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

Welcome to another special edition of the show we traditionally call “writer porn,” and this week the writer, educator, and co-founder of Prolifiko, Bec Evans, stopped by to chat with me about writer personality types, productivity secrets, and understanding your writing psychology. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for man...

In Part Two of this special edition of the show we traditionally call “writer porn” I’ve invited back award-winning international journalist, author, and serial pundit, Adam Skolnick, to discuss a piece I wrote for Copyblogger.com last year titled, “21 Productivity Hacks from 21 Prolific Writers.” Over the last four years, I ve been given the fantastic opportunity to interview a wide range of more...

In this special edition of the show I’ve invited back award-winning international journalist, author, and serial pundit, Adam Skolnick, to discuss a piece I wrote for Copyblogger.com last year titled, “21 Productivity Hacks from 21 Prolific Writers.” Over the last four years, I've been given the fantastic opportunity to interview a wide range of more than 70 prolific, renowned, and bestselling aut...

  In Part Two of this special edition of the show we call “The Writer’s Brain,” a guest series with neuroscientist Michael Grybko, we dig into a phenomenon known as “impostor syndrome,” an experience many writers struggle with. The Experience Known as “Impostor Syndrome” The experience known as “impostor syndrome” has been recognized in over 70% of the population across a wide range of demographic...

Welcome back to a special edition of The Writer Files called “The Writer’s Brain,” a guest series with neuroscientist Michael Grybko, and in this episode we dig into a phenomenon known as “impostor syndrome,” an experience many writers struggle with. The Experience Known as “Impostor Syndrome” The experience known as “impostor syndrome” has been recognized in over 70% of the population across a wi...

Welcome back to a special edition of The Writer Files called “The Best of the Writer s Brain,” a series neuroscientist Michael Grybko and I started in 2015 where I enlisted his help to give us a tour of the inner workings of the writer’s process.  Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start gett...

Welcome back to a special edition of The Writer Files called “The Best of the Writer’s Brain,” a series neuroscientist Michael Grybko and I started in 2015 where I enlisted his help to give us a tour of the inner workings of the writer’s process. Q: Have you ever wondered why writer’s block is such a widely disputed malady, if it’s curable, or even real? As we wrap up our Summer hiatus before the...

Welcome back to a special edition of The Writer Files called “The Best of the Writer s Brain,” a series neuroscientist Michael Grybko and I started in 2015 where I enlisted his help to give us a tour of the inner workings of the writer’s process. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getti...

Welcome back to a special edition of The Writer Files called “The Best of the Writer s Brain,” a series neuroscientist Michael Grybko and I started in 2015 where I enlisted his help to give us a tour of the inner workings of the writer’s process. Q: Have you ever wondered how great writing creates an emotional response in readers? As we take a short Summer hiatus to book new guests for the upcomin...

Welcome back to a special edition of The Writer Files called “The Best of the Writer s Brain,” a series neuroscientist Michael Grybko and I started in 2015 where I enlisted his help to give us a tour of the inner workings of the writer’s process. Q: Have you ever wondered how prolific writers summon vast stores of creativity without breaking a sweat? As we take a short Summer hiatus to book new gu...

The iconic, international bestselling author of 14 novels, including the era-defining Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, Douglas Coupland, paid a visit to the show to rap with me about his latest collection, his strange ritual for starting a new book, and the timeless difficulties of getting published. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 c...

In Part Two of this file, the award-winning New York Times bestselling author, investigative journalist, and anthropologist, Scott Carney, returned to talk about the dangers of putting yourself into the story, what he’s learned in his 20+ years in mainstream publishing, and how he juggles his multiple creative adventures. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies i...

Award-winning New York Times bestselling author, investigative journalist, and anthropologist, Scott Carney, stopped by the show recently to talk about the dangers of putting yourself into the story, what he’s learned in his 20+ years in mainstream publishing, and how he juggles his multiple creative adventures. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 coun...

The multiple New York Times bestselling non-fiction author and New Yorker columnist, Maria Konnikova, dropped by the show back in early 2016 to chat with me about what it’s like to be a contributing journalist for a storied institution, productivity hacks, and her own creative process. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for...

In Part Two of this file the Editor-in-Chief of Copyblogger, my colleague and friend, Stefanie Flaxman, returned to chat with me about her journey from solopreneur to headline honcho, the rules of “ruthless editing,” her philosophy of creativity, and much more. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting...

Welcome to a double-stuffed episode of the show with the Editor-in-Chief of Copyblogger, my colleague and friend, Stefanie Flaxman, who stopped by this week to rap with me about her journey from solopreneur to headline honcho, the rules of “ruthless editing,” her philosophy of creativity, and much more. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries cho...

In Part Two of this file, the award-winning creator, producer, and host of the megahit Lore podcast, TV show, and book series, Aaron Mahnke, returned to share how he created his scary storytelling universe from scratch, his writing regimen for success, and advice to fellow scribes. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for mana...

The award-winning creator, producer, and host of the megahit Lore podcast, TV show, and book series, Aaron Mahnke, joined me this week to share how he created his scary storytelling universe from scratch, his writing regimen for success, and advice to fellow scribes. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress h...

The award-winning literary suspense novelist and New York Times bestselling author of The Bookseller, Cynthia Swanson, took a break before her upcoming book tour to chat with me about her new thriller, The Glass Forest, the writer-slash-designer s process and unique relationship with creativity, and how she finds her ideas. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies...

The multiple New York Times bestselling author of A Whole New Mind, Drive, and To Sell is Human, Daniel Pink, dropped by the show back in 2015 to chat with me about his experience as a TV producer, his take on writer’s block, and productivity & creativity hacks for non-fiction writers. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for...

In Part Two of this file, the celebrated cartoonist, writer, and co-author of the instant New York Times bestselling non-fiction book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, Zach Weinersmith, took a break to rap with me about writing a research-intensive book with his wife, the difference between nerds and geeks, and how he draws inspiration for his many creative...

Celebrated cartoonist, writer, and co-author of the instant New York Times bestselling non-fiction book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, Zach Weinersmith, took a break to rap with me about writing a research-intensive book with his wife, the difference between nerds and geeks, and how he draws inspiration for his many creative projects. Rainmaker. FM is Br...

In the cliffhanger conclusion to my chat with author and publishing consultant, Jodie Archer, we are joined this week by Dr. Matthew Jockers, English Professor & Dean at the University of Nebraska, and co-author of the internationally acclaimed book The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel. We’ll talk about Matt’s game-changing research at the heart of the book, the two authors’ new c...

Writer, literary scholar, publishing consultant, and co-author of the internationally acclaimed book The Bestseller Code, Jodie Archer, returns one year later to chat with me about the book’s runaway success, turning the algorithm into an innovative consulting service for writers, her own writer’s journey, and one very unexpected turn for the host of this show. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By D...

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian, Andy Weir, dropped by the show in 2015 to chat with me about his writing process in the days just prior to the release of the Oscar Nominated movie adaptation of his hit book, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon. Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for mana...