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

Author, educator, book coach and founder of Author Accelerator, Jennie Nash, joined me this week in a special edition of the show dedicated to unearthing tools and strategies for writers on the winding, sometimes daunting journey, to finishing your big, scary book. "Writing a book is like childbirth." - Jennie Nash Jennie started her career in publishing at Random House and has over 30 years experience in all facets of the industry. She also taught at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program for 12 years and has spoken at writing conferences across the country. She's the author of seven books including a self-help book for writers – The Writer's Guide to Agony and Defeat (Amazon) – and has written hundreds of magazine articles for national publications. For nearly a decade now Jennie has been coaching authors "from inspiration to publication" (including Lisa Chron, author of Wired for Story and Story Genius, and Sam Polk, author of For the Love of Money: A Memoir), helping them to land top New York agents an

In Part Two of this file the multi-hyphenate and bestselling author of over 20 books, Elizabeth Ann Atkins, returned to share her inspiring and winding journey from Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist to groundbreaking novelist, ghostwriter, educator, TV host, and health & wellness expert. "When you write from that intuitive voice, it's your truth. And writing from that is your power." - Elizabeth Ann Atkins She received a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the San Diego Tribune, Essence, Ebony and the Detroit News, for her articles on race which were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Elizabeth has written 20 books, including novels White Chocolate, Dark Secret (Amazon), and Twilight (a collaboration with Billy Dee Williams), and she's also one half of the indie publishing duo Two Sisters Writing and Publishing, with sibling Catherine, where the two share the mission to promote diverse voices in the book world. Their credo is to "..

The multi-hyphenate and bestselling author of over 20 books, Elizabeth Ann Atkins, joined me this week to share her inspiring and winding journey from Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist to groundbreaking novelist, ghostwriter, educator, TV host, and health & wellness expert. "I'm trying to help people see ourselves through our hearts and spirits instead of through our skin, our religions, and all the labels and divisions." - Elizabeth Ann Atkins She received a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the San Diego Tribune, Essence, Ebony and the Detroit News, for her articles on race which were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Elizabeth has written 20 books, including novels White Chocolate, Dark Secret, and Twilight (a collaboration with Billy Dee Williams), and she's also one half of the indie publishing duo Two Sisters Writing and Publishing, with sibling Catherine, where the two share the mission to promote diverse voices in the book

In Part Two of another special edition of The Writer Files focused squarely on creativity and how to keep the creative juices flowing under duress, New York Times bestselling author, Austin Kleon, returned to talk about his journey, a wariness of technology, and his new book. "Do good work and share it with people." - Austin Kleon Austin Kleon has been deemed “one of the most interesting people on the Internet” (The Atlantic Magazine), and he is “a writer who draws,” best known for illustrated creativity manifestos Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work! His latest, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad (Amazon), is the third book in his "box set." It offers ten simple, timeless, practical "...rules for how to stay creative, focused, and true to yourself — for life." Important messages for writers. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Kleon speaks about “creativity in the digita

Welcome back to another special edition of The Writer Files focused squarely on creativity and how to keep the creative juices flowing under duress. New York Times bestselling author, Austin Kleon, returned to talk about his journey, a wariness of technology, and his new book. "Writers aren't born, they are made." - Austin Kleon Austin Kleon has been deemed “one of the most interesting people on the Internet” (The Atlantic Magazine), and he is “a writer who draws,” best known for illustrated creativity manifestos Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work! His latest, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad (Amazon), is the third book in his "box set." It offers ten simple, timeless, practical "...rules for how to stay creative, focused, and true to yourself — for life." Important messages for writers. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Kleon speaks about “creativity in the digital

In Part Two of another special edition of The Writer Files called “The Writer’s Brain,” with guest host neuroscientist Michael Grybko, we’ll dig back into the inextricable link between productivity and creativity, and the Catch-22 so many writers face as a result. This all began when Michael and I started a conversation about why we need to rethink our definition of productivity. As busyness, the cult of productivity, and multitasking seem to take over our lives, it’s easy to forget that the origins of the word productivity comes from the Latin, productivitas. Translation: creative power. Creativity — a topic Michael and I have discussed at length — is the beating heart of change, progress, and innovation, but our work-life scales are bending dangerously toward more busywork, distraction, inefficiency, and overall dissatisfaction. Truly scaling creativity requires productivity, so a balance must be struck between the two. Writing is a great example of this push and pull in the human brain. Luckily, re

Welcome back to another special edition of The Writer Files called “The Writer’s Brain,” a guest series with neuroscientist Michael Grybko, and in this episode we’ll dig into the inextricable link between productivity and creativity, and the Catch-22 so many writers face as a result.  This all began when Michael and I started a conversation about why we need to rethink our definition of productivity. As busyness, the cult of productivity, and multitasking seem to take over our lives, it’s easy to forget that the origins of the word productivity comes from the Latin, productivitas. Translation: creative power. Creativity — a topic Michael and I have discussed at length — is the beating heart of change, progress, and innovation, but our work-life scales are bending dangerously toward more busywork, distraction, inefficiency, and overall dissatisfaction. Truly scaling creativity requires productivity, so a balance must be struck between the two. Writing is a great example of this push and pull in the huma

Happy holidays from the Writer Files, this is just a quick update that we are on hiatus until 2019. Thank you so much for listening and helping us find our audience! I hope 2018 has been a creative, productive, and successful year for your writing life and career, and that you’re setting some ambitious goals for 2019. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews, and leave us a rating or a review on APPLE PODCASTS to help your fellow scribes find us. I am very looking forward to wiping the slate clean myself and we have some great episodes to look forward to to kick off the podcast when we return in January. We'll start the next year with a Writer's Brain episode, featuring my esteemed serial co-host and friend, neuroscientist Michael Grybko. He and I got a chance to sit down over coffee in the studio to talk about the fascinating, inextricable link between productivity and creativity on a double-wide special edition of the podcast. Of course we have mo

In Part Two of this file the audiobook publisher, award-winning podcast producer, and internationally acclaimed speaker, Tina Dietz, returned to wrap up our chat about her passion for helping authors grow their audiences, why you should produce an audiobook, and the bright future of audio content. 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! Tina is an entrepreneur and content marketing expert who has been featured on ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post, and Forbes (to name a few), and her company, StartSomething Creative Business Solutions, helps authors and entrepreneurs expand their audiences with audio content. She is an award-winning podcaster and an expert in leveraging and repurposing content, and her company specializes deeply in audiobook production and publishing for one simple reason … It’s “… the fastest growing, in-demand segment of the book publishing indus

This week audiobook publisher, award-winning podcast producer, and internationally acclaimed speaker, Tina Dietz, took a timeout to chat with me about her passion for helping authors grow their audiences, why you should produce an audiobook, and the bright future of audio content. Tina is an entrepreneur and content marketing expert who has been featured on ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post, and Forbes (to name a few), and her company, StartSomething Creative Business Solutions, helps authors and entrepreneurs expand their audiences with audio content. She is an award-winning podcaster and an expert in leveraging and repurposing content, and her company specializes deeply in audiobook production and publishing for one simple reason … It’s “… the fastest growing, in-demand segment of the book publishing industry,” and the barrier to entry is dropping rapidly. Tina and her cohorts love to help authors expand their audiences, income, influence, and opportunities. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please cl

In Part Two of this file the acclaimed New York Times bestselling sci-fi author, Richard K. Morgan, spoke with me from overseas about his winding journey from English tutor to bestseller, having his novel adapted for the small screen, what it’s like to write for Marvel comics, and his unique take on creativity and the writing life. Richard is best known as the award-winning author of the noir sci-fi novel Altered Carbon (Amazon), a New York Times Notable and Philip K. Dick Award winner, that was recently turned into a hit Netflix series. [Beware: Some ‘explicit’ language.] The author of the hard-boiled, “carbon-black,” futuristic thriller series, the Takeshi Kovacs novels (including Altered Carbon), also writes the dark fantasy series A Land Fit for Heroes (The Steel Remains, The Cold Commands, and The Dark Defiles). His award-winning novels also include stand-alones Market Forces (also optioned for film) and Thirteen, and he’s the author of two volumes of Black Widow comics for Marvel, as well as the Cr

Acclaimed New York Times bestselling sci-fi author, Richard K. Morgan, spoke with me from overseas about his winding journey from English tutor to bestseller, having his novel adapted for the small screen, what it’s like to write for Marvel comics, and his unique take on creativity and the writing life. Richard is best known as the award-winning author of the noir sci-fi novel Altered Carbon (Amazon), a New York Times Notable and Philip K. Dick Award winner, that was recently turned into a hit Netflix series. [Beware: Some ‘explicit’ language.] The author of the hard-boiled, “carbon-black,” futuristic thriller series, the Takeshi Kovacs novels (including Altered Carbon), also writes the dark fantasy series A Land Fit for Heroes (The Steel Remains, The Cold Commands, and The Dark Defiles). His award-winning novels also include stand-alones Market Forces (also optioned for film) and Thirteen, and he’s the author of two volumes of Black Widow comics for Marvel, as well as the Crysis 2 and Syndicate computer

In Part Two of this file the prolific pro comedy writer, author, and amateur parenting expert, James Breakwell, took a timeout to rap with me about @XplodingUnicorn and his rise to viral Twitter fame, how he juggles multiple writing projects, his family and his sanity, and the writer as entrepreneur. In the early days of his writing career James told me that he knew he wouldn’t score a book deal sending out query letters or tossing his ideas over the transom, so he decided to build an online following for his unique, self-effacing comedy. Finding inspiration in his family of four girls all under the age of eight, he turned his attentions to blogging, web comics, podcasting, and family humor on Twitter where he eventually found viral fame. In 2016 Buzzfeed dubbed him “The Funniest Dad On Twitter” and shortly thereafter his audience grew … in a big way. He has been featured on media outlets around the world, has attracted over a million followers on social media, has signed multiple book deals, and even w

Prolific pro comedy writer, author, and amateur parenting expert, James Breakwell, took a timeout to rap with me about @XplodingUnicorn and his rise to viral Twitter fame, how he juggles multiple writing projects, his family and his sanity, and the writer as entrepreneur. In the early days of his writing career James told me that he knew he wouldn’t score a book deal sending out query letters or tossing his ideas over the transom, so he decided to build an online following for his unique, self-effacing comedy. Finding inspiration in his family of four girls all under the age of eight, he turned his attentions to blogging, web comics, podcasting, and family humor on Twitter where he eventually found viral fame. In 2016 Buzzfeed dubbed him “The Funniest Dad On Twitter” and shortly thereafter his audience grew … in a big way. He has been featured on media outlets around the world, has attracted over a million followers on social media, has signed multiple book deals, and even writes a column for a newspape

In Part Two of this file the prolific, bestselling author of the paranormal and dark fantasy, Steff Green, returned to talk with me about overcoming rejection, perseverance, her inspiring journey from copywriter to bestseller, and her advice to fellow scribes who may be facing adversity. Steff Green is a New Zealander who is a fervent self-publishing advocate, public speaker, and a legally blind writer who has turned her disability into a superpower to self-publish 24 books and counting. She has topped the USA Today bestsellers list writing paranormal romance under the pen name, Steffanie Holmes, and is also the author of six dark fantasy books under the name S C Green. Steff received both the 2017 Attitude Award for Artistic Achievement, and was a finalist for the 2018 Women of Influence award. She recently launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to raise interest and awareness for an anti-bullying storybook for kids that caught the eye of traditional publishing. That book, Written and illustrated

Prolific, bestselling author of the paranormal and dark fantasy, Steff Green, dropped by the show to talk with me about overcoming rejection, perseverance, her inspiring journey from copywriter to bestseller, and her advice to fellow scribes who may be facing adversity. Steff Green is a New Zealander who is a fervent self-publishing advocate, public speaker, and a legally blind writer who has turned her disability into a superpower to self-publish 24 books and counting. She has topped the USA Today bestsellers list writing paranormal romance under the pen name, Steffanie Holmes, and is also the author of six dark fantasy books under the name S C Green. Steff received both the 2017 Attitude Award for Artistic Achievement, and was a finalist for the 2018 Women of Influence award. She recently launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to raise interest and awareness for an anti-bullying storybook for kids that caught the eye of traditional publishing. That book, Written and illustrated by two artists wh

The author of the captivity memoir, The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast, Michael Scott Moore joined me this week to talk about his fascinating journey as a writer, how he wrote his harrowing and detailed memoir (much of it without notes), and why it’s changed him as a writer and a person. Michael is an investigative journalist, novelist, and author of a critically acclaimed folk history of surfing, Sweetness and Blood, named a book of the year by The Economist in 2010. The author travelled to the Horn of Africa, while researching piracy along the coast of Somalia in 2012, where he was abducted and held captive for over two and half years, for a ransom of $20 million. In his riveting personal account of the experience, chronicled in The Desert and the Sea, Mike deftly examines the history of piracy, religious extremism, geopolitical factors, and his own dark humor and humanity to capture what reviewers have called, “A harrowing and affecting account of … captivity at the ha

In the second half of this special edition of the show we’re shining the light on two more freelance writers out there who are making it happen as professional online content creators. These are scribes who have found success — and a very good living — doing what they love … writing and helping others achieve success. In full disclosure, the two writers I’m highlighting in this show, Sharlyn Lauby and Trudi Roth, are both online content creators and strategists who run profitable freelance writing businesses. The other thing they have in common, though they came to professional writing from very different paths, is that both writers graduated from Copyblogger’s Certified Content Marketer Training Course (a program that makes this show possible). The program is usually closed, but it reopens periodically for a short time to invite new classes of students into the course. If you re interested in learning more you can simply head over to the Certified Content Marketer training program and get your name on t

In this special edition of the show we’re shining the light on freelance writers out there who are making it happen as professional online content creators. These are scribes who have found success — and a very good living — doing what they love … writing and helping others achieve success. In full disclosure, the two writers I’m highlighting in this show, Mark Crosling and Aaron Wrixon, are online content creators and strategists who both run profitable freelance writing businesses. The other thing they have in common, though they came to professional writing from very different paths, is that both writers graduated from Copyblogger’s Certified Content Marketer Training Course (a program that makes this show possible). The program is usually closed, but it reopens periodically for a short time to invite new classes of students into the course. If you re interested in learning more you can simply head over to the Certified Content Marketer training program and get your name on the list. If you’re a fan

In Part Two of this archival file from early 2016, the prolific international bestselling thriller author and self-publishing advocate, Mark Dawson, rapped with me about self-publishing versus traditional publishing, and the productivity hacks that have helped him publish over 30 books. 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. Dawson’s multiple thriller series, self-publishing savvy, and an impressive email list of over 100,000 subscribers, have all helped him to build a large audience of loyal readers and unparalleled success. In addition to international bestsellers, and stellar ratings from fans, Mark has become an indie author advocate and online marketing authority for writers. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. Join us for this two-part interview. If you missed the first half you can find