The Writer Files: Writing, Productivi...
“Learn how acclaimed writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.”
Each week, host Kelton Reid chats with guests like Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, on life after becoming a laureate; #1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry on her past life as a YA mid-lister; Celebrated author, Walter Mosley, on his conflicted feelings after winning a National Book Award; NY Times bestselling author, Lisa Scottoline, on what she learned from literary lion Philip Roth; #1 NY Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane on what he borrowed from Clint Eastwood; and bestselling author, Matt Haig, on the process behind his novel, The Midnight Library, and serial guest hosts: neuroscientist Michael Grybko, journalist Adam Skolnick, and short story writer Robert Bruce.
26
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Mark Oshiro ...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Mark Oshiro, spoke with me about what journalism taught them about book editing, capturing a transitional age with young adult and middle-grade fiction, and their latest novel JASMINE IS HAUNTED.
37 min
27
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Emily Henry ...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry, returned to chat with me about depressing first drafts, what it's like to be a genre-bending, commercial fiction superstar, and her “glittering” new novel HAPPY PLACE.
30 min
28
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Dennis Lehan...
NOTE: This is an updated replay of my amazing chat with #1 New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter-producer Dennis Lehane. His latest novel, Small Mercies, was an instant NY Times Bestseller named an Amazon Editors' pick for Best Books 2023. Stephen King said of the book “Small Mercies is thought-provoking, engaging, enraging, and can’t-put-it-down entertainment.” Enjoy!
30 min
29
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lyn...
#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.
36 min
30
How Award-Winning Author Alex Temblador Writes
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.
32 min
31
How to Plan, Write & Publish Nonfiction with Hu...
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.
27 min
32
How Bestselling Author Natalie Goldberg Writes
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.
29 min
33
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Lev Grossman...
#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.
29 min
34
How Lauded Debut Author Isabel Banta Writes
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.
33 min
35
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jodi Picoult...
#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.
31 min
36
How Critically Acclaimed Author Tracy O'Neill W...
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.
31 min
37
Living the Dream with Jeff Goins
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.
59 min
38
How Bestselling Author Fred Waitzkin Writes
Bestselling author, Fred Waitzkin, spoke with me about journalism, The Search for Bobby Fischer, the thin veil between fiction and non-fiction, and the Zen of his latest novel ANYTHING IS GOOD.
32 min
39
How NY Times Bestselling Author Jami Attenberg ...
NOTE: This is an updated replay of my amazing chat with New York Times bestselling author, Jami Attenberg, in honor of the start of #1000WordsofSummer that kicked off June 1st! Take a listen to learn more about how to jump in and get going. You can always sign up at 1000wordsofsummer.substack.com to get a letter each day from Jami encouraging you to write 1000 words, additional notes from contributing authors, on writing, creativity, and productivity, and there are write-alongs, a slack channel, and of course the book. Enjoy!
32 min
40
On Mixtapes, or Curation vs. Creation with Jeff...
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.
41 min
41
How to Plan, Write & Publish Nonfiction with Hu...
Writers, publishing experts, and hosts of the Hungry Authors podcast, Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry, spoke with me about the biggest mistake you can make as a writer, the mindset needed to persevere, and their much-anticipated publishing guide.
35 min
42
How NY Times Bestselling Author April Henry Writes
Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author April Henry, spoke with me about winning the Edgar Award, killing people on paper, and researching her latest cat-and-mouse survival story, STAY DEAD.
37 min
43
How to Finish the First Draft of Anything with ...
Bestselling author, podcaster, blogger, speaker, and my friend Jeff Goins, brought me along on a creative journey not too long ago called Hey, Creator! and it was some of the most fun I’ve had as a podcast producer.
38 min
44
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Mark Sulliva...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Mark Sullivan, spoke to me about the story that saved his life, how to write history’s darkest chapters, and his latest novel based on a true story, All the Glimmering Stars.
38 min
45
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Tom Straw Wr...
#1 New York Times bestselling author and TV producer, Tom Straw, spoke to me about breaking into television, the Gordian knot of ghostwriting, and his new “culinary, espionage, travel thriller” THE ACCIDENTAL JOE.
32 min
46
How CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir W...
Emmy-winning TV journalist and CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, spoke to me about finding his beat, seeking “hope in a changing world,” and his debut, Life as We Know It (Can Be).
33 min
47
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Tomi Adeyemi...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Tomi Adeyemi, spoke to me about the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone, her evolution as a writer, and the final book in her Orisha trilogy, Children of Anguish and Anarchy.
28 min
48
How Stanford Prof. & Comms Expert Matt Abrahams...
Stanford Professor, communications expert, and author, Matt Abrahams, spoke with me about tips and tricks to hone your communication skills as a writer, and his award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart.
29 min
49
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline...
#1 New York Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Ernest Cline, spoke to me about what inspired him to become a novelist, the success of Ready Player One, and his love letter to Austin, Texas, the mostly true tall tale BRIDGE TO BAT CITY.
27 min
50
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline...
#1 New York Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Ernest Cline, spoke to me about what inspired him to become a novelist, the success of Ready Player One, and his love letter to Austin, Texas, the mostly true tall tale BRIDGE TO BAT CITY.
24 min