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

Emmy-winning TV journalist and CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, spoke to me about finding his beat, seeking “hope in a changing world,” and his debut, Life as We Know It (Can Be).
Bill Weir is a veteran anchor, writer, producer, and host who joined CNN in 2013 after a decade of award-winning journalism at ABC News. After writing and hosting four seasons of the primetime CNN Original Series “The Wonder List with Bill Weir,” he was named the first Chief Climate Correspondent in network news in 2019.
His debut book is Life as We Know It (Can Be): Stories of People, Climate, and Hope in a Changing World, described as a “... positive and unabashed approach to exploring the science, politics, and human behavior that must be addressed to solve our most pressing problems.”
New York Times bestselling author and CNN anchor Jake Tapper said of the book, “Bill Weir provides insightful, alarming, but ultimately hopeful coverage of the climate crisis. His new book is a gorgeous love letter to his son but also to Earth and humanity,” and New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Safran Foer called it, “... a clear-eyed, heartfelt argument against despair.”
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In this file Bill Weir and I discussed:
How he incorporates the math and physics of storytelling into his journalism
The “crappy elf” method of writing and penning letters to his kids in the future
Why connection is more important than ever in the “golden age of distraction”
The difference between writing for the screen and the page
When he decided to focus on the dreamers and the doers
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
Bill Weir CNN Chief Climate Correspondent
Life as We Know It (Can Be): Stories of People, Climate, and Hope in a Changing World by Bill Weir (Amazon)
Bill Weir on Facebook
Bill Weir on Instagram
Bill Weir on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, Tomi Adeyemi, spoke to me about the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone, her evolution as a writer, and the final book in her Orisha trilogy, Children of Anguish and Anarchy.
Tomi Adeyemi is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Hugo and Nebula award-winning novelist and screenwriter who was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Media, and whose website was named one of the 101 Best Websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.
Her Children of Blood and Bone series continues to be a publishing phenomenon, acquired in a heated bidding war with the first two books becoming instant #1 NY Times bestsellers – spending over 150 weeks on the list – and over 1.5 million copies in print to date including recent paperback re-releases.
The Nigerian/American writer graduated from Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature and studied West African mythology, religion, and culture in Salvador, Brazil
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In this file Tomi Adeyemi and I discussed:
Her newly found balance and definition of success as a writer 
Facing rejection early on in her career
How she persevered through meticulous planning
Why her acknowledgments are so lengthy in her long-awaited capstone to her trilogy
What’s next for the superstar
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
tomiadeyemi.com
thewritersroadmap.net
Children of Anguish and Anarchy (Legacy of Orisha, 3) – June 25, 2024 by Tomi Adeyemi (Amazon)
Tomi Adeyemi Amazon Author Page
Tomi Adeyemi on Instagram
Tomi Adeyemi on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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Stanford Professor, communications expert, and author, Matt Abrahams, spoke with me about tips and tricks to hone your communication skills as a writer, and his award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart.
Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in communication with decades of expertise as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting.
He also hosts Stanford Graduate School of Business' Think Fast, Talk Smart – the 2023 Webby Award-winning “Best Business Podcast." The podcast has topped 42 million downloads and has been the #1 Career podcast in over 95 countries.
Matt is the author of two books including Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot, based in part on his hit podcast.
Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestseller, said of the author, "Matt Abrahams has a gift for making complex concepts easy to understand and simple to enact. If you’ve ever struggled to summon the right words at the right time, this book is an essential read.”
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In this file Matt Abrahams and I discussed:
The TED talk that led to a podcast that led to a book 
Why writers need to find their focus through structure
His advice on pitching your book to agents in person
How it’s normal to be nervous; managing anxiety
Why most writers suffer the curses of knowledge and passion
How to nail that first book tour
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
mattabrahams.com
Think Fast Talk Smart: Podcast
Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot By Matt Abrahams (Amazon)
Think Fast Talk Smart on Instagram
Think Fast Talk Smart on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#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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#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.
[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
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New York Times bestselling memoirist turned novelist, Garrard Conley, spoke with me about going from activist to fictionist, the isolation of being an artist, and his debut novel All the World Beside.
Garrard Conley is the New York Times bestselling author of the memoir Boy Erased, as well as the creator and co-producer of the podcast UnErased: The History of Conversion Therapy in America. His memoir became a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Lucas Hedges, directed by Joel Edgerton.
His debut novel is titled All the World Beside and described as “... an electrifying, deeply moving novel about the love story between two men in Puritan New England.”
Tess Gunty, National Book Award-winning author of Rabbit Hutch, called the book an “... accomplishment of breathtaking prose, expert pacing, and extraordinary psychological intelligence...” Garth Greenwell wrote, “... this novel contains some of the finest writing I've encountered in recent American fiction.”
Garrard’s work has been published by The New York Times, Oxford American, Time, and Virginia Quarterly Review, among others. Conley is a graduate of Brooklyn College’s MFA program, where he was a Truman Capote Fellow specializing in fiction, and he is an assistant professor of creative writing at Kennesaw State University.
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In this file Garrard Conley and I discussed:
What it was like to work with Radiolab on a podcast
Setting out to write “The Queer Scarlett Letter”
His intense historical research process 
How he inhabits his stories
Why writers can’t skimp on what the audience wants
How to un-Tik-Tok-ify your brain
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
garrardconley.com
All the World Beside: A NOVEL By Garrard Conley (Amazon)
Garrard Conley Amazon Author Page
Garrard Conley on Instagram
Garrard Conley on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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