How I Write
Before book sales and PR buzz, your favorite writers began with two things: the blank page and an idea. Each week on How I Write, we go behind-the-scenes with today’s top writers to uncover the meta-mechanics of writing and the lifestyle behind it. You’ll be the first to hear writers deconstruct their creative process: from banging their head on the keyboard to marking the last period of their final draft. Victory. Come discover how great writing is made. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be next. New episodes of the How I Write show go live every week on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.com/DavidPerellChannel.
Episodes
June 4, 2025 • 43 mins
I’m here at Harvard in the office of Steven Pinker. He’s written nine books and spent his life studying language, cognition, and writing. In this interview, we started with the practical: the rules of writing. But what makes him unique is that he’s been thinking about AI since the 1980s. So if you’re interested in doing great non-fiction writing in the age of LLMs, this interview is for you.
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a write...
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May 28, 2025 • 55 mins
Ezra Klein is one of the internet’s most influential journalists. He co-founded Vox in 2014, and it was there he really pioneered this new era of online journalism. Remember those Vox explainer videos that were so popular? As I’ve recorded this, he’s got the #1 book on the New York Times bestseller list. We talked about the state of media, why pieces need to be longer not shorter, how he reads to understand the world, and why he’s ...
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May 21, 2025 • 95 mins
Dune. Forrest Gump. Benjamin Button. Eric Roth wrote all of them. He’s been nominated for seven Oscars and won Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump. I got the chance to ask him about how you find a deeper theme in a story, what a writer can do to really move people, and what it’s actually like working with people like David Fincher, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese. Eric Roth is one of the greatest screenwriters of our tim...
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May 14, 2025 • 83 mins
Michael Jamin has been writing Hollywood sitcoms for 28 years on shows like King of the Hill and Beavis and Butt-Head. Unlike most comedy writers, he’s not focused on punchlines, he’s more focused on building rich characters, developing deep storylines, and layering the comedy on top.
But how do you do that? That’s what this episode is all about. Enjoy!
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writ...
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May 7, 2025 • 107 mins
Dean Koontz has written over 100 books and sold more than 500 million copies, making him one of the best-selling authors of all time. I visited Dean at his home and personal library to understand what truly sets him apart. Unlike most mass-market writers, Dean is obsessed with the craft. He doesn’t just write stories, he truly lives for the beauty of the English language. We talked about why he stopped outlining his novels and how ...
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April 30, 2025 • 74 mins
The world isn’t made of atoms, it’s made of stories. I’ve never heard anyone speak so deeply about interviewing. Johann Hari has written four books, and for each one he travels the globe to record hundreds of conversations. In this episode, he’ll explain exactly how he does it, sharing stories of getting up close and personal with homeless people in Vegas and a crack dealer in New York. In the end you’ll hear a wild story of the ap...
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April 23, 2025 • 67 mins
Will Storr has written 7 books and he’s basically a scientist for storytelling. Now you might be thinking: Do we really need another storytelling guy? But Will is different.
That's because he doesn’t just talk about plot or the hero’s journey, he focuses on character.
Great stories don’t start with plot… they start with people.
The best part? By the time you’re done with the episode, you’ll have the tools to be a better stor...
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April 9, 2025 • 111 mins
Architect Michael Dean breaks down the hidden patterns behind the great essays of our time. In this video, we go over his 27-point framework that makes up every world class piece of writing and how he uses the same system to analyze the Guggenheim and Apple Store. We also talk about what skills will still matter as AI continues to improve and why learning to write might be more important than ever. Enjoy!
A few links:
Join the Es...
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April 2, 2025 • 80 mins
The old communications playbook is dead: Political and company narratives used to be controlled by publicists and journalists. But now, founders can Go Direct. The question is… how? How do you spread a message in this new world? Lulu Cheng Meservey has worked with companies like Substack, Anduril, and Activision Blizzard, and this is her tell-all about how to build your own platform, build your own audience, and shape your own narr...
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March 26, 2025 • 89 mins
Get my free PDF on using LLM's for writer's + my in-depth prompts: https://perell.com/ai
AI has triggered an existential crisis for me. In this episode, I share my thoughts on standing out as a writer with AI and how I use it everyday. This is one of the most in-depth looks at what it means to be a writer in 2025.
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest oppor...
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March 12, 2025 • 86 mins
In this episode, I sit down with YouTube storytelling master Johnny Harris to discover how he creates his videos. Johnny Harris has proven he can make pretty much anything go viral, from breakfast and lottery tickets to bread-making and extra virgin olive oil. We look at his entire creative process, breaking down exactly what makes his storytelling so addicting to watch. We cover the complete workflow: writing, drafting, editing, v...
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March 5, 2025 • 69 mins
Tyler Cowen, an economist and writer, talks with me about how AI is changing writing and research. He explains a practical approach to using AI tools while maintaining your own voice. He explains the ways he incorporates LLMs into his daily work. We talk about how people will be writing fewer books in the future and how he believes truly human writing will stand out among AI-generated content. Enjoy!
Redeem your free week of Lex a...
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February 26, 2025 • 190 mins
Dana Gioia is a poet, former Chairman of the NEA, and one of America's most insightful writers on the craft of poetry and prose. This is the deepest conversation I've ever had about writing. Dana breaks down the writing process from his first drafts to revision, and shares practical wisdom about finding your voice and creating work that lasts. His straightforward approach makes writing less intimidating and more accessible to anyon...
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February 12, 2025 • 61 mins
Ward Farnsworth is a law professor and former dean at the University of Texas School of Law who has written popular books about clear thinking, language, and philosophy. His books include Classical English Style and works on rhetoric and legal writing. He’s a genius at making complex ideas simple and useful for everyday life. Enjoy!
Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Intro
00:...
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February 5, 2025 • 69 mins
Alex Hormozi has written two killer business books that have sold more than 1M copies. His writing has gotten him to 9M followers across social media. This is the first interview where he breaks down his writing system.
Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/
I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:20 Ho...
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January 10, 2025 • 89 mins
In this episode, I share my very favorite clips from world-class experts I interviewed last year. Their combined 171 years of writing experience is tightly packed into this 90-minute video. Enjoy!
I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in t...
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October 16, 2024 • 95 mins
How do you know the difference between a banger journal entry and the foundation of a memoir?
If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, then this conversation is for you.Tucker is a memoir guru, having sold 5 million copies of his own memoir (“I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell”) and millions more of ghostwritten memoirs (for names like Tiffany Haddish and David Goggins).
All of Tucker’s expertise can be dwindled down to three words...
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October 9, 2024 • 84 mins
Richard is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory, one of the most praised novels of the decade. His writing absolutely explodes with life. But perhaps Richard’s most impressive skill is his character development. And we’re not talking about the stodgy character arc you learned in English class. Richard shares 40+ years and 14 novels worth of insight on how to write characters that readers can’t get out of their head.
...
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September 25, 2024 • 48 mins
You know him as the CEO of OpenAI — but did you know that Sam Altman is an avid writer?
As one of today’s most successful entrepreneurs, Sam champions the tremendous value of writing: how it clarifies your thinking, expands your ideas, and levels-up your life in every sense, both personally and professionally. Plus, he has a love for the creative. (Have you ever met someone who can recite Percy Bysshe Shelley poems from memory? W...
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September 18, 2024 • 82 mins
Robert went from being “a drunk, failed screenwriter” to writing seven bestsellers with millions of copies sold. Entrepreneurs, politicians, and hip-hop artists like 50 Cent all love his work. His secret ingredient? Storytelling.
In Robert’s eyes, story is a form of seduction. So, welcome to 76-minutes of seductive storytelling advice. You’ll learn how to write stories that have timeless resonance, swapping cute and clever for cri...
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