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

The Hugo winner and multiple New York Times bestselling science fiction author, John Scalzi, took a break from his whirlwind new book tour to chat with me about The Collapsing Empire, the timely importance of great storytelling, and what makes a writer truly great.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!His wildly popular debut novel, Old Man’s War, began as a serialized blog before attracting attention from an agent. Its 2006 publication earned him a Hugo nomination and multiple awards.Since then he’s written dozens of novels including New York Times bestsellers The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, Redshirts (2013’s Hugo winner for Best Novel), and Lock In. His work has been translated into over 20 languages and multiple projects have been optioned for film and TV.It’s no surprise that the prolific author has been a professional writer since the early ’90s. In addition to his award-winning blog, “Whatever,” John has written: freelance journalism, novellas, short stories, a wide-range of non-fiction, video games, been a Creative Consultant for a hit TV series, and remains a Critic at Large for the LA Times.In 2015 the author signed a multi-million dollar deal with Tor Books for 13 titles over 10 years, and the first of those is The Collapsing Empire, a bestselling interstellar space opera that’s been described as “Game of Thrones meets Dune.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part Two of this file John Scalzi and I discuss: Why this isn’t the worst time in human history … by a long shot The writer’s unique workflow and technological polyglotism Creativity as a survival instinct How luck and persistence can play a part in your success as a writer Why you really only need to focus on the things you can control The Show Notes: If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 194,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress How Hugo Award Winning Sci-Fi Author John Scalzi Writes: Part One Whatever – John Scalzi’s Hugo Award winning blog Announcing The Expanding Tour 2017! 24 Cities! Five Weeks! The Collapsing Empire – John Scalzi John Scalzi’s author page on Amazon John Scalzi, Science Fiction Writer, Signs $3.4 Million Deal for 13 Books – New York Times John Scalzi on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hugo winner and multiple New York Times bestselling science fiction author, John Scalzi, took a break from his whirlwind new book tour to chat with me about The Collapsing Empire, the timely importance of great storytelling, and what makes a writer truly great.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!His wildly popular debut novel, Old Man’s War, began as a serialized blog before attracting attention from an agent. Its 2006 publication earned him a Hugo nomination and multiple awards.Since then he’s written dozens of novels including New York Times bestsellers The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, Redshirts (2013’s Hugo winner for Best Novel), and Lock In. His work has been translated into over 20 languages and multiple projects have been optioned for film and TV.It’s no surprise that the prolific author has been a professional writer since the early ’90s. In addition to his award-winning blog, “Whatever,” John has written: freelance journalism, novellas, short stories, a wide-range of non-fiction, video games, been a Creative Consultant for a hit TV series, and remains a Critic at Large for the LA Times.In 2015 the author signed a multi-million dollar deal with Tor Books for 13 titles over 10 years, and the first of those is The Collapsing Empire, a bestselling interstellar space opera that’s been described as “Game of Thrones meets Dune.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part One of this file John Scalzi and I discuss: How publishing is like giving birth The secret behind most overnight successes How a prolific sci-fi writer researches ideas On beating laziness, and the author’s daily ritual The writer’s greatest challenge The Show Notes: If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress How Hugo Award Winning Sci-Fi Author John Scalzi Writes: Part Two Whatever – John Scalzi’s Hugo Award winning blog Announcing The Expanding Tour 2017! 24 Cities! Five Weeks! The Collapsing Empire – John Scalzi John Scalzi’s author page on Amazon John Scalzi, Science Fiction Writer, Signs $3.4 Million Deal for 13 Books – New York Times John Scalzi on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part Two of this file, the hyper-prolific, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Greg Iles, returned to chat with me about the conclusion to his epic trilogy, his unique writing process, and making the move to television.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!At 16 novels and counting — all but one of which have hit bestsellers lists — Greg has been called the “…William Faulkner for the Breaking Bad generation,” and his books have been adapted for film, translated into over 20 languages, and published in more than 35 countries.His epic Natchez Burning trilogy clocks in at close to 750,000 words and started out as a single novel that he expanded after a near death experience — a car crash that left him in a coma — which ultimately changed his mind about how he wanted to write it.His final installment in the series, Mississippi Blood, concludes the story of Southern lawyer Penn Cage, (the protagonist of six of his books including The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and New York Times #1 bestseller The Devil’s Punchbowl).Iles’s epic tale of “… love and honor, hatred and revenge … explores how the sins of the past continue to haunt the present,” and Stephen King described the series as “… extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.If you missed the first half you can find it right here.In Part Two of this file Greg Iles and I discuss: The author’s take on writer’s block A tour of Greg’s “space shuttle” desk setup The mad science of how the author intertwined multiple narratives and historical flashbacks over three epic novels Why truly creative people never get bored Some great writing advice from a truly prolific author The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 194,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress GregIles.com Greg Iles Event Dates Greg Iles – Author page on Amazon Greg Iles concludes his spectacular Natchez Burning trilogy – The Washington Post Greg Iles on Facebook Greg Iles on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hyper-prolific, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Greg Iles, took a few minutes to chat with me this week about the conclusion to his epic trilogy, his unique writing process, and making the move to television.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!At 16 novels and counting — all but one of which have hit bestsellers lists — Greg has been called the “…William Faulkner for the Breaking Bad generation,” and his books have been adapted for film, translated into over 20 languages, and published in more than 35 countries.His epic Natchez Burning trilogy clocks in at close to 750,000 words and started out as a single novel that he expanded after a near death experience — a car crash that left him in a coma — which ultimately changed his mind about how he wanted to write it.His final installment in the series, Mississippi Blood, concludes the story of Southern lawyer Penn Cage, (the protagonist of six of his books including The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and New York Times #1 bestseller The Devil’s Punchbowl).Iles’s epic tale of “… love and honor, hatred and revenge … explores how the sins of the past continue to haunt the present,” and Stephen King described the series as “… extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part One of this file Greg Iles and I discuss: Why the author decided to take a break from rock’n’roll to start writing novels The importance of finding your unique writing voice How Greg tries to go as long as possible without writing a word On the author’s frenetic writing sprints and impressive word counts Why writers need to not “overthink” the process The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 194,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress GregIles.com Greg Iles Event Dates Greg Iles – Author page on Amazon Greg Iles concludes his spectacular Natchez Burning trilogy – The Washington Post Greg Iles on Facebook Greg Iles on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The New Yorker staff writer, award-winning journalist, and author of a new memoir The Rules Do Not Apply, Ariel Levy, took a moment out of her hectic schedule to rap with me about the writing life, advice from the impeccable Gay Talese, and turning her personal story into a book.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 was a contributing editor for New York magazine for 12 years before becoming a staff writer at The New Yorker where she has written acclaimed pieces on a wide range of subjects from swimmer Diana Nyad to the hallucinogen ayahuasca.Ariel’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, Vogue, Slate, Men’s Journal, and many others. She was the editor of The Best American Essays 2015, a collection in which she was also anthologized in 2008.Her latest, The Rules Do Not Apply, is a book based on her heartbreaking personal story, “Thanksgiving in Mongolia.” After winning the National Magazine Award for Essays and Criticism, she expanded it into a memoir “… about a woman overcoming dramatic loss and finding reinvention.”Bestselling author David Sedaris said of the book, “Every deep feeling a human is capable of will be shaken loose by this profound book.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In this file Ariel Levy and I discuss: How an award-winning journalist started out as a gossip columnist Why it was easy for the author to turn the lens onto her own painful past How to report a great story for The New Yorker Analog writer hacks for creating order from chaos How great writers are like chocolate The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress The Rules Do Not Apply: A Memoir – Ariel Levy The New Yorker Contributor page – Ariel Levy ArielLevy.net A Litany Of Tragedy In ‘The Rules Do Not Apply’ – Ariel Levy on NPR The Drug of Choice for the Age of Kale – Ariel Levy on ayahuasca Ariel Levy on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second half of this file, The Guardian writer, psychology journalist, and author of the critically acclaimed book The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman, dropped by the program to talk to me about the writer’s journey, turning a weekly column into a book, and rethinking positive thinking.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!Oliver writes about social psychology, self-help culture, productivity, and the science of happiness for his columns in both The Guardian (based in Brooklyn, New York), and Psychologies magazine. He has also interviewed a laundry list of celebrities ranging from Al Gore to Jerry Seinfeld.In his critically acclaimed book, The Antidote (2012), the author went undercover into the heart of the “happiness industrial complex” to explore why our relentless pursuit of happiness and success often leaves us feeling the opposite.The author looked to academics, psychologists, Buddhists, business consultants, philosophers, and many others in a unique search for an “… alternative path to happiness and success that involves embracing failure, pessimism, insecurity, and uncertainty – the very things we spend our lives trying to avoid.”The Los Angeles Times said of the book, “Burkeman’s tour of the ‘negative path’ to happiness makes for a deeply insightful and entertaining book.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.If you missed the first half you can find it right here.In Part Two of this file Oliver Burkeman and I discuss: Modest goal setting and how to be productive when you’re depressed The fallacies of overcoming ‘resistance’ How to interview Jerry Seinfeld Why you need to just do a little writing every day The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com How the Author of ‘The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking’ Oliver Burkeman Writes: Part One OliverBurkeman.com The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking – Oliver Burkeman This column will change your life – Oliver Burkeman investigates routes to mental wellbeing for The Guardian Why time management is ruining our lives – Oliver Burkeman Oliver Burkeman for Psychologies magazine DropVox – Record Voice Memos to Dropbox Transcribe transcription tool Jerry Seinfeld on how to be funny without sex and swearing – Oliver Burkeman Oliver Burkeman on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Guardian writer, psychology journalist, and author of the critically acclaimed book The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman, dropped by the program to talk to me about the writer’s journey, turning a weekly column into a book, and rethinking positive thinking.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!Oliver writes about social psychology, self-help culture, productivity, and the science of happiness for his columns in both The Guardian (based in Brooklyn, New York), and Psychologies magazine. He has also interviewed a laundry list of celebrities ranging from Al Gore to Jerry Seinfeld.In his critically acclaimed book, The Antidote (2012), the author went undercover into the heart of the “happiness industrial complex” to explore why our relentless pursuit of happiness and success often leaves us feeling the opposite.The author looked to academics, psychologists, Buddhists, business consultants, philosophers, and many others in a unique search for an “… alternative path to happiness and success that involves embracing failure, pessimism, insecurity, and uncertainty – the very things we spend our lives trying to avoid.”The Los Angeles Times said of the book, “Burkeman’s tour of the ‘negative path’ to happiness makes for a deeply insightful and entertaining book.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part One of this file Oliver Burkeman and I discuss: The author’s lifetime love of journalism How his own challenges with time management lead to his latest book project Why constraints can improve your productivity Time-tested advice for getting words onto the page The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com How the Author of ‘The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking’ Oliver Burkeman Writes: Part Two OliverBurkeman.com The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking – Oliver Burkeman This column will change your life – Oliver Burkeman investigates routes to mental wellbeing for The Guardian Why time management is ruining our lives – Oliver Burkeman Oliver Burkeman for Psychologies magazine How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defines Writer’s Block How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing – Paul J. Silvia Oliver Burkeman on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second half of this file, the psychology and culture journalist, editor, and author of the recent book The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith, returned to talk to me about the writing life and why our search for meaning is so important right now.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!Emily has an M.A. in applied positive psychology, and in addition to being a columnist for The New Criterion, Emily’s writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Time, The Atlantic, New York Magazine and other publications.The author is also an editor at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where she manages “…an initiative to build purpose and community throughout the nation.”The author’s new book, The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters, explores the latest insights in positive psychology as well as thinkers throughout history — from George Eliot, Aristotle, Buddha, and even Louis C.K. — to find answers on why our pursuit of happiness often leaves us unhappy, and how we can lead more meaningful lives.Bestselling author Daniel Pink said, “The Power of Meaning deftly tells the stories of people, contemporary and historical, who have made the quest for meaning the mission of their lives. This powerful yet elegant book will inspire you to live a life of significance.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.If you missed the first half you can find it right here.In Part Two of this file Emily Esfahani Smith and I discuss: The power of outlines and how to give yourself permission to write badly Why novelty helps you connect the dots in new ways How an old library can inspire new ideas The uniquely human pursuit of meaning and why we could all use a little more of it right now The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com How Journalist and Author of ‘The Power of Meaning’ Emily Esfahani Smith Writes: Part One How Journalist and Author of ‘The Power of Meaning’ Emily Esfahani Smith Writes: Part One EmilyEsfahaniSmith.com The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters – Emily Esfahani Smith There’s More to Life Than Being Happy – The Atlantic The Hoover Institution at Stanford University I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen – by Sylvie Simmons Emily Esfahani Smith on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The psychology and culture journalist, editor, and author of the recent book The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith, stopped by the show this week to talk to me about the writing life and why our search for meaning is so important right now.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!Emily has an M.A. in applied positive psychology, and in addition to being a columnist for The New Criterion, Emily’s writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Time, The Atlantic, New York Magazine and other publications.The author is also an editor at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where she manages “…an initiative to build purpose and community throughout the nation.”The author’s new book, The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters, explores the latest insights in positive psychology as well as thinkers throughout history — from George Eliot, Aristotle, Buddha, and even Louis C.K. — to find answers on why our pursuit of happiness often leaves us unhappy, and how we can lead more meaningful lives.Bestselling author Daniel Pink said, “The Power of Meaning deftly tells the stories of people, contemporary and historical, who have made the quest for meaning the mission of their lives. This powerful yet elegant book will inspire you to live a life of significance.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part One of this file Emily Esfahani Smith and I discuss: Why you can’t let your fear of failure stop you from writing The extensive research that went into her investigation of an age-old question How the author discovered the four pillars of meaning The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com How Journalist and Author of ‘The Power of Meaning’ Emily Esfahani Smith Writes: Part Two EmilyEsfahaniSmith.com The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters – Emily Esfahani Smith There’s More to Life Than Being Happy – The Atlantic The Hoover Institution at Stanford University How Bestselling Author Daniel Pink Writes Emily Esfahani Smith on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part Two of this interview, award-winning screenwriter and author of the debut novel All Our Wrong Todays, Elan Mastai, returned to talk about his fiction debut, the science of time travel, and finding inspiration in dark places.The writer and producer has written movies for both indie and Hollywood studios, including scripts for Fox, Sony, Warner Brothers, and Paramount.His most recent film – What If, a comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, and Mackenzie Davis – premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013. Elan won the Canadian Academy Award and the Writers Guild of Canada Award for his script, and the movie played in over 30 countries.His new novel – All Our Wrong Todays – is a sci-fi tinged, time-travel romance and much buzzed about debut that is rumored to have landed the writer a seven-figure book deal worth north of a million dollars.The book has been described as “Dark Matter meets Back to the Future,” and even prior to the book’s publication, the film rights were sold to Paramount Pictures.Andy Weir, bestselling author of The Martian, called it, “A thrilling tale of time travel and alternate timelines with a refreshingly optimistic view of humanity’s future.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.If you missed the first half you can find it right here.In Part Two of this file Elan Mastai and I discuss: Why you should double check your facts before sending your manuscript to a celebrity How music can influence your writing style Why you need to give yourself permission to write badly The writer as entrepreneur whose one product is the inside of their brain Why your writing is a like a time machine The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 194,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress How Screenwriter and ‘All Our Wrong Todays’ Author Elan Mastai Writes: Part One All Our Wrong Todays – Elan Mastai ElanMastai.com Quit Social Media. Your Career May Depend on It. – Cal Newport How Andy Weir (Bestselling Author of ‘The Martian’) Writes: Part One How Bestselling Author Austin Kleon Writes: Part One How Wired Magazine’s Senior Maverick Kevin Kelly Writes: Part One Elan Mastai on IMDb Elan Mastai on Goodreads Elan Mastai on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices