How I Write
Read bullet-point summaries of How I Write on writing craft, publishing, creativity, essays, fiction, poetry, and great writers.
Episodes
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Bestselling Author Gives His Best Writing Advice (David Sedaris Interview)
This episode features an interview with bestselling author David Sedaris, who shares his approach to writing humor through daily observation, journaling, and
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'Toy Story 5' Director Reveals His Writing Secrets (Andrew Stanton Interview)
Andrew Stanton on 30 years of Pixar storytelling — Stanton, Pixar's second-ever animator and director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, shares the writing principles
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Michael Pollan's Best Writing Advice
Michael Pollan is a celebrated non-fiction writer known for immersive, first-person journalism on food, nature, and consciousness. In this conversation, he
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Writing Advice Better Than Your English Classes (Andrew Hunter Murray Interview)
Andrew Hunter Murray — journalist, comedian, novelist, and host of the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish — talks about the craft of writing, drawing on his three
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How He Wrote Fargo (Noah Hawley Interview)
Noah Hawley is a writer and showrunner behind Fargo, Legion, Alien: Earth, and several novels. He's built a career not just on storytelling talent but on a
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NYT Bestselling Author Teaches Writing (Suleika Jaouad Interview)
Suleika Jaouad is a New York Times–bestselling author and memoirist who began writing publicly from her hospital bed after being diagnosed with leukemia at 22.
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Tom Segura Reveals His Comedy Secrets
Tom Segura on how comedy works, from observation to stage to screen
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How to Write Something Truly Wise (Maria Popova Interview)
Maria Popova, who writes the long-running blog The Marginalian (formerly Brainpickings), discusses how to live wisely through reading, writing, and deep
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Booker Prize Winner Gives His Best Writing Advice (Yann Martel Interview)
Yann Martel, Booker Prize–winning author of Life of Pi, discusses his unconventional approach to writing, storytelling, and the creative process. He is
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How to Write For Kids (Tish Rabe Interview)
Tish Rabe has written over 200 children's books across a 40-year career, including work for Sesame Street, Disney, and 53 books in the Dr. Seuss universe after
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How to Write Cinematically (David Gelb Interview)
David Gelb is the director of Jiro Dreams of Sushi and the Netflix series Chef's Table, and this conversation explores his philosophy of documentary
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How to Write Captivating Stories (Patrick Radden Keefe Interview)
Patrick Radden Keefe is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of six nonfiction books, known for a method he calls "write-around reporting" — telling
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How to Write Incredible Stories (Wright Thompson Interview)
Ray Thompson, a leading non‑fiction storyteller, joins the host to dissect how great stories are built—from finding a compelling hook to nailing an ending—while
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Ocean Vuong Teaches the Art of Writing (NYU Professor)
Ocean Vuong—poet, novelist, NYU professor—joins the show to talk about writing as an act of perception, wonder, and disobedience. The conversation moves through
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Book Publishing Masterclass (Macmillan CEO Interview)
John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan—one of the top five publishing houses—walks through the inner workings of the book industry: how consolidation reshapes
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How to Write Vividly Well — Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is a bestselling crime novelist whose series characters Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller have sold over 100 million books and been adapted into
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21 Proven Methods for Writing Great Stories (Steven Pressfield Interview)
Steven Pressfield, a veteran storyteller and author, breaks down the universal principles that make stories work across every genre and era. He draws on
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Master Comedian Breaks Down 13 Jokes — Robert Mac
Comedian and comedy teacher Robert Mack joins the show to break down 13 jokes from legends like Mitch Hedberg, Steven Wright, Seinfeld, Louis C.K., and others
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How to Write a Book People Can’t Put Down — Bill Browder
Bill Browder is a former hedge fund manager turned justice campaigner and bestselling author of Red Notice and Freezing Order. His books recount his dramatic
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Oxford Professor Teaches the Craft of Writing (Diarmaid MacCulloch Interview)
Diarmaid MacCulloch is an Oxford professor and prolific historian who has spent decades studying the Reformation and the craft of historical writing. In this
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How to Write Strikingly Well (Lee Child Interview)
Lee Child, the English author of the Jack Reacher series (over 200 million books sold, a new copy sold every 9 seconds on average), explains how he writes
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Why You Should Write Less Dialogue — Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar are longtime filmmaking partners who have collaborated for over 15 years, making films like Sing Sing, Jockey, and Train Dreams.
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How to Write Consistently Well — Fareed Zakaria
Fareed Zakaria is a journalist, author, and TV host who has spent decades writing columns, books, and hosting GPS on CNN. This episode is a deep dive into his
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How to Write Structurally Well — Daniel Pink
Daniel Pink is a bestselling non-fiction author (Drive, The Power of Regret, To Sell Is Human, When) who treats writing as a disciplined, engineering-like
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How to Write Unapologetically Well — Tom Junod
Tom Junod is a legendary long-form magazine essayist known for pieces like The Falling Man (about 9/11) and his iconic profile of Fred Rogers. This conversation
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How to Write Absurdly Well — Adrian Tchaikovsky
Adrian Tchaikovsky is a prolific science fiction and fantasy author (over 60 books, Arthur C. Clarke Award winner for Children of Time) who discusses his
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The Key to Truly Beautiful Writing — Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak is a Turkish-British novelist, author of more than 21 books, and president of the Royal Society of Literature. She writes in English (her third
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Philosopher Teaches His Writing Process — Henry Shukman
Henry Shukman is a poet, novelist, essayist, Zen master, and mindfulness teacher who has studied meditation for 35 years in the Sanbo Zen lineage. This
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14 Techniques To Make Your Writing Memorable — Ward Farnsworth
Ward Farnsworth, a law professor and former dean at the University of Texas, studies why certain phrases and sentences become immortal in English while billions
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I Interviewed 40 Writers in 2025 (Here's What I Learned)
This episode is a curated reflection on the most impactful lessons from the host's "How I Write" podcast in 2025, drawing from interviews with over 40 writers
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Learn to Write Great Stories in 63 Minutes — Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Franzen on writing, character, and the comic novel — Franzen discusses his approach to fiction, emphasizing that his primary goal is to create pleasure
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How to Use Writing to Improve Your Thinking — Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande is a surgeon, public health researcher, and bestselling author of four books and numerous New Yorker articles. Despite coming to writing later in
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How to Write Powerful Stories — Brandon Stanton
Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York, built a following of 13 million and published five books by inventing a new genre of biography: photographing
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How to Write Something Truly Memorable — David Grann
David Grann is a master of narrative non-fiction whose books—Killers of the Flower Moon, The Wager, and The Lost City of Z—are celebrated for their vivid prose
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Award-Winning Writer Explains Her Entire Process — Susan Orlean
Susan Orlean is an award-winning nonfiction writer known for books like The Orchid Thief and The Library Book, who writes narrative nonfiction that reads like
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How to Create Original Ideas — Stefan Sagmeister
Stefan Sagmeister is a world-renowned graphic designer, known for album covers for artists like Jay-Z, David Byrne, and the Rolling Stones, as well as books
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How to Write Ridiculously Well (Morgan Housel Interview)
Morgan Housel is a bestselling author and storyteller who has sold over 8 million copies of The Psychology of Money. He honed his craft by writing more than
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How to Write Exceptionally Well — Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom is a bestselling author of 14 books, including Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, with over 40 million copies sold across
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Why Millions of Americans Love His Writing on China — Dan Wang
Dan Wang is a China analyst and writer known for his annual letters on China, which blend personal observation, cultural commentary, and political analysis in a
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Learn To Write Poetry (in 47 Minutes) — Ada Limón & Joy Harjo
Ada Limón and Joy Harjo, the two most recent U.S. Poet Laureates, discuss how poetry is rooted in deep listening, how rhythm and metaphor shape the art form
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AJR Reveal Their Songwriting Secrets
AJR is a band of three brothers (Jack, Ryan, and Adam Met) with over five billion Spotify streams and 8.5 million monthly listeners, whose music and career have
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How To (Really) Write With AI — Jimmy Soni
Jimmy Soni is a deeply obsessive writer and researcher who has spent years on projects like a six-year book about PayPal's origin story and is now working on a
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Oxford Professor: AI Is Humanity’s Attempt to Make God — John Lennox
John Lennox, Oxford mathematician and Christian thinker, argues that the universe is fundamentally "word-based" — and that this points to a mind behind reality
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One of The World's Most Under-Rated Writers — Henrik Karlsson
Henrik Karlsson is a writer who developed a five-step method for producing deeply grounded, emotionally resonant essays. He writes from a place of long
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Meet Pulitzer Prize-Winning English Professor — Jayne Anne Phillips
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jayne Anne Phillips on voice, perception, and the full-bodied experience of writing
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Learn Songwriting in 67 Minutes — Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash is a four-time Grammy-winning songwriter with over 40 years of experience, and this conversation explores her creative process, the role of
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Inside the Mind of a Master Writer — David Whyte
David Whyte is a poet, philosopher, and author who has spent decades exploring what it means to pay deep attention to life, and how that attention transforms
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How to Write Something Truly Beautiful (Alain de Botton Interview)
Alain de Botton is a writer and philosopher whose work—spanning books like Essays in Love and The Architecture of Happiness, and founding The School of
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How to Write Freakishly Fast — Steven Levitan
Steven Levitan is a prolific TV writer and creator behind shows like Frasier, Just Shoot Me, and Modern Family, having written hundreds of episodes across
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’Naked Gun’ Creator Teaches Comedy Writing — David Zucker
David Zucker, director of Airplane!, The Naked Gun, and Scary Movie 3–5, explains the disciplined craft behind his seemingly chaotic comedies. His work with
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How to Read the Bible (Tim Mackie and Jon Collins, The Bible Project)
Tim Mackie and Jon Collins, co-founders of the BibleProject, explain how they create animated explainer videos about the Bible and what it means to truly read
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Cambridge Professor: Why All Writing Sounds the Same Now (Robert Macfarlane)
Robert Macfarlane is a Cambridge professor and nature writer whose work explores mountains, rivers, forests, and the deep relationship between language and
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How to Write Freakishly Well — Paul Harding
Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tinkers, approaches writing as a process of patient improvisation rather than structured planning, prioritizing
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Harvard Professor Explains The Rules of Writing — Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker, Harvard cognitive psychologist and author of nine books on language, cognition, and writing, explains why most writing is bad, how to fix it, and
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The Case Against Writing with AI — Ezra Klein
Ezra Klein is one of the most influential figures in online journalism over the past two decades, having co-founded Vox in 2014, worked at the Washington Post
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How to Write a Killer Movie — Eric Roth
Eric Roth is one of the most celebrated screenwriters alive, with seven Oscar nominations and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump. He also wrote
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Learn Scriptwriting in 83 Minutes — Michael Jamin
Michael Jamin is a Hollywood sitcom writer with 28 years of experience on shows like King of the Hill, Just Shoot Me, and Beavis and Butt-Head. He argues that
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Storytelling Mastery in 107 Minutes — Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz is one of the best-selling authors in history — over 100 books, more than 500 million copies sold — but what sets him apart from most mass-market
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This Research System Will Change How You Write — Johann Hari
Johann Hari is a journalist and author who writes deeply researched non-fiction books about systemic problems—addiction, depression, attention, and obesity—by
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Learn Storytelling in 72 Minutes — Will Storr
Will Storr is a storytelling expert who argues that character, not plot, is the true engine of great stories. While most storytelling advice focuses on plot
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A New Way to Teach Writing — Meet Michael Dean
Michael Dean, a former architect and VR specialist, has spent years analyzing the hidden structural patterns behind great essays, developing a 27-point
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Learn Marketing in 80 Minutes — Lulu Cheng Meservey
Lulu Cheng Meservy — a communications strategist who has worked with Substack, Anduril, and Activision Blizzard — explains how founders and companies can build
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The Ultimate Guide to Writing with AI
The speaker, who ran a writing school called Write of Passage for six years, argues that AI is fundamentally reshaping the writing world—but rather than making
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Johnny Harris Reveals How He Writes YouTube Videos
Johnny Harris is one of YouTube's most successful visual storytellers, known for making complex, wonky topics—like macroeconomics, geopolitics, and the history
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How to Write with AI (Tyler Cowen Breaks it Down)
Tyler Cowen is a rare expert in both AI and writing, and he uses AI daily as a "secondary literature" companion to learn faster, think deeper, and prepare for
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The Deepest Conversation You'll Ever Hear About Writing — Dana Gioia
Dana Gioia is a poet, critic, essayist, and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts who has spent a lifetime thinking about what it takes to
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14 Ways To Make Your Writing Memorable — Ward Farnsworth
Ward Farnsworth, a law professor and former dean at the University of Texas School of Law, joins David Perell to discuss rhetorical techniques that make writing
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Copywriting Masterclass, #1 Creator Mistake, 1M Books Sold — Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi is a prolific business writer and marketer whose two books have sold over one million copies combined, and who has built a social media following
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171 Years of Writing Knowledge in 90 Minutes
This episode is a curated "best of" compilation from the How I Write podcast, gathering the most impactful lessons on writing, storytelling, and communication
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The Secret To A New York Times Best Seller – Tucker Max
Tucker Max — from fratire memoirist to memoir-writing coach — is the guest on this episode. He wrote the bestselling I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and several
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Pulitzer Prize-Winner Explains His Writing Process — Richard Powers
Richard Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory, discusses the craft of writing with a focus on how character, drama, voice, and descriptive
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OpenAI Founder Breaks Down His Writing Process — Sam Altman
LLMs and Writing Evolution
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How to Write a Killer Story — Robert Greene
Robert Greene is a bestselling author known for books like The 48 Laws of Power, The Laws of Human Nature, and Mastery. In this episode, he discusses his
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79 Mins of Storytelling Strategy Better Than Your English Classes – Nick Bilton
Nick Bilton is a journalist and author of narrative nonfiction books like American Kingpin and Hatching Twitter, and in this episode he breaks down the
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Meet the Stanford Surgeon Turned Podcaster — Peter Attia
Peter Attia, a Stanford-trained surgeon turned podcaster and author of the bestselling book Outlive, discusses the emotional and intellectual journey of writing
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How He Started the Paid Newsletter Trend — Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson is the creator of Stratechery, a subscription newsletter about technology, media, and the internet that earns him millions of dollars a year and is
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Cambridge PhD: How to Write a Memoir — Rob Henderson
Rob Henderson is the author of Troubled, a memoir about growing up in the foster care system in California, and how he went from extreme childhood instability
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The Internet Made Your Writing Boring — The Cultural Tutor
The episode explores a broad cultural shift from maximalism to minimalism in writing, design, architecture, and thought, arguing that the modern obsession with
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Writing Formulas Everybody Should Know — Mark Forsyth
Mark Forsyth is a writer and linguist who studies the rhetorical formulas behind memorable lines in literature, speeches, advertising, and pop culture. His book
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Learn Copywriting in 76 Minutes – Harry Dry
Harry Dry is a copywriter and marketer who runs the newsletter Marketing Examples and teaches copywriting through his course. In this episode, he breaks down
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NYU Professor: Writing Masterclass in 84 Minutes – Scott Galloway
Scott Galloway — NYU professor, author, podcaster, and entrepreneur — is a master communicator whose style blends rapid-fire data, profane humor, vulnerability
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How to Tell Captivating Stories in 103 Minutes – Nat Eliason
Nat Eliason spent two years reinventing his writing style—from concise how-to internet articles to emotionally rich, narrative-driven books—culminating in
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The Simple Steps to Fuel Your Creativity – Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday is one of the world's most prolific writers, with 16 published books, a daily newsletter running for eight years, 1.7 million YouTube subscribers
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Seinfeld’s Timeless Lessons on Creativity and Consistency
Jerry Seinfeld is a writer first, comedian second — and his 50-year career offers concrete lessons for anyone who writes. He wrote every joke by hand on yellow
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How to Write Well (in a Distracting World) — Ted Gioia
Ted Gioia is a jazz pianist, music critic, and author of 12 books who has spent 50 years building a writing career on honesty, deep reading, and direct reader
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The New Rules of Business Communication — Jason Fried
Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals and author of four books, treats writing as communication first and foremost — the goal is to transfer a clear idea from
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What’s Wrong with Writing Education? — Ana Lorena Fabrega
Ana Lorena Fábrega went from being a frustrated middle school teacher who hated writing to a published author and education reformer — and the journey required
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How Writing Helped This CEO Build a $300m+ Company | Sam Corcos
Sam Corcos is the founder and CEO of Levels, a remote-first health tech company valued at roughly $300 million, where writing is the central operating system of
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Leaving McKinsey to Write Full-Time | Paul Millerd | How I Write Podcast
Paul Millerd left a prestigious career in strategy consulting (McKinsey, GE) to write full-time, self-published a book called The Pathless Path that sold nearly
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How to Be Great? Just Be Good, Repeatably | Steph Smith | How I Write Podcast
Steph Smith is a writer, podcaster, and creator who has built a distinctive online presence through her writing, her podcast at a16z, her time at The Hustle
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The Art of “Taste” — Brie Wolfson
Brie Wolfson is a writer and editor who helped found Stripe Press and has worked at companies like Figma and Stripe, where she developed a reputation for care
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The King of Internet Writing | Paul Graham | How I Write Podcast
Paul Graham (PG) is one of the most influential writers on the internet, known for long-form essays on startups, wealth creation, and thinking — written in
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The FBI Called This Writer About Seduction Training — Neil Strauss
Neil Strauss is a journalist and author known for immersive, deeply honest nonfiction — from infiltrating pickup artist communities (The Game) to exploring
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How to Tell an Unforgettable Story (The Shaan Puri Interview)
This episode is a masterclass on storytelling, writing, and content creation featuring Shaan Puri, who breaks down concrete frameworks for telling unforgettable
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Write Like Wall Street’s Best — Michael Mauboussin
Michael Mauboussin is a 32-year veteran professor of security analysis at Columbia Business School, a former head of global counterpoint research at Credit
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Packy McCormick: A Tactical Masterclass in Online Writing
Packy McCormick, writer of the newsletter Not Boring, discusses his approach to online writing, from packaging ideas to building a business around a weekly
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How He Raised Billions with Simple Ideas | Howard Marks
Howard Marks is a legendary investor and writer who has spent 35 years crafting memos that distill complex investment ideas into clear, accessible language.
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The Mindset Behind An Unforgettable Novel (Amor Towles Interview)
Amor Towles is a meticulous, disciplined novelist whose work—A Gentleman in Moscow, Rules of Civility, The Lincoln Highway, and the short story collection Table
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The Expert Behind Google’s NotebookLM AI Writing Tool
Steven Johnson is a prolific non-fiction writer and thinker who has spent decades exploring how technology amplifies human thought, and who recently
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How Blogging Made This Investor a Deca-Millionaire — Chris Dixon
Chris Dixon is a venture capitalist and author of Read Write Own who built his career through blogging—writing roughly 500 posts over several years—and argues
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I Spent 50 Hours With 20 Master Writers
This is a retrospective episode of the How I Write podcast, where the host recaps lessons learned from interviewing 20 master writers over roughly 20 episodes.
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Write More Productively (How to Start) | Tiago Forte | How I Write Podcast
Tiago Forte is a writer, creator, and entrepreneur known for Building a Second Brain and The PARA Method, who has spent over a decade developing systems for
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Tim Urban Breaks Down His Viral TED Talk
Tim Urban is the creator of the blog Wait But Why, known for long-form explainers on topics like AI, procrastination, and politics, paired with his signature
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Why Writing Is the Key to Your Thinking | Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss argues that writing is the most powerful tool for sharpening thinking, acting like a "doctor's checkup" for the mind. He traces his own development
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Sahil Bloom’s Content Empire Playbook | How I Write Podcast
Sahil Bloom is a writer and content creator who built a large audience through Twitter and a weekly newsletter, and is now writing a book. This conversation
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How to Write a High-Value Newsletter for Silicon Valley’s Finest | Byrne Hobart | How I Write
Byrne Hobart is a full-time newsletter writer whose Substack, The Diff, has over 50,000 subscribers — many of them startup founders, venture capitalists, and
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The Writing Secrets of a World Class YouTuber – Ali Abdaal
Ali Abdaal is a former doctor turned full-time YouTuber and author who has built a massive audience around productivity advice. In this conversation, he walks
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Write Like a Billionaire | Chamath Palihapitiya | How I Write Podcast
Chamath Palihapitiya on writing as a tool for thinking, communication, and directing energy into ideas
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How to Write Absurdly Good Stories — Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield is a prolific author of 24 books, including The War of Art, Gates of Fire, and The Legend of Bagger Vance, who spent decades struggling in
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Y Combinator CEO: The Key To Writing For Startups & Entrepreneurs | Garry Tan | How I Write Podcast
Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, traces his path from a bullied 7th grader who gained social standing by publishing an underground newspaper to a leader who
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How to Write Insanely Well (Morgan Housel Interview)
Morgan Housel on writing with clarity, brevity, and story-first thinking
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90 Minutes of Unfiltered Writing Advice — Mark Manson
Mark Manson is a writer and blogger whose career evolved from dating advice to personal development and bestselling books like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a
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How Lenny Rachitsky Got 531,000 Substack Subscribers | How I Write Podcast
Lenny Rachitsky built one of Substack's top five business newsletters—over 531,000 subscribers—writing about product management, growth, and startups, despite
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Why No One Should Watch Netflix – Riva Tez
Reva and the host explore why modern culture feels creatively bankrupt, how deep reading and faith can restore meaning, and why rethinking education, media
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Inside the Mind of a Newsletter Mogul (Sam Parr Interview)
Sam Parr is a copywriter, entrepreneur, and media company builder who founded The Hustle (a daily business newsletter that grew to nearly 4 million subscribers
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Marc Andreessen: Blogposts, Tweetstorms, and Manifestos
Marc Andreessen is a prolific writer, investor, and technologist whose writing process is driven by accumulated frustration, rage, and a desire to explain what
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The Secret to Writing with Emotion, Without Oversharing — Ava Huang
Ava Huang is a writer and copywriting professional who explores how to create emotional resonance in writing without falling into cliché or self-help jargon
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WIRED Founding Editor Answers My Writing Questions — Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired and author of works like What Technology Wants and The Inevitable, reflects on a career built around curiosity, reluctant
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Meet Silicon Valley’s #1 PR Expert — Lulu Cheng Meservey
Lulu Cheng Meservey is a communications expert who has worked with companies like Substack and is known for rejecting bland, risk-averse corporate speak in
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All Aspiring Journalists Should Watch This Video — Derek Thompson
Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Hit Makers, discusses his creative process, the craft of writing, and how ideas move through
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How I Write | Trailer
David Perrell is the host of the How I Write podcast, focused on the craft of writing, storytelling, idea spreading, and the creative process. He spent years
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How to Teach Millions of People with Your Blog — Tyler Cowen & Alex Tabarrok
Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok have run Marginal Revolution (MR), the world's largest economics blog, since August 2003, publishing every single day for nearly
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How to Write Like An Athlete | with Jimmy Soni | How I Write Podcast
Jimmy Soni is a professional speechwriter and author of deeply researched biographies, including a book on the early days of PayPal. In this episode, he shares
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The Cultural Tutor: From McDonald's to Twitter Stardom
The Cultural Tutor (Shan) went from working at McDonald's to amassing over 1.5 million Twitter followers in roughly 15 months by writing daily threads about