The official blurb: Kelton Reid studies the habits, habitats, and brains of a wide spectrum of renowned writers to learn their secrets of productivity and creativity. Tune in each week to learn how great writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid block. From: https://writerfiles.libsyn.com/
I’m fairly new to The Writer Files, and voraciously trying to listen to as many episodes as possible. The podcast has been around since 2015, and features lengthy interviews with amazingly successful writers such as Tess Gerritsen, Adam Croft and Jeffrey Deaver.
This from Gerritsen in her episode: ‘When I’m in the process of doing a first draft, I feel good if I’ve done 1,000 words that day. The only thing that’s probably unusual about my process is that I write my first drafts with pen and paper. I can type really fast, but there’s something about seeing words on a screen that makes me want to stop and edit the heck out of it, and that stops my form of progress … Second drafts, I type.”
In the Deaver episode, the author sounds affable and enthusiastic when talking about his approach to writing, his own trial and error, and advice for would-be writers. This from Deaver on how he approaches writing:
“I believe that it is easier to write a book, and to write a good book, if you outline everything before you start writing. I am an extreme outliner. I don’t anybody who outlines to the extent that I do, and nobody needs to outline to the extent I do … I spend months, six, seven months doing the outline and doing the research at the same time. It starts with post-it notes on my wall and shifts to the computer … I think about it day and night until I have the story completely choreographed. And only then, do I start to write …”
FYI, Deaver is no stranger to sharing his methods, such as the clip below from his YouTube channel:
Podcast host Kelton Reid has a distinctive voice; quite laid back and calming, which is one way this podcast sets itself apart from many others. He makes sure he asks detailed questions of writers: on their methods, when and where they write, how they stay on track, and more.
It all adds up to extremely helpful listening for would-be writers, and fans of all the authors Reid speaks with.
Michelle Prak Writer 