The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
Kelton Reid
“Learn how acclaimed writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.”
Each week, host Kelton Reid chats with guests like Nobel Prize ...
How Bestselling Author & Literary Agent Betsy Lerner Writes
Bestselling author and literary agent Betsy Lerner spoke with me about being a “late bloomer,” what 35 years in publishing has taught her, and portraying mental illness in her debut novel SHRED SISTERS.
Betsy Lerner is the author of the popular advice book to writers, The Forest for the Trees, and the memoirs Food and Loathing and The Bridge Ladies. With Temple Grandin, she is the also co-author of the New York Times bestseller Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns and Abstractions.
Her debut novel, Shred Sisters, is described as “... an intimate and bittersweet story exploring the fierce complexities of sisterhood, mental health, loss and love.” The book was longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a New York Times Notable Book of 2024, and a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and Best Book of the Year So Far, among many other accolades.
Betsy received an MFA from Columbia University in Poetry and was selected as one of PEN’s Emerging Writers. She also received the Tony Godwin Publishing Prize for Editors. After working as an editor for 15 years, she became an agent and is currently a partner with Dunow, Carlson and Lerner Literary Agency.
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In this file Betsy Lerner and I discussed:
Getting kicked out of film school
How "No Bad Dogs" inspired her to write The Forest for the Trees about writer personalities
Working with punk rock icon Patti Smith
The secrets behind her writing process
Why she wants to have dinner with filmmaker Greta Gerwig
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
betsylerner.com
Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency
Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner (Amazon)
The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner (Amazon)
Betsy Lerner Amazon Author Page
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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38:22
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline Writes: Part Two - Redux
#1 New York Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Ernest Cline, spoke to me about what inspired him to become a novelist, the success of Ready Player One, and his love letter to Austin, Texas, the mostly true tall tale BRIDGE TO BAT CITY.
Ernest Cline is the bestselling author of Ready Player One, Ready Player Two, and Armada, and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg.
His debut middle-grade novel, BRIDGE TO BAT CITY (on sale 4/9/24; ages 8 & up), is described as “... a mostly true tall tale about a recently orphaned girl and her mission to help a family of displaced bats find a new home under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas.”
His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list.
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In Part Two of this file Ernest Cline and I discussed:
The crazy story behind Stephen King’s Misery
What it was like waiting for a call from Stephen Spielberg
How the author got to see his fiction turned into reality
Making the transition from adult sci-fi to middle grade novels
His shout outs to ET, Roald Dahl, Charles Portis
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline Writes: Part One
Bridge to Bat City by Ernest Cline (Amazon)
Ernest Cline Amazon Author Page
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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32:30
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline Writes: Part One - Redux
#1 New York Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Ernest Cline, spoke to me about what inspired him to become a novelist, the success of Ready Player One, and his love letter to Austin, Texas, the mostly true tall tale BRIDGE TO BAT CITY.
Ernest Cline is the bestselling author of Ready Player One, Ready Player Two, and Armada, and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg.
His debut middle-grade novel, BRIDGE TO BAT CITY, is described as “... a mostly true tall tale about a recently orphaned girl and her mission to help a family of displaced bats find a new home under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas.”
His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list.
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In Part One of this file Ernest Cline and I discussed:
The signposts on the road to becoming a writer
His change of fortune (and opinion) as a screenwriter
The big idea behind Ready Player One
Why 90% of Stephen King’s protagonists are school teachers or writers
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline Writes: Part Two
Bridge to Bat City by Ernest Cline (Amazon)
Ernest Cline Amazon Author Page
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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30:02
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Marissa Meyer Writes
#1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer spoke with me about cutting her teeth on fanfiction, working briefly in publishing, and THE HAPPY WRITER, a guide to writing with less stress and more JOY.
Marissa Meyer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, Heartless, The Renegades Trilogy, and Instant Karma, as well as the graphic novel duology Wires and Nerve.
Marissa also created and hosted a popular podcast, The Happy Writer, that inspired her debut writing guide, The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond.
Described as, “Applicable to writers in all genres and disciplines—from screenwriters to novelists, journalists to picture book authors, aspiring to many-times published—The Happy Writer is a heartfelt and optimistic guide that will show you the way to a happier writing journey.”
Marissa holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and a MA in Publishing from Pace University.
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In this file Marissa Meyer and I discussed:
How an overactive imagination led to a lifetime of storytelling
What she learned about the author/editor relationship early on
Why optimism has always been a part of her brand
How to bring more joy to your writing “process”
Embracing lifelong creativity
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
marissameyer.com
The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond By Marissa Meyer
Marissa Meyer Amazon Author Page
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need by Jessica Brody (Amazon)
Marissa Meyer on Facebook
Marissa Meyer on Instagram
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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34:44
How Psychology and Neuroscience Prof. Kurt Gray Writes
Psychology and Neuroscience Professor Kurt Gray spoke with me about the timely release, and inspiration behind his latest book OUTRAGED: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground.
Kurt Gray is a Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding.
Kurt Gray's, new book OUTRAGED: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground “... explains the science behind the United States' current political divide.”
A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST-READ BOOK • It is described as “A groundbreaking new perspective on the moral mind that rewrites our understanding of where moral judgments come from, and how we can overcome the feelings of outrage that so often divide us.”
#1 New York Times best-selling author Adam Grant called it, "A riveting read. . . . Overturns widespread assumptions about why we’re divided and reveals how we can come together."
Kurt Gray received a PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University, has published over 120 scientific papers, and his findings have been featured in The New York Times, the Economist, Scientific American, Wired, and Hidden Brain.
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In this file Kurt Gray and I discussed:
What it finally feels like to publish a book after decades of research
How we have misunderstood the moral mind
Who makes a profit from the “outrage machine”
Why humans are innately storytelling creatures
How to unplug, get words on the page, keep going
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
kurtjgray.com
Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground By Kurt Gray (Amazon)
Dragon Transcription App
Why We Fight About Morality and Politics | Kurt Gray | TEDxReno
Kurt Gray on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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About The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
“Learn how acclaimed writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.”
Each week, host Kelton Reid chats with guests like Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, on life after becoming a laureate; #1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry on her past life as a YA mid-lister; Celebrated author, Walter Mosley, on his conflicted feelings after winning a National Book Award; NY Times bestselling author, Lisa Scottoline, on what she learned from literary lion Philip Roth; #1 NY Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane on what he borrowed from Clint Eastwood; and bestselling author, Matt Haig, on the process behind his novel, The Midnight Library, and serial guest hosts: neuroscientist Michael Grybko, journalist Adam Skolnick, and short story writer Robert Bruce.
Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience, The Book Review and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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