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

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, returned to chat about why bestsellers stick around for years, why fiction is perfectly geared for the human mind, and her latest YA thriller, THE GRANDEST GAME.Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 acclaimed young adult novels, including The Inheritance Games series (over 3 million copies sold), Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost, and The Naturals series.Her latest is another #1 New York Times bestseller, The Grandest Game (Volume 1) “... a new series that brings readers deeper into the lush, romantic, and puzzle-filled world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series, set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes.”Jen is a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science including a Ph.D. from Yale University, and “...is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination.”[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I discussed:  Juggling a book launch, edits, and revisions for three new books How to reboot a hit series to capture the same energy as the original Why she approaches writing as both a scientist and an author How she uses lists of her favorite tropes to unlock her scenes More theories on why readers love fiction And a lot more! Show Notes:  How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part One Jenniferlynnbarnes.com The psychology of fiction with Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Re:Thinking with Adam Grant - TED Audio Collective The Grandest Game (Volume 1) (The Grandest Game, 1) By Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Amazon) Jennifer Lynn Barnes Amazon Author Page Jennifer Lynn Barnes on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award-winning author and journalist, Alex Temblador, spoke with me about seeing publishing through rose-colored glasses, teaching writers to create inclusive narratives, and her essential guide WRITING AN IDENTITY NOT YOUR OWN.Alex Temblador is an award-winning travel, arts, and culture journalist, award-winning author of novels Half Outlaw, and Secrets of the Casa Rosada, as well as the Executive Director of Write Here DFW and the founder and moderator of LitTalk at Whose Books, a panel series for Dallas-Forth Worth authors.Her recently published resource, WRITING AN IDENTITY NOT YOUR OWN: A Guide for Creative Writers (8/13/24 from St. Martin’s Essentials), is described as a “...practical guide [that] delves into one of the most contentious topics in creative writing: creating characters with historically marginalized identities.”David Mura, author of A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity & Narrative Craft in Writing said of the author, "Alex Temblador provides a concrete and detailed guide to the issues of misrepresentation, appropriation and stereotypes in creative writing….and interrogates not just issues of craft but the biases we all carry that we may be unaware of. An essential text."Alex has an MFA in Creative Writing and her journalism has been published in Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, Travel + Leisure, among others.[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Alex Temblador and I discussed:Writing subtitles for filmsHer love of magical realismHow she became a freelance journalist focusing on DEIWhy she decided to undertake an ambitious creative writing guide What authors can do for their mental healthAnd a lot more!Show Notes:www.alextemblador.comWriting an Identity Not Your Own: A Guide for Creative Writers by Alex Temblador (Amazon)writinganidentitynotyourown.comAlex Temblador on InstagramAlex Temblador on TwitterKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writers, publishing experts, and Hungry Authors podcast hosts, Ariel Curry and Liz Morrow, returned to chat about playing the long game, meeting readers where they’re at, and the origins of their much-anticipated publishing guide.Ariel Curry is a writer and Senior Editor of nonfiction at Sourcebooks with over 10 years of experience in traditional publishing. Her partner in crime at hungryauthors.com is Liz Morrow, a traditionally published ghostwriter for entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and business experts who specializes in personal and professional development and memoir.Their debut as co-authors is Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book (August 6, 2024), available now.[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Ariel, Liz and I discussed:Time-blocking, non-negotiables, and writing when you have kidsHow the Hungry Authors multiverse came to beWhy finding comps to your work is so importantHow to navigate the publishing landscape without losing faithOvercoming fear, procrastination, scarcity mindset, impostor syndrome …And much more!Show Notes:How to Plan, Write & Publish Nonfiction with Hungry Authors Hosts Ariel Curry & Liz Morrow: Part Onehungryauthors.comHungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book by Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry (Amazon)Hungry Authors - Podcast w/ Ariel Curry & Liz MorrowKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and teacher, Natalie Goldberg, spoke to me about igniting a revolution with Writing Down the Bones, meeting creative block in a cemetery, and her latest, WRITING ON EMPTY: A Guide to Finding Your Voice.Natalie Goldberg is a poet, teacher, author, painter, and 24-year student of Zen Buddhism who teaches writing workshops based on the methods presented in her popular bestseller Writing Down the Bones. The book has sold over a million copies and has been translated into 14 languages.Her latest is Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice, where the author “... shares her inspiring personal journey out of a devastating period of writer’s block and back into a life of growth, creativity, and healing.”Described as a guide to “… discovering how to write through the emptiness in order to fill up the world with compassion, healing, and renewed liveliness.” Publishers Weekly praised it as "... a refreshingly honest look at the struggles of the creative mind."[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Natalie Goldberg and I discussed: How her Zen practice informs her workHer early life as a poetWhen New York publishers made fun of her, at their perilWhy she hates the diagnosis “writer’s block”Finding catharsis in writing a personal historyAnd a lot more!Show Notes:NatalieGoldberg.comWriting on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice by Natalie Goldberg (Amazon)Natalie Goldberg Amazon Author PageNatalie Goldberg on FacebookKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Lev Grossman, spoke to me about his tenure at Time magazine, how The Magicians poked holes in Narnia and Potter, and reimagining a legend with THE BRIGHT SWORD: A Novel of King Arthur.Lev Grossman is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy—The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land—which has been published in 30 countries and adapted as a TV show that ran for five seasons on SYFY.His latest novel is THE BRIGHT SWORD: A Novel of King Arthur, named a Best Summer Read by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, Vulture, Esquire, Boston Globe, Elle, Town & Country, Seattle Times, New York Post, Lit Hub, and many others.George R. R. Martin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones said of the book, “If you love King Arthur as much as I do, you’ll love Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword, a fresh and engrossing take on the Matter of Britain featuring a colorful cast of Round Table knights who don’t often get as much story time as they deserve. The creator of The Magicians has woven another spell.”Lev has written two critically acclaimed novels for children, and the screenplay for the movie The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, a finalist for the Critic’s Choice awards (based on his short story).He also worked as a staff writer at Time magazine, and has written essays and articles for Vanity Fair, the Believer, the Village Voice, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Salon, Slate, Wired, Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, NPR, and many others. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Lev Grossman and I discussed: How he talked his way into writing for Time magazineThe evolution of his career from journalist to novelistBreaking through with middle-grade fantasy and The MagiciansHow he “got into the weeds” with his latest Arthurian tomeWorld-building for streaming vs. collaborating on the graphic novelAnd a lot more!Show Notes:levgrossman.comThe Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossman (Amazon)Lev Grossman Amazon Author PageLev Grossman on FacebookLev Grossman on InstagramLev Grossman on TwitterKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauded debut author, Isabel Banta, spoke to me about working at Books Are Magic with Emma Straub, her love of Britney Spears, and capturing Y2K era pop superstardom in her debut novel HONEY.Isabel Banta is a writer, book publicist, and indie bookseller at Books Are Magic in Brooklyn.Her debut novel is HONEY, named a 'GMA' Buzz Pick and described as “...a coming-of-age story about a pop star in the late '90s and early 2000s who's determined to find and claim her own identity.”Honey was named a best book of the summer by PEOPLE, ELLE, PureWow and Our Culture, as well as a Goodreads Editor's Choice and IndieNext Pick.New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub said of the book, "Honey is a sexy swagger of a debut." LitHub named it one of 18 Books to Read this Summer, “A delightfully bubblegum novel of hot summer nostalgia that also lands some serious blows to the patriarchal mores of a cultural milieu we still haven’t fully shaken off.”[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Isabel Banta and I discussed: Why she loves talking about and promoting other writersThe surreality of finally publishing her own bookHow she approached the subject of the commodification of young stars in the music industryWhy you need to pivot POVs as a novelistHer writing routineAnd a lot more!Show Notes:isabelbanta.comHoney: A Novel By Isabel Banta (Amazon)Isabel Banta on InstagramKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jodi Picoult, spoke with me about writing for Wonder Woman, adapting books for musical theater, and the question of Shakespeare's true authorship in her upcoming novel BY ANY OTHER NAME.Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of 30 novels, including landmark titles such as Mad Honey – her most recent 1 million-copy bestseller – Wish You Were Here, A Spark of Light, and Small Great Things. 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide and have been translated into 34 languages.Her forthcoming novel is BY ANY OTHER NAME (on sale 8/20; Ballantine), described as a novel about two women, centuries apart – one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays – who are both forced to hide behind another name.#1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah said of the book, “You’ll fall in love with Emilia Bassano, the unforgettable heroine based on a real woman that Picoult brings vividly to life in her brilliantly researched new novel.” Elle called it, “[An] inspiring work of feminist literature inspired by real historical accounts.”Jodi was also co-librettist for the stage musical adaptation of her young adult novel Between the Lines (which premiered Off-Broadway in Summer 2022), the co-librettist of the musical BREATHE, the co-librettist of the musical adaptation of The Book Thief, and she is currently at work on an adaptation of Austenland.[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Jodi Picoult and I discussed:  What's changed and what hasn't for women (in theater) over 400+ years? The best time to break an arm for an author How she works in cycles for her books Why her kids made her write for Wonder Woman The conundrum of a famous playwright who didn’t own a single book And a lot more! Show Notes: jodipicoult.com By Any Other Name: A Novel By Jodi Picoult (Amazon) Jodi Picoult Amazon Author Page WAS SHAKESPEARE A WOMAN? – Elizabeth Winkler for The Atlantic Jodi Picoult on Facebook Jodi Picoult on Twitter Jodi Picoult on Instagram Jodi Picoult on TikTok Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Critically acclaimed author, Tracy O'Neill, spoke with me about reality hunger vs. the hyper-realness of the pandemic, writing a love letter to friendship, and searching for her birth mother in her noir-adjacent memoir WOMAN OF INTEREST.Tracy O'Neill is a National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 honoree, and the author of The Hopeful, one of Electric Literature's Best Novels of 2015, and Quotients, a New York Times​ New & Noteworthy Book, TOR Editor's Choice, & Literary Hub Favorite Book of 2020.Her first book of nonfiction is the memoir WOMAN OF INTEREST (HarperOne; on-sale: 6/25/24) described by The Millions as “an intimate memoir written with the narrative propulsion of a detective novel” in their list of Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2024.In a Starred Review Publishers Weekly, called it “…riveting… cool, noir-tinted prose shot through with wit and compassion, O’Neill presents her inquiry as a sort of metaphysical detective story. Readers will be riveted.”Her writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, the New Yorker, LitHub, and BOMB, among other publications. She teaches at Vassar College and holds an MFA from the City College of New York and a PhD from Columbia University.[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Tracy O'Neill and I discussed:COVID as a catalyst for life changeWhy real life doesn’t adhere to any genreMeditations on language and storytellingHow her process has evolved from fiction to non-fictionAnd a lot more!Show Notes:tracyoneill.netWoman of Interest: A Memoir By Tracy O'Neill (Amazon)Tracy O'Neill Amazon Author PageTracy O'Neill on TwitterTracy O'Neill on InstagramKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author, podcaster, blogger, speaker, and my friend Jeff Goins, recently brought me along on a creative journey called Hey, Creator! and it was some of the most fun I’ve had as a podcast producer. I also learned a lot from Jeff over the course of the show.We’re back with another episode from the second season we did together titled “Living the Dream.”`Jeff Goins helps creative people succeed. Through his bestselling books, courses, coaching, and speeches, he shares his ongoing transformation journey, inspiring creators to discover their voice and share it with the world.He is also the founder of Fresh Complaint, a bespoke creative agency that helps authors, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs turn their stories and ideas into books that change the way people think.[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Jeff Goins and I discussed:What tattoos, dreams, and bulls have in commonThis dream-like existence we call lifeThe creator’s dilemma of making sense of the mysteryAnd a lot more!Show Notes:goinswriter.comfreshcomplaint.comHey, Creator! PodcastJeff Goins Amazon Author PageKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author, Fred Waitzkin, spoke with me about journalism, Searching for Bobby Fischer, the thin veil between fiction and non-fiction, and the Zen of his latest novel ANYTHING IS GOOD.Fred Waitzkin is the journalist and internationally acclaimed bestselling author of Searching for Bobby Fischer, made into the Academy Award-nominated film of the same name.His work has appeared in Esquire, New York Magazine, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and Forbes, among other publications.Fred Waitzkin’s fourth novel, Anything Is Good, is described as a “... hypnotically compelling tale of a man haunted by the fate of his childhood buddy, and of that friend’s pleasures and misfortunes as he navigates an unhoused life.”Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks said of the book, “Anything Is Good, based on the true story of a brilliant and beleaguered childhood friend, offers a deeply affecting dive into the lives of the unhoused.”[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm][If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]In this file Fred Waitzkin and I discussed:Finding his unique voice as a journalistWhy great writers blend non-fiction and fictionHow he chose the subject matter of his latest bookThe evolution of his process as a novelistWhy he hates the question, “What’s next?”And a lot more!Show Notes:FredWaitzkin.comAnything Is Good by Fred Waitzkin (Amazon)Fred Waitzkin Amazon Author PageFred Waitzkin on FacebookFred Waitzkin on InstagramKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices