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.

Arts
Books
Education
101
How Internationally Bestselling Author Liv Cons...
Internationally bestselling authors, Lynne & Valerie Constantine – AKA Liv Constantine – spoke to me about the importance of writers’ conferences, how to write perfidy with your best friend, and their latest thriller THE SENATOR'S WIFE.
30 min
102
How NY Times Bestselling Author Fiona Barton Wr...
New York Times bestselling author, Fiona Barton, spoke to me about why so many famous journalists have turned to crime fiction, the power of the deadline, and her latest hit novel LOCAL GONE MISSING.
30 min
103
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Carley Fortu...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Carley Fortune, spoke to me about her storied career as a journalist, writing a breakout hit in just four months, and her latest novel, MEET ME AT THE LAKE.
30 min
104
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Emily Henry ...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry, returns 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
105
How Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Hernan Diaz W...
NOTE: This is an updated replay of an amazing chat I had with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Hernan Diaz, who spoke to me exactly one year ago about rejection, his unusual path to literary stardom, subverting reader expectations, and his latest novel TRUST.
33 min
106
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ruta Sepetys...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Ruta Sepetys, spoke to me about what she learned in the music industry, the secrets to strong, vivid writing, and her non-fiction debut YOU: THE STORY: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory.
30 min
107
How NY Times Bestselling Author J. Ryan Stradal...
New York Times bestselling author, J. Ryan Stradal, spoke to me about the unsurpassed passive aggressiveness of Midwesterners, writing about the restaurant industry during the pandemic, and his latest novel SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE LAKESIDE SUPPER CLUB.
29 min
108
How NY Times Bestselling Author Chanel Cleeton ...
New York Times bestselling author, Chanel Cleeton, spoke to me about her passion for exploring Cuban-American identity via women's perspectives throughout history, how she plots her popular historical fiction, and her latest novel THE CUBAN HEIRESS.
26 min
109
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Bonnie Garmu...
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Bonnie Garmus, spoke to me about the evolution of her craft, how her protagonist changed her life, getting blurbed by Stephen King, and the never-ending book tour for her lauded debut LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY.
27 min
110
How NY Times Bestselling Author Gregg Hurwitz W...
New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author, Gregg Hurwitz, spoke with me about why all writing is a process of self-discovery, how to humanize a trained assassin, and the latest Orphan X thriller, THE LAST ORPHAN.
33 min
111
How Critically Acclaimed Author Margot Douaihy ...
Critically acclaimed debut crime novelist and poet, Margot Douaihy, spoke with me about what she learned from Gillian Flynn, subverting the hard-boiled mystery, and writing a queer, iconoclastic, chain-smoking, punk rock nun, for her latest SCORCHED GRACE.
42 min
112
How to Write a Bestselling Audio Drama with Wri...
Yale educator and TV writer/producer, Aaron Tracy, spoke with me about what it takes to make it as a TV writer, breaking into the audio drama space, producing Audible’s most successful original fiction series, and working on the upcoming “Supreme” with Eva Longoria.
39 min
113
How Award-Winning Author, Artist & Filmmaker Le...
Award-winning author, visual artist, and filmmaker, Leopoldo Gout, spoke with me about making music videos for David Byrne, going from homeless auteur to working for James Patterson, his unique creative process, and his latest horror novel PIÑATA.
57 min
114
How NY Times Bestselling Author Jill Santopolo ...
New York Times and internationally bestselling author, Jill Santopolo, spoke with me about finding balance as a writer/publisher, writing as therapy, the universal power of myths, and her latest novel STARS IN AN ITALIAN SKY.
29 min
115
How NY Times Bestselling Author Rebecca Makkai ...
New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer finalist, Rebecca Makkai, spoke with me about her love of the short story, the true crime industrial complex, and her latest “literary feminist boarding school murder mystery,” I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
33 min
116
How NY Times Bestselling Author William Landay ...
Award-winning and New York Times bestselling novelist, William Landay, spoke with me about how former lawyers get pigeonholed in publishing, why we can’t get enough true crime, and his latest ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME.
40 min
117
‘On Writing and Failure’ with Author Stephen Ma...
Former Shakespeare professor and author, Stephen Marche, spoke with me about how to roll with the punches, finding comfort in the history of writerly failure, and his candid guide on handling a lifetime of rejection, “On Writing and Failure.”
27 min
118
How NY Times Bestselling Author Deepti Kapoor W...
New York Times bestselling novelist, Deepti Kapoor, spoke with me about plumbing her subconscious for stories, a changing India and the trifecta of big business, crime, and corruption, and her sprawling saga AGE OF VICE.
26 min
119
How NY Times Bestselling Debut Novelist Ana Rey...
New York Times bestselling debut author, Ana Reyes, spoke with me about the importance of the writing community, the evolution of a haunting tale from graduate thesis to instant bestseller, and her first thriller “The House in the Pines.”
26 min
120
How NY Times Bestselling Horror Writer Grady He...
Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter, Grady Hendrix, spoke with me about getting serious about horror, turning genre tropes on their head, and his latest “How to Sell a Haunted House.”
30 min
121
How Academy Award-Nominated Screenwriter & Nove...
Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and debut novelist, Iris Yamashita, spoke to me about working with Clint Eastwood, her journey from Hollywood to publishing, and falling down the rabbit hole with her first mystery “City Under One Roof.”
32 min
122
How Acclaimed Debut Novelist Kai Thomas Writes
Acclaimed debut novelist, Kai Thomas, spoke to me about writing historical fiction that interweaves Black and Indigenous cultures, the power of storytelling, keeping grounded in his work, and his novel “In the Upper Country.”
36 min
123
How NY Times Bestselling Author Jayne Ann Krent...
Award-winning and NY Times bestselling author, Jayne Ann Krentz, spoke to me about how persistence has defined her career, why you need to describe your core story in three words, and her latest thriller, “Sleep No More.”
30 min
124
How to Ghostwrite a Bestseller with Author Adam...
Award-winning indie journalist and author, Adam Skolnick, returns to discuss the “virus of dissatisfaction,” writing for modern-day samurai David Goggins, and their latest journey to bestseller with “Never Finished,” the sequel to a bestselling memoir.
37 min
125
How to Ghostwrite a Bestseller with Author Adam...
In Part Two of this file, we return with an exclusive look into the process behind not only how a writer gets paid to ghostwrite a title for a celebrity, but also the writing, research, and indie publishing of a book that has sat on top of the Amazon charts for over a year!
30 min