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

This is a special edition of the show where we take a glimpse behind the scenes at how we produce the program, and the people responsible for it. As Rainmaker.FM approaches it’s 2nd anniversary, I thought it apropos to examine how we got here.This is going to be fun!It may seem like I’m just a guy in a garage – like so many podcasters – who interviews writers and then frantically scrambles to produce the show in the margins of my real job as a multimedia producer for Rainmaker Digital.I do host and help produce the show of course, but I don’t record it in my garage, sorry. But you will learn how and where I do it. This week I also get the rare opportunity to shine a light on my talented production team and how this all happens.Note: The conclusion of my chat with screenwriter and author of All Our Wrong Todays, Elan Mastai will be published Feb. 7th, the day his new book comes out.If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In this episode our production team and I talk about: How the show made the jump from a written interview to a podcast format with Robert Bruce The process we use to book our writers with Caroline Early How I research, record interviews, and write for the show’s website Why the raw audio for the shows needs a little massaging from a pro audio engineer with Toby Lyles How it all comes together to beam to your phone or desktop, and nestle neatly in your ears with Clare Garrett The Show Notes Begin your free, 14-day trial of the Rainmaker Platform and start building your own digital marketing and sales platform today at Rainmaker.FM/Platform StudioPress.com Unusually Short Stories at RobertBruce.com Proust Questionnaire – Wikipedia Here’s How Brian Clark Writes – The inaugural issue of The Writer Files Longform Podcast #226: Terry Gross ScheduleOnce.com – Scheduling platform Caroline Early on Twitter Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone, Cardioid Auralex soundproofing Call Recorder for Skype Zencastr.com How Oscar Nominee Emma Donoghue (Screenwriter of ‘Room’) Writes: Part One How Bestselling Author Hugh Howey Writes TwentyFourSound – The premier podcast network editing service The Learn Podcast Production Podcast – TwentyFourSound Adobe Audition CC GarageBand for Mac Audacity – Free, open source, cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing Trello – Workflow collaboration tool Rafal Tomal – Lead Designer at Rainmaker Digital Rev.com – Transcription service Kibin.com – Editing service Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The award-winning screenwriter and author of the debut novel All Our Wrong Todays, Elan Mastai, dropped by the show this week 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.In Part One of this file Elan Mastai and I discuss: His grandfather’s vintage sci-fi collection and how it inspired him How he launched his screenwriting career by translating Pulp Fiction into a kid’s movie Why writers need to know their weaknesses How the busy screenwriter and producer found time to write a novel The hard science of time travel and storytelling 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 Two All Our Wrong Todays – Elan Mastai ElanMastai.com How Andy Weir (Bestselling Author of ‘The Martian’) 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

In Part Two of this file the writer and managing editor of Francis Ford Coppola’s award-winning magazine Zoetrope: All-Story, Manjula Martin, returns to the show this week to talk about her new book and “…the realities of making a living in the writing world.”Manjula is the founder of the website Who Pays Writers?, an invaluable service dedicated to helping freelance writers anonymously share current publication rates and their experiences getting paid.As managing editor of Zoetrope: All-Story magazine, a title that has won every major story award including the National Magazine Award for Fiction, Ms. Martin sees to the quarterly publication of a stable of prominent contemporary writers and artists.In her first book, Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, the editor has collected interviews and “…essays from today’s most acclaimed authors–from Cheryl Strayed to Roxane Gay to Jennifer Weiner, Alexander Chee, Nick Hornby, and Jonathan Franzen…” on the intersection of writing and commerce.The New Republic said of the writer, “Manjula Martin has done more than perhaps anyone else to shed light on the financial nitty-gritty of the writing profession.”Her writing has also appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Pacific Standard, Aeon Magazine, Hazlitt Magazine, The Awl, SF Weekly, The Rumpus, and many others.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 Manjula Martin and I discuss: Productivity, irregular hours, and the 400 hats of a working editor and writer Why finding your writing flow is so important when you have a day job One great hack for beating writer’s block How creativity resists definition Why writers need to share info about making a living 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 Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living ManjulaMartin.com How Publishing Consultant, Educator, and Author Jane Friedman Writes: Part One Who Pays Writers? Zoetrope: All-Story Magazine How Bestselling Author Austin Kleon Writes: Part One three cents newsletter by Manjula Martin Manjula Martin on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The writer and managing editor of Francis Ford Coppola’s award-winning magazine Zoetrope: All-Story, Manjula Martin, paid a visit to the show this week to talk about her new book and “…the realities of making a living in the writing world.”Manjula is the founder of the website Who Pays Writers?, an invaluable service dedicated to helping freelance writers anonymously share current publication rates and their experiences getting paid.As managing editor of Zoetrope: All-Story magazine, a title that has won every major story award including the National Magazine Award for Fiction, Ms. Martin sees to the quarterly publication of a stable of prominent contemporary writers and artists.In her first book, Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, the editor has collected interviews and “…essays from today’s most acclaimed authors–from Cheryl Strayed to Roxane Gay to Jennifer Weiner, Alexander Chee, Nick Hornby, and Jonathan Franzen…” on the intersection of writing and commerce.The New Republic said of the writer, “Manjula Martin has done more than perhaps anyone else to shed light on the financial nitty-gritty of the writing profession.”Her writing has also appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Pacific Standard, Aeon Magazine, Hazlitt Magazine, The Awl, SF Weekly, The Rumpus, and many others.If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part One of this file Manjula Martin and I discuss: Why the school of real life is so valuable to writers How an unpaid internship led to a dream job The revenge of analog and print magazines How a Tumblr became an inspiring collection of stories on the writing life 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 the Editor of ‘Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living’ Manjula Martin Writes: Part Two Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living ManjulaMartin.com How Publishing Consultant, Educator, and Author Jane Friedman Writes: Part One Who Pays Writers? Zoetrope: All-Story Magazine three cents newsletter by Manjula Martin Manjula Martin on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The business and culture journalist and bestselling author of the recent book The Revenge of Analog, David Sax, returned to the show to talk about the writing life, the importance of real things in a digital world, and the revenge of paper.David is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, The New Yorker online, and other publications.The author’s first book, Save the Deli, was an Los Angeles Times bestseller and won the James Beard Award for Writing and Literature.His latest, The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter, “… looks at the resurgence of analog goods and ideas, during a time when we assumed digital would conquer all.” It was longlisted for the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine and author of The Inevitable, said of the book, “The better digital gets, the more important analog becomes….Sax s reporting is eye-opening and mind-changing.”NOTE: This is the last episode of the year for us, due to the impending holiday break, but we will return with more great interviews for you in 2017. Thanks for listening!If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part Two of this file David Sax and I discuss: Why you should work regular hours and the author’s ‘Cinderella Clause’ The significance of unplugging for writers How to record your audiobook in the same studio as Drake Why the reward is the work for sustaining your writing 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 Journalist and Bestselling Author of ‘The Revenge of Analog’ David Sax Writes: Part One The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter David Sax books on Amazon What Barnes & Noble Doesn t Get About Bookstores – David Sax for The New Yorker Is the Novel Dead? Part One David Sax on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The business and culture journalist and bestselling author of the recent book The Revenge of Analog, David Sax, dropped by the show to talk about the writing life, the importance of real things in a digital world, and the revenge of paper.David is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, The New Yorker online, and other publications.The author’s first book, Save the Deli, was an Los Angeles Times bestseller and won the James Beard Award for Writing and Literature.His latest, The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter,”…looks at the resurgence of analog goods and ideas, during a time when we assumed digital would conquer all.” It was longlisted for the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine and author of The Inevitable, said of the book, “The better digital gets, the more important analog becomes….Sax s reporting is eye-opening and mind-changing.”If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part One of this file David Sax and I discuss: Writing at the intersections of business and culture Why your best ideas come to you in the shower The importance of impeccable research for great non-fiction A road map for cranking out 3,000-4,000 words a day How printing and editing your work on paper can improve your writing 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 Journalist and Bestselling Author of ‘The Revenge of Analog’ David Sax Writes: Part Two The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter David Sax books on Amazon What Barnes & Noble Doesn t Get About Bookstores – David Sax for The New Yorker Is the Novel Dead? Part One How Wired Magazine’s Senior Maverick Kevin Kelly Writes: Part One How Oscar Nominee Emma Donoghue (Screenwriter of ‘Room’) Writes: Part One David Sax on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The multiple New York Times bestselling author of The Blue Zones books and National Geographic Fellow, Dan Buettner, dropped by the show to talk about his world travels, life-saving longevity research, and some fantastic advice for writers.The author is an internationally recognized explorer who discovered five places in the world — called Blue Zones — where humans live the longest and healthiest, and his 2005 National Geographic cover story “The Secrets of Living Longer” was a finalist for a National Magazine Award.Based on his Blue Zones work, Dan founded a company of the same name to share “the world’s best practices in longevity and well-being” and has helped to successfully raise life expectancy in American cities including both Minnesota and Los Angeles.Mr. Buettner has been featured on Real Time with Bill Maher, CNN, the Late Show with David Letterman, Good Morning America, and the TODAY show to discuss his research.His TED talk “How to live to be 100+” has been viewed almost 2.9 million times, and he has given more than 500 keynote speeches over the last 10 years.If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In this file Dan Buettner and I discuss: Wise words from the author’s mentor George Plimpton Why good stories are the Trojan Horse to winning over readers How a decade of research and writing became a life-saving blueprint for American cities The coffee shop effect for productive writing One great trick for beating writer’s block Why building your brand is so important for writers 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 Award-Winning Sports & Travel Writer Adam Skolnick (Author of ‘One Breath’) Writes: Part One BlueZones.com Dan Buettner books on Amazon National Geographic Explorer – Dan Buettner Dan Buettner’s TED talk ‘How to live to be 100+’ Dan Buettner on Facebook Blue Zones on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The co-creator and co-writer of the #1 international hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale and New York Times bestselling co-author of the novel of same name, Jeffrey Cranor, dropped by the show to talk about the importance of collaboration, deadlines, and bad writing.In addition to producing and touring with the theater ensemble The New York Neo-Futurists, the playwright and author tours with live shows for the Night Vale Presents production banner, co-created with Joseph Fink.Night Vale Presents now produces four podcasts that regularly sit at the top of the charts — including Within the Wires, also created by the author — and recently published two volumes of episode transcripts that include extras for fans of their original show.Welcome to Night Vale has been described as “NPR meets The Twilight Zone,” a sci-fi broadcast about a small desert community where strange mythologies abound, and all conspiracy theory is potentially real.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 Jeffrey Cranor and I discuss: The power of productive procrastination How ‘making the familiar strange’ produces great writing Why it’s really hard to be good all the time How the battle against expectation can surprise readers The art of great audiobooks as performance The Show Notes Audible is Offering a Free Audiobook Download with a 30-day Trial: Grab Your Free Audiobook Here – audibletrial.com/rainmaker Welcome To Night Vale Welcome To Night Vale on Facebook Night Vale Presents Jeffrey Cranor on Amazon Jeffrey Cranor’s website NY Neo-Futurists Theater Company Jeffrey Cranor on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The co-creator and co-writer of the #1 international hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale and New York Times bestselling co-author of the novel of same name, Jeffrey Cranor, dropped by the show to talk about the importance of collaboration, deadlines, and bad writing.In addition to producing and touring with the theater ensemble The New York Neo-Futurists, the playwright and author tours with live shows for the Night Vale Presents production banner, co-created with Joseph Fink.Night Vale Presents now produces four podcasts that regularly sit at the top of the charts — including Within the Wires, also created by the author — and recently published two volumes of episode transcripts that include extras for fans of their original show.Welcome to Night Vale has been described as “NPR meets The Twilight Zone,” a sci-fi broadcast about a small desert community where strange mythologies abound, and all conspiracy theory is potentially real.If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.In Part One of this file Jeffrey Cranor and I discuss: Why writing collaboratively can help you become less ‘precious’ about your work How a hit podcast producer and novelist divides his time An author’s comforts in coffee and sports talk radio Why the law of averages says you won’t always find the words The import of building a platform and setting a deadline for publish The Show Notes Audible is Offering a Free Audiobook Download with a 30-day Trial: Grab Your Free Audiobook Here – audibletrial.com/rainmaker How #1 Hit Podcast ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ Co-Creator Jeffrey Cranor Writes: Part Two Welcome to Night Vale Welcome to Night Vale on Facebook Night Vale Presents Jeffrey Cranor on Amazon Jeffrey Cranor’s website NY Neo-Futurists Theater Company Jeffrey Cranor on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Literary scholar, publishing consultant, and co-author of the critically acclaimed book The Bestseller Code, Jodie Archer dropped by to chat with me about her journey, the coming revolution in publishing, and the insecurities that all writers face.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!Before earning her PhD from Stanford, Ms. Archer studied English at Cambridge, worked in both journalism and TV, and became an acquisitions editor for Penguin UK publishing.While at Stanford Jodie taught nonfiction and memoir writing, and researched both contemporary fiction and bestsellers. Upon completion of her doctoral work she was recruited by Apple where she was the lead in research on books.Her book, The Bestseller Code, is based on her doctoral research with professor Matt Jockers, an algorithm that they tested over four years and refined by text mining over 20,000 contemporary novels.The Guardian proclaimed that their book “… may revolutionize the publishing industry,” in part because their algorithm was able to predict bestselling books 80% of the time, based on a theme, plot, character and many other big data points.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 Jodie Archer and I discuss: How to use Google Docs to co-write a book Why every writer is organized in their own disorganized way How to get into your creativity zone The worst question you can ask a book lover Why authenticity is critical for your productivity The Show Notes Audible is Offering a Free Audiobook Download with a 30-day Trial: Grab Your Free Audiobook Here – audibletrial.com/rainmaker The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel – Jodie Archer & Matt Jockers ArcherJockers.com Jodie Archer on Good Reads Jodie Archer on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices