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

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 #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Robert Crais Writes: Part Two

Award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author, Robert Crais, returns to talk with me about the destruction of the recent LA fires, writing “enlightened” crime fiction, and the 20th in his Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series THE BIG EMPTY. Robert Crais is the author of 24 novels, 20 featuring private investigator Elvis Cole…

Read More
Audio Player

How #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Robert Crais Writes: Part One – Redux

Award-winning and #1 NY Times bestselling author, Robert Crais, spoke to me about breathing life into the ur detective novel, the legacy of Raymond Chandler, his love of LA, and his latest, “Racing the Light.”

Read More
Audio Player

How NY Times Bestselling Author L.M. Elliott Writes

New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist L.M. Elliott spoke with me about the heyday of magazine writing and new journalism, why research tells her what to write, and her latest novel TRUTH, LIES, AND THE QUESTIONS IN BETWEEN.

Read More
Audio Player

How Award-Winning TV Writer & Novelist Georgia Jeffries Writes

Award-winning TV writer/producer turned novelist Georgia Jeffries spoke with me about why Cagney and Lacey was her film school, teaching screenwriting at USC, and the ghosts, grief, and grievance in her debut novel THE YOUNGER GIRL.

Read More
Audio Player

How NY Times Bestselling Author Ann Napolitano Writes: Redux

NOTE: Repost of our second most popular episode of the year, Happy Holidays! New York Times bestselling author, Ann Napolitano, spoke with me about overcoming rejection early on, how grief transformed her writing process, and getting that fateful call from Oprah about Hello Beautiful.

Read More
Audio Player

How to Finish the First Draft of Anything with Jeff Goins: Redux

NOTE: Repost of our most popular episode of the year by far, enjoy! 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.

Read More
Audio Player

How NY Times Bestselling Author Penn Cole Writes

New York Times bestselling author Penn Cole spoke with me about her past life as an attorney, living in Paris, how she became a breakout hybrid author, and book #2 in the Kindred’s Curse saga: GLOW OF THE EVERFLAME.

Read More
Audio Player

How PEN/Bellwether Award-Winner Fabienne Josaphat Writes

PEN/Bellwether winner Fabienne Josaphat spoke with me about being born into storytelling, writing socially engaged fiction, and the revolution and injustice at the center of her new novel KINGDOM OF NO TOMORROW.

Read More
Audio Player

14 Timeless Storytelling Principles with Author Douglas Vigliotti: Part One

Polymath and author of ARISTOTLE FOR NOVELISTS Douglas Vigliotti spoke with me about the outsized influence of Poetics on storytelling, why a well-told story is so cathartic, and the three big questions every writer must answer.

Read More
Audio Player

How NY Times Bestselling Author Christina Lynch Writes

New York Times bestselling author Christina Lynch spoke with me about working with Harvard pal Conan O’Brien, gang writing for TV, her nom de plume, and her new novel, PONY CONFIDENTIAL, featuring a grumpy pony.

Read More
Audio Player
Subscribe to Our Newsletter