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

New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker columnist, Maria Konnikova, took a beat from her hectic schedule to talk with me about her new book and 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 getting more from your site today! Her latest book — The Confidence Game: Why W...

Award-winning journalist and author, Adam Skolnick, returned to the podcast and we got down to brass tacks about his writer’s journey, his new book, and the globetrotting life of a travel writer. 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 getting more from your site today! Adam’s first narrative...

Award-winning journalist and author, Adam Skolnick, returned to the podcast to get down to brass tacks about his writer’s journey, his new book, and the globetrotting life of a travel writer. 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 getting more from your site today! Adam’s first narrative nonf...

International bestselling author and critically acclaimed screenwriter of Room — Emma Donoghue — talked with me about her writing process and adapting her best known work into an award-winning movie. 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 getting more from your site today! In addition to writ...

International bestselling author and critically acclaimed screenwriter of Room — Emma Donoghue — talked with me about her writing process and adapting her best known work into an award-winning movie. 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 getting more from your site today! In addition to writ...

The bestselling author of The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do — Jeff Goins — stopped by for a marathon return to The Writer Files to cap off 2015. 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 getting more from your site today! His popular blog — Goinswriter.com —...

The bestselling author of The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do — Jeff Goins — stopped by for a marathon return to The Writer Files to cap off 2015.   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 getting more from your site today! His popular blog — Goinswriter.c...

The most fascinating news on the internet always seems to find its way into Dave Pell’s carefully curated — and always entertaining — NextDraft email newsletter.   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 getting more from your site today! Mr. Pell has turned his addiction for getting the sco...

Prolific, multi-brand entrepreneur Joanna Penn has turned her passion for writing into a successful career as both an educator and bestselling indie author.   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 getting more from your site today! As her dark, alter ego — J.F.Penn — she has notched chart-...

Prolific, multi-brand entrepreneur Joanna Penn has turned her passion for writing into a successful career as both an educator and bestselling indie author.   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 getting more from your site today! As her dark, alter ego — J.F.Penn — she has notched chart-...

Mr. Gottschall is the author or editor of seven books, including The Storytelling Animal — a New York Times Editor’s Choice Selection and a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize — and most recently he published a fascinating book titled The Professor in the Cage: Why Men Fight and Why We Like to Watch.   Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries c...

Mr. Gottschall is the author or editor of seven books, including The Storytelling Animal — a New York Times Editor’s Choice Selection and a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize — and most recently he published a fascinating book titled The Professor in the Cage: Why Men Fight and Why We Like to Watch.   Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries c...

Critically acclaimed screenwriter and director John August stopped by the show to chat with me about his writing process, the film business, and his hit podcast Scriptnotes.   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 getting more from your site today! Since his breakthrough film debut Go (199...

Critically acclaimed screenwriter and director John August stopped by the show to chat with me about his writing process, the film business, and his hit podcast Scriptnotes.   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 getting more from your site today! Since his breakthrough film debut Go (199...

From incredibly successful transmedia serial writer to internationally published author, this week’s guest — Michelle Miller — has tapped into her former life in high finance to create a hit franchise in The Underwriting.   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 getting more from your site...

From wildly successful transmedia serial writer to internationally published author, this week’s guest — Michelle Miller — has tapped into her former life in high finance to create a hit franchise in The Underwriting.   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 getting more from your site toda...

Author and Fast Company Editor Joe Berkowitz stopped by the podcast this week. His latest, a humor book titled You Blew It!: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life, lands this October. He took a break from his busy schedule to rap with me about how he survives the harried life of a big city journalist.   Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than...

Author and Fast Company Editor Joe Berkowitz stopped by the podcast this week. His latest, a humor book titled You Blew It!: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life, lands this October. He took a break from his busy schedule to rap with me about how he survives the harried life of a big city journalist.   Rainmaker. FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than...

The New York Times bestselling author of The Martian dropped by to chat with me about his writing process and the upcoming movie adaptation of his hit book directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon (release date October 2nd, 2015).   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 getting mor...

The New York Times bestselling author of The Martian dropped by to chat with me about his writing process and the upcoming movie adaptation of his hit book, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon (release date October 2nd, 2015).   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 getting mo...

Have you ever wondered why storytelling is such an omnipresent theme of human life? Welcome to another guest segment of “The Writer s Brain” where I pick the brain of a neuroscientist about elements of great writing.  Research scientist Michael Grybko — of the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington — returned to the podcast to help me define storytelling from a scientific standpo...

Prolific, bestselling, multi-genre author Hugh Howey took me on a walk through the writer’s process. Mr. Howey is the well-known author of Wool, and his self-published dystopian “Silo Series,” that has sold over two million copies worldwide. His books have been optioned for film and TV by well-known Hollywood director Ridley Scott and Heroes creator Tim Kring respectively. He has been a fierce adv...

The Showrunner behind multiple top-ranking podcasts and Vice President of Marketing for the Rainmaker. FM podcast network, Jerod Morris, paid me a visit this week to talk about his beginnings as a writer, podcaster, and digital marketer. Mr. Morris started out online as a sports blogger and became the editor of a high-traffic blog that was tapped by Fox Sports. His blogging has led to quite a few...

Multiple New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink stopped by The Writer Files to chat about his secrets for getting words onto the page.  Mr. Pink is the author of five provocative titles on the subjects of business, work, and human behavior — including To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others — and has written for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Sunday Tele...

New media pioneer and entrepreneur Darren Rowse — creator of both Digital Photography School and ProBlogger — joined me to chat about the opportunities that 13 years of blogging have provided, his new podcast, and the importance of having the right mindset as a writer. This sage blogging veteran and educator has blazed an inspiring path for enterprising online publishers. His step-by-step blog ser...