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

Hosted ByKelton Reid

Kelton Reid studies the habits, habitats, and brains of a wide spectrum of renowned writers to learn their secrets of productivity and creativity. Tune in each week to learn how great writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid block. Explore our archives at writerfiles.fm to find interviews with notable guests that include bestselling authors John Scalzi (Old Mans War), Greg Iles (Natchez Burning), Jay McInerney (Bright Lights, Big City), Kevin Kelly (founder of WIRED magazine), Emma Donoghue (Oscar Nominee for Room), Maria Konnikova (The Confidence Game), Andy Weir (The Martian), Dan Buettner (The Blue Zones), Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist), Daniel Pink (When), and serial guest hosts: neuroscientist Michael Grybko, journalist Adam Skolnick, and short story writer Robert Bruce.

How Sarah Stodola (Author of Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors ) Writes

Journalist and creative non-fiction author Sarah Stodola shared her writer s file with me in this episode. Her recent book Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors is a fascinating collection of the habits and habitats of heralded scribes.

Ms. Stodola is also an accomplished journalist and editor whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Mental Floss, The Daily Beast, The Fiscal Times, Conde Nast Traveler, The Nation, The Wall Street Journal, Storyboard, Slate, and many others.

Take a listen to learn about the process of an author who is a curator of true writer porn, a window into the processes of the greats.

In this 21-minute file Sarah Stodola and I discuss:

  • How to Write About Great Writers
  • The Weird Trick Coffee Shops Play on Productivity
  • Sarah s New Definition of Writer s Block
  • A Surefire Way to Find Freedom from The Internet
  • Can a Season Be a Muse to Writers?
  • Where Does True Writing Genius Really Come From?
  • Why Writing is Rewriting
  • The Three Rules for Writing a Novel
  • Why You Shouldn t Worry About Your First Drafts

Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below …

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