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

National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride, spoke with me about finding her authentic voice, getting yelled at by kids, near-death experiences and the story behind her latest novel-in-verse THE LEAVING ROOM. Amber McBride is an award-winning author, poet, and former assistant professor of poetry, writing, and protest literature. Her debut young adult novel, Me (Moth) was a finalist for the National Book Award, 2021 and won the 2022 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades. Her latest YA novel-in-verse is The Leaving Room, also a 2025 National Book Awards Finalist. “Told from the perspective of a girl hovering between life and death, The Leaving Room is a poignant story about connection, grief, love, and the power of memories.” Amber McBride’s middle-grade debut, Gone Wolf, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She holds an MFA in poetry from Emerson College, and her poetry has been published in Ploughshares, The Rumpus, DecomP Magazine, Provincetown Arts, and more. [Discover ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Amber McBride and I discussed: Overcoming hundreds of rejections early on Finally quitting her assistant professorship to write full time How the loss of her grandfather changed her writing Why anything beyond publishing is icing on the cake How she creates an entire world with a quarter of the words Writing while the world sleeps And a lot more! Show Notes: amber-mcbride.com [https://www.amber-mcbride.com/]  76th National Book Awards - Young People's Literature [https://www.nationalbook.org/awards2025/honorees/?awardcat=young-peoples-literature] - Finalists The Leaving Room [https://amzn.to/3KALoHr] by Amber McBride (Amazon) Amber McBride Amazon Author Page [https://amzn.to/4nJIcbg] Amber McBride on Threads [https://www.threads.com/@ambsmcbride] Amber McBride on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ambsmcbride] Amber McBride on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ambsmcbride/] Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Acclaimed debut novelist Penny Zang spoke with us about making friendship bracelets for readers, why the world doesn’t stop when you lose a loved one, hanging out with Sylvia Plath, and her psychological thriller DOLL PARTS I am joined by a co-host this week, none other than The Book Babe, Milena Gonzalez. Penny Zang is an English professor at Greenville Technical College and the debut author of DOLL PARTS, described as “... a dark, poetic, dual-timeline psychological thriller that blends sad girl lit and feminist horror with a heavy dose of 90s grunge nostalgia.” International bestselling author Samantha Downing said of the book, "Doll Parts is the most mesmerizing and original book I’ve read in a long time. It’s eerie and addictive, a story that pulls you in and won’t let go," and Library Journal wrote, “Zang’s compelling debut delves insightfully into topics such as friendship, grief, and Plath’s place in literature...” Penny Zang holds an MFA in Creative Writing from West Virginia University and is the 2024 Elizabeth Boatwright Coker fiction fellow via the South Carolina Academy of Authors. Her work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Louisville Review, Superstition Review, Potomac Review, and South 85, among others. [Discover ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Penny Zang, Milena Gonzalez, and I discussed: How she formed the #5AMWritersClub Writing as a form of grief after losing a good friend Reminding her parents that her fiction didn’t really happen Wending pop culture iconography into her work Why finding your writing community is so important And a lot more! Show Notes: pennyzang.com [https://www.pennyzang.com/]  Doll Parts: A Novel by Penny Zang [https://amzn.to/4nwWqfa] (Amazon) Penny Zang on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/PennyZangWriter/] Penny Zang on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/pennyzang/] Penny Zang on Twitter [https://x.com/penny_zang] Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer [https://milenajem.my.canva.site/] diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/diary_of_a_book_babe/] Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

WGA-nominated writer, director and USC professor Ted Braun, and TV and film writer and exec. producer Melissa Rosenberg, joined me to talk about reimagining screenwriting education with the MFA in Screenwriting at Bennington College. Ted Braun is the Program’s Director and the WGA-nominated writer and director of Darfur Now, Betting on Zero, and Viva Maestro. He is a Professor of Screenwriting and Joseph Campbell Endowed Chair of Cinematic Ethics at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and was named one of Variety’s Top Ten Teachers in Film and TV in 2018. Melissa Rosenberg is a writer and executive producer known for Twilight, Jessica Jones, and a 1986 graduate of Bennington College, where she is now a Trustee. She helped create and showrun Jessica Jones and adapted the Twilight film series, while also serving as head writer for Dexter. Bennington College will admit just 12 gifted, driven writers—students who are serious about building a body of work and launching a professional screenwriting career—to their inaugural class of The MFA in Screenwriting. Braun notes, “We’re looking for students with imagination and hunger—those who want to develop a foundation for a decades-long screenwriting career.” The MFA in Screenwriting at Bennington College prepares writers for a life as creative and professional leaders in the evolving landscape of film and television. This low-residency, two-year program combines the academic depth of a liberal arts education with the rigorous preparation needed for a career in screenwriting. Learn more at bennington.edu/screenwriting [http://bennington.edu/screenwriting] Applications are due by December 1st, 2025. [Discover ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Ted Braun, Melissa Rosenberg and I discussed: How life as a screenwriter starts with material that is unique and alive to you A one-of-a-kind screenwriting MFA, a low-residency program that yields six major pieces of work for TV and film, and why it is “perfectly suited to our times” Bennington’s legacy of influential writers Why we need strong, original cinematic voices now more than ever And a lot more! Show Notes: bennington.edu/screenwriting [http://bennington.edu/screenwriting] Ted Braun on IMDb [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0105862/] Melissa Rosenberg on IMDb [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0742279/] Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Award-winning, acclaimed debut novelist Jinwoo Park spoke to me about breaking out of a creative rut, writing as “self-therapy,” cracking the #BookTok code, and his literary espionage thriller OXFORD SOJU CLUB Jinwoo Park is a Korean Canadian writer based in Montreal. He completed a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford, and currently works as a marketer in the tech industry. His first novel, Oxford Soju Club, is a literary espionage thriller exploring themes of identity and the Korean diaspora. Park's manuscript for Oxford Soju Club won the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers' Award in 2021. A Booklist starred review wrote of the book, “In stylistically rich prose, the author carefully portrays complex characters, distilling the intricate workings of the Korean psyche with riveting tension. Under the cover of a compelling espionage drama…” Jinwoo is also a literary translator and received the LTI Korea Translation Award for Aspiring Translators in 2023.  [Discover ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Jinwoo Park and I discussed: How his notes from "self-therapy" became a breakout book Posting to TikTok every day to build a following Sharing a name with a character from K-Pop Demon Hunters In rewriting his debut novel five times to distill it to its essence What authenticity means to him And a lot more! Show Notes: jinwoo-park.com [https://www.jinwoo-park.com/]  Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park [https://amzn.to/46zclDZ](Amazon) Jinwoo Park on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jinwoopark0721/] Jinwoo Park on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@jinwoopark0721] Jinwoo Park on Twitter [https://x.com/ParkerJinwoo] Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jeneva Rose, spoke with us about betting on herself, spurning the crown of “Queen of Twists,” her viral social media fame and latest post-apocalyptic romance, DATING AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD I am joined by a co-host this week, none other than The Book Babe, Milena Gonzalez. Jeneva Rose is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including the multi-million copy bestseller, The Perfect Marriage. Her work has been translated into more than 30 languages and optioned for film and TV. Her latest novel is DATING AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD (October 1, 2025), a post-apocalyptic, zombie, enemies-to-lovers romance. Dating After The End of the World was named an Amazon First Reads pick and a #1 New Release in Romantic Comedy. Jeneva Rose has a background in social media, digital, and email marketing. She became a full-time author in March 2021, and has amassed over one million followers across all social media platforms, including TikTok where she’s known as “Mother Goose.” [Discover ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Jeneva Rose, Milena Gonzalez, and I discussed: How she overcame the odds, and 500 rejections, to sign two major publishing deals Writing with a new baby on board Turning hate mail into a laughable social media saga Her inspiration for the latest The unwavering support of her husband Hanging out with Colleen Hoover And a lot more! Show Notes: jenevarose.com [https://www.jenevarose.com/]  Dating After the End of the World [https://amzn.to/4npxTs4]– October 1, 2025 by Jeneva Rose (Amazon) Jeneva Rose Amazon Author Page [https://amzn.to/4pnb5LC] Jeneva Rose on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jenevaroseauthor/] Jeneva Rose on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jenevaroseauthor/?hl=en] Jeneva Rose on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@jenevaroseauthor?lang=en] Jeneva Rose on Twitter [https://x.com/jenevarosebooks?lang=en] Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer [https://milenajem.my.canva.site/] diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/diary_of_a_book_babe/] Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]