In Part Two of this special edition of the show we traditionally call “writer porn” I’ve invited back my old friend, award-winning international journalist, author, pundit, and bad penny, Adam Skolnick, to discuss with me a piece I wrote recently for Copyblogger titled, “5 Things Only Serious Writers Do.”
There are never enough words to thank all of you who reached out last week with your sweet thoughts, virtual hugs, and notes of encouragement following the sadder half of the show.
So on to the matter at hand …
As writers we all have our varied neuroses, methods of madness, well-worn manuals, muses, writer porn, and incantations that we feel grant us the strength to face the blank page.
But there are five fundamental things that set serious writers apart from the crowd, and Adam and I are going to discuss them.
You can find 5 Things Only Serious Writers Do here to follow along.
Adam Skolnick’s narrative nonfiction book, One Breath: Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits — based on his award-winning New York Times sports reporting — is now available in paperback.
In addition to his recent journalism, Adam has visited 45 countries and contributed to over 30 Lonely Planet guidebooks. He has written for ESPN.com, Men s Health, Outside, BBC, Playboy Magazine, and The NY Times, and has appeared on NPR.
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If you missed the first half you can find it right here.
In Part Two of this file some highlights include:
How all serious writers share a connective tissue
Why work ethic outlasts talent every time
The fallacy of motivation vs the power of habit and small incremental steps
Why sitting down and getting started is often the hardest thing for writers
What to write when you don’t know what to say
On shitty first drafts as grist for the mill
The unglamorous origins of the sentence
Why deadlines are the pressure that make a diamond
The Show Notes Sign up here if you’d like details about Copyblogger’s “small but mighty” checklist to help you publish great content every time
5 Things Only Serious Writers Do: Part One
More Writer Files in the Archives at Copyblogger
5 Things Only Serious Writers Do– Kelton Reid for Copyblogger
What s Your Writing Productivity Type? (with Bec Evans of Prolifiko): Part One
How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing
The Best of The Writer s Brain Part Four: Writer s Block
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
How to Write a Book Without Losing Your Mind– Olga Khazan for The Atlantic
Several Short Sentences About Writing– Verlyn Klinkenborg
How WNYC Podcast Host and Author of ‘Bored and Brilliant’ Manoush Zomorodi Writes
How to Be Bored– Eva Hoffman
Adam Skolnick on Instagram
OneBreathbook.comAdamSkolnick.com
Adam Skolnick on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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5 Things Only Serious Writers Do: Part Two | The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
