Write About Now

Guest David Grann is one of the most popular authors working today. He has a new book out called The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder, which tells the fascinating true story of an 18th-century British warship that wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The survivors sailed thousands of miles to safety, and later faced mutiny charges. Grann spent five years researching and writing this book, a task that required him to pour over hundreds of log books kept by the seaman and traverse the same treacherous seas they did. To learn more about Grann and how he rose to such prominence, listen to my first interview with @ https://bit.ly/3Mpik2J Subscribe to my Small Talk substack @ https://jonathan856.substack.com/ Support the show @ https://www.patreon.com/writeaboutnowpodcast

Hollywood writers went on strike last week, with thousands of WGA writers joining picket lines in LA and New York. But what are the writers striking for exactly—and how will it affect us as consumers and writers? Guest Miranda Banks joins the show to make sense of it all. Miranda is the author of The Writers: A History of American Screenwriters and Their Guild and associate professor and Department Chair of Film, Television, and Media Studies at Loyola Marymount. In the interview, she talks about why the writers are storming Hollywood studios from coast to coast, the threat of streaming services and AI to their livelihood, and how this strike fits into a historical context.

We all understand the importance of choosing the right words, but few realize that minor tweaks to how we speak and write can change people's minds, engage our audiences, and persuade them to do things we want them to do. Podcast guest Jonah Berger has a new book out called Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way. Berger is a marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a language detective. He shares what his research and science can tell us about language and how to use it more effectively. Want to watch the full video on youtube? Click here. To find out more about Write About Now, go here. More information on Jonah Berger.

Are you looking to start a hustle that helps you earn some extra money on the side? This episode is for you. Guest Nick Loper is the host of the podcast The Side Hustle Show and the author of nine books. At any given time, he's engaged in 10 to 15 side hustles that earn him hundreds to thousands of dollars monthly. On the show, we talk about identifying opportunities in your own life, the steps and barriers to success, writing side hustles in 2023, and much more.

The pandemic and economic turmoil have sparked many to ask: What's next for me in my career and life — and how do I get there? But most of us hesitate to make big changes for reasons such as financial insecurity, fear of the unknown, and fear of failure. Enter my guest Joanne Lipman, a seasoned journalist, and author of the new book, Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work. Joanne interviewed hundreds of people and poured over research to come up with a roadmap for people to make successful career changes. On this episode, she lays out the 4 s's: search, struggle, stop, and solution. These will help guide you on your exciting new path to change.

Dave Asprey joins the show to talk about his new book Smarter Not Harder: The Biohacker's Guide to Getting the Body and Mind You Want. Dave is an entrepreneur, author, and biohacker best known for founding Bulletproof Coffee. Using his body as a guinea pig, he experiments with different diets and fitness routines to optimize for health and wellness. He once said he aims to live to be 180 years old. Some of his views are controversial, but many swear by their effectiveness — and his made him a millionaire many times over. We cover such topics as how to tap into your body's natural operating system, the myth that willpower (or lack of it) is the problem, foods to eat and avoid, the best 10 minute workout you can do, and why he believes embracing your inherent laziness will increase your energy and optimizing your biology. Whether or not you agree with Dave, there is a ton of useful info to chew on here. Subscribe to my substack, Small Talk @ https://jonathan856.substack.com/ Join the WAN Patreon community for bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/writeaboutnowpodcast For more about Dave Asprey: https://daveasprey.com/

Love em or despise em, the number-one pop songs at any given time reflect the zeitgeist of popular culture and say a ton about how young people consume music. Guest Tom Briehan is a senior editor at Stereogum, where he writes "The Number Ones" column, cataloging the story behind every No. 1 single on Billboard's Hot 100 chart since 1965. His new book, The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music, singles out the singles that made an indelible mark. He tells the fascinating story of some of those songs, from "The Twist" to "Black Beatles." Subscribe to my substack Small Talk Support the show on Patreon

We're taught that anxiety is damaging and painful, and we must eradicate it like a disease, preventing it, medicating it, and overcoming its hold on us. But what if anxiety is actually an evolved advantage that protects us and strengthens our creative powers? That's the radical argument of this week's guest Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and author of Future Tense: Why Anxiety is Good for You (Even If It Feels Bad). Tracy talks about why humans have anxiety, the difference between anxiety and fear, why anxiety feels so awful, the relationship between anxiety and hope, and how to start embracing and appreciating anxiety — rather than worrying about it. Please subscribe to my substack Small Talk @ https://jonathan856.substack.com/ Support the show @ https://www.patreon.com/writeaboutnowpodcast

Nina Schick, an author and expert in Generative AI, dives into the rapid rise of technologies like ChatGPT and their impact on writing. She discusses how this AI can enhance or threaten the creative landscape and highlights the ethical concerns surrounding AI-generated content. Nina also explores the geopolitics of AI, emphasizing the importance of human oversight to maintain quality and integrity. Lastly, she encourages writers to adapt to these changes, using AI as a tool rather than viewing it as a foe.

Most of us know very little about our home's history. But for some, finding out who lived there before you and what went on between those walls can be a bone-chilling experience. UK-based writer Matt Blake wrote about such a discovery in a recent story for The Guardian Newly divorced, Blake bought a pretty Victorian house to share with his daughter. But as strange details begin to reveal themselves, he realizes that the home has a dark past.