damage of a Desk Job 5 Things You re Doing Wrong At Your Standing Desk You Won t Finish This Article Binge Reading Disorder James Patterson s MasterClass in Writing The Moby-Dick Big Read on iTunes AdamSkolnick.com Adam Skolnick on Instagram Adam Skolnick on Twitter Writer Porn on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writing can be a lonely sport, whether you re running a digital agency, or slaving away on the next great novel. In this week's episode, we'll examine the writing process of James Chartrand, a prolific online publisher, copywriter, and digital entrepreneur.It s hard to settle on a specific title for my guest because James wears so many different hats — founder of the popular blog, web design, and copywriting agency Men with Pens — as well as an author, educator, and writing coach.James s many accomplishments have been chronicled in such high profile publications as Forbes, Newsweek, and The New York Times, and we got the chance to sit down and talk shop.In this 26-minute file James Chartrand and I discuss: How Wearing Many Hats Can Boost Your Productivity Why Simplicity Helps You Stay Focused The Cathartic Feeling of Crumpling Up Post-It Notes The Hardest Question in the World Why Good Ideas are Like Fishing The Difference Between Making Friends and Making Money Why Every Writer Should Have a Therapist The Show Notes Men with Pens Damn Fine Words Demian Farnworth s Interview With James Why James Chartrand Wears Women s Underpants James Chartrand on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and creative non-fiction author Sarah Stodola shared her writer s file with me in this episode. Her recent book Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors is a fascinating collection of the habits and habitats of heralded scribes.Ms. Stodola is also an accomplished journalist and editor whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Mental Floss, The Daily Beast, The Fiscal Times, Conde Nast Traveler, The Nation, The Wall Street Journal, Storyboard, Slate, and many others.Take a listen to learn about the process of an author who is a curator of true writer porn, a window into the processes of the greats.In this 21-minute file Sarah Stodola and I discuss: How to Write About Great Writers The Weird Trick Coffee Shops Play on Productivity Sarah s New Definition of Writer s Block A Surefire Way to Find Freedom from The Internet Can a Season Be a Muse to Writers? Where Does True Writing Genius Really Come From? Why Writing is Rewriting The Three Rules for Writing a Novel Why You Shouldn t Worry About Your First Drafts The Show Notes Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors by Sarah Stodola How the Hum of a Coffee Shop Can Boost Creativity Freedom – Block Digital Distractions Sarah Stodola on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coral-coiffed marketer and prolific online publisher Sonia Simone stopped by the show this week to share her writing secrets with us.Ms. Simone is co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Copyblogger Media as well as an educator, speaker, and the devious mastermind behind the podcast Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer.Sonia appeared in the written series over on Copyblogger.com and stopped by again to drop some writerly wisdom on us.You can also see Sonia Simone live at Authority Rainmaker, a carefully designed live educational experience that presents a complete and effective online marketing strategy to help you immediately accelerate your business.In addition to Ms. Simone you ll have the opportunity to see Dan Pink, Sally Hogshead, Ann Handley, punk legend Henry Rollins, and many other incredible speakers live. Get all the details at rainmaker.fm/event, and we look forward to seeing you in Denver, Colorado, May 13th, 2015.In this 18-minute file Sonia Simone and I discuss: Why You Should Read Outside Your Echo Chamber Sonia s Secret of Reading the Tea Leaves Writer s Block Vs. Deadlines Productivity for Flakes, Head Cases, and Other Natural Disasters The Fetishization of Creativity Sonia Admits Her Most Unwholesome Writer s Addiction Why the More You Care, the More You ll Write The Show Notes Here s How Sonia Simone Writes Copyblogger.com The Authority Community Are You a Talented Professional Writer? Read This Copyblogger Media Certified Content Marketers Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer Productivity for Flakes, Head Cases, and Other Natural Disasters Authority Intensive, May 13-15 in Denver, Colorado Sonia on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I ve invited digital marketing pioneer Ann Handley to chat with me about her writing process. She s a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, brilliant keynote speaker, the world s first Chief Content Officer, and a prolific digital content creator.Ann Handley appeared on the written interview series last year and stopped by again to share her methods of madness with us.You can also see Ann live at Authority Rainmaker, a carefully designed live educational experience that presents a complete and effective online marketing strategy to help you immediately accelerate your business.Ms. Handley will be speaking about creating content that makes a difference for your business objectives by showing you how to create content that is empathetic, useful, and inspired.In addition to Ann, you ll have the opportunity to see Dan Pink, Sally Hogshead, punk legend Henry Rollins, and many other incredible speakers live. Get all the details at rainmaker.fm/event, and we look forward to seeing you in Denver, Colorado May 13th, 2015.In this 28-minute file Ann Handley and I discuss: Everybody Writes: An ‘Elements of Style’ for the Digital Age The Art of Productive Procrastination Why Your Writer’s Block May Be a Research Problem How Hard Deadlines Help Writers Ship Why You Have to Find a Way to Shape Your Ideas for Sharing The Secret to What Makes a Good Writer Great Why Your Audience Is Key to Effective Writing Proof that Paper Books are Pure Writer Porn The Value of Patience The Show Notes Everybody Writes by Ann Handley Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business Ann Handley on Entrepreneur.com Trello E.B. White Seth Godin on The Writer Files AnnHandley.com Authority Intensive, May 13-15 in Denver, Colorado Ann Handley on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices