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

John Lennox: AI, God & Writing | How I Write

August 20, 2025 • 60 mins

I interviewed John Lennox, the Oxford mathematician who's spent decades bridging science and faith. We talked about why John 1:1 reveals we live in a word-based universe, how to recognize God-breathed scripture, why scientific explanations don't exclude God, and his fascinating take on AI as humanity's attempt to "make God." He also shared practical writing advice about self-criticism and why young people struggle with metaphors. I...

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Henrik Karlsson: One of the world’s most under-rated writers | How I Write

August 13, 2025 • 91 mins

I interviewed Henrik Karlsson, a writer who's developed a five-step method for writing that starts with exploring without pressure and ends with crafting the opening last, after everything else is done. We talked about why looking away from the page improves your writing, how to suck reality into your descriptions, why protecting young ideas from early critique matters, and how to access pre-linguistic mental states where the best ...

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Jayne Anne Phillips: Learn Storytelling from a Pulitzer Winner | How I Write

August 6, 2025 • 51 mins

I interviewed Jayne Anne Phillips, who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel Night Watch. We dug into passages from her writing that will show you how she thinks about voice, character, and the poetry of great writing. As you listen, I want you to notice something: pay attention to how many times Jane describes writing as a full-bodied experience. She sees the creative process almost like an archaeologist would, feeling ...

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Rosanne Cash: Writing Masterclass from 4x Grammy Winner | How I Write

July 30, 2025 • 67 mins

I interviewed Rosanne Cash, a 4-time Grammy winner who's been writing songs for over 40 years. She's mastered something most writers struggle with: turning raw emotion into beautiful, lasting songs. She writes songs like a painter, starting with visual images, and brings the same rhythmic approach to both music and prose. We talked about how to turn pain into art, why anger and grief are powerful creative forces, how to deconstruct...

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David Whyte: Inside the Mind of A Master Poet | How I Write

July 23, 2025 • 95 mins

I interviewed David Whyte, a poet who has mastered the art of turning life's deepest experiences into beautiful writing. We talked about how to write from the place where your inner world meets the outer world, why difficult emotions like grief and anger are actually forms of care, how memorizing poetry changes how you experience reality, and practical techniques for developing deeper attention. If you want to write more authentica...

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Alain de Botton: Writing Is Revenge | How I Write

July 16, 2025 • 88 mins

I interviewed Alain de Botton, a philosopher and writer who has turned personal pain into universal wisdom. He's written dozens of books and built The School of Life into a YouTube channel with nearly 10 million subscribers, but the thing that makes him unique is that he approaches writing as a form of emotional archaeology. We talked about why good writing requires suffering, why loneliness is essential to the creative process, an...

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Steven Levitan: How Modern Family Rewrote The Rules of Sitcom | How I Write

July 9, 2025 • 100 mins

I interviewed Steven Levitan, the co-creator and showrunner of Modern Family, one of the most successful sitcoms of the past two decades. What makes him fascinating isn't just that he wrote hundreds of TV episodes, but how he thinks about the craft of comedy writing itself. We talked about why story breaking is the hardest part of TV writing, how he juggles multiple storylines in 21 minutes, the difference between fast-twitch and s...

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David Zucker: Hollywood Director Explains The 15 Rules of Comedy | How I Write

July 2, 2025 • 73 mins

I interviewed David Zucker, the director behind Airplane!, Naked Gun, and some of the funniest movies ever made. What makes this conversation fascinating isn't just the behind the scenes stories, but how he breaks down comedy writing like a science. We talked about his specific rules for making people laugh, his "flywheel theory" of pacing that keeps audiences laughing non-stop, and why they test-screened Airplane! so many times. I...

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Bible Project: How Two Guys Changed Bible Education on YouTube | How I Write

June 25, 2025 • 87 mins

This is not a normal episode. There's two guests, not one. Tim Mackie and Jon Collins, and they're the founders of the Bible project, a YouTube channel with more than half a billion views. It is entirely devoted to teaching people how to read just one book. I think that book happens to be the most influential book in the history of western civilization. The beginning of this interview is about how they make these videos. They're so...

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Robert Macfarlane: The Most Beautiful Conversation About Language | How I Write

June 18, 2025 • 89 mins

I interviewed Robert Macfarlane, a writer who has mastered the art of nature writing. What makes him fascinating isn’t just that he writes beautifully about landscapes, but how he thinks about language itself. We talked about why he rewrites first sentences hundreds of times, what happens when entire languages die forever, why AI makes all writing sound the same, and how to build a stronger feel for using vivid and rich language. I...

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Paul Harding: A New Way To Think About Writing | How I Write

June 11, 2025 • 88 mins

I interviewed Paul Harding, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his very first novel Tinkers. Unlike most novelists, he’s not really interested in plots, and only halfway interested in characters. So what is he interested in? He’s focused on describing the wonders and mysteries of life, teaching us how to see, hear, and feel more vividly, and how to translate those sensations onto the page. Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a...

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Steven Pinker: Harvard Professor Explains The Rules of Writing | How I Write

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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Ezra Klein: The Case Against Writing With AI | How I Write

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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Eric Roth: The Screenwriter Behind Forrest Gump and Dune | How I Write

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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Michael Jamin: The Hollywood Sitcom Writer | How I Write

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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Dean Koontz: 120 novels published. 500 million copies sold. | How I Write

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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Johann Hari: The Obsessive Research Method | How I Write

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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Will Storr: The Science of Storytelling | How I Write

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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Michael Dean: The 27 Patterns To Fix Bad Writing | How I Write

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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Lulu Cheng Meservey: Meet Silicon Valley’s Top PR Master | How I Write

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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How I Write

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}John Lennox: AI, God & Writing | How I Write

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Henrik Karlsson: One of the world’s most under-rated writers | How I Write

Jayne Anne Phillips: Learn Storytelling from a Pulitzer Winner | How I Write

Rosanne Cash: Writing Masterclass from 4x Grammy Winner | How I Write

David Whyte: Inside the Mind of A Master Poet | How I Write

Alain de Botton: Writing Is Revenge | How I Write

Steven Levitan: How Modern Family Rewrote The Rules of Sitcom | How I Write

David Zucker: Hollywood Director Explains The 15 Rules of Comedy | How I Write

Bible Project: How Two Guys Changed Bible Education on YouTube | How I Write

Robert Macfarlane: The Most Beautiful Conversation About Language | How I Write

Paul Harding: A New Way To Think About Writing | How I Write

Steven Pinker: Harvard Professor Explains The Rules of Writing | How I Write

Ezra Klein: The Case Against Writing With AI | How I Write

Eric Roth: The Screenwriter Behind Forrest Gump and Dune | How I Write

Michael Jamin: The Hollywood Sitcom Writer | How I Write

Dean Koontz: 120 novels published. 500 million copies sold. | How I Write

Johann Hari: The Obsessive Research Method | How I Write

Will Storr: The Science of Storytelling | How I Write

Michael Dean: The 27 Patterns To Fix Bad Writing | How I Write

Lulu Cheng Meservey: Meet Silicon Valley’s Top PR Master | How I Write

Popular Podcasts

John Lennox: AI, God & Writing | How I Write

Henrik Karlsson: One of the world’s most under-rated writers | How I Write