{"id":1673,"date":"2020-05-07T20:48:29","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T19:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/?p=1673"},"modified":"2020-05-07T20:48:29","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T19:48:29","slug":"mike-mchargue-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/mike-mchargue-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Bestselling Author Science Mike McHargue On Shaping Your Environment, Organizing What You Read, And Writing As A Workout Of The Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who<\/strong>: Mike McHargue<\/p>\n

Claim To Fame<\/strong>:\u00a0Mike McHargue is a speaker and public educator for the highest profile companies, media, and non-profits in the world. Audiences trust him to use empathy and deep scientific insights to navigate the most difficult parts of the human experience.\u00a0He’s the host of Ask Science Mike<\/a>, co-founded the chart-topping show The Liturgists Podcast<\/a>, and is the bestselling author of Finding God in the Waves<\/em><\/a>, and You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Where To Find Mike<\/strong>:\u00a0His\u00a0Website<\/a>,\u00a0Amazon<\/a>, Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

Praise For Mike<\/strong>: “Seldom do I find a book that puts together good psychology, readable science, and practical wisdom as what you now have in your hands!\u00a0You\u2019re a Miracle<\/a>\u00a0will reveal that Mike McHargue is a bit of a miracle, too.\u201d \u2014 Richard Rohr<\/a>, New York Times\u00a0bestselling author of\u00a0The Universal Christ<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

When<\/a>\u00a0do you like to write? Are you\u00a0regimented<\/a>\u00a0about your writing routine?<\/h3>\n

I write first thing in the morning, most mornings. I am very regimented about that. I get in the zone and run out of steam around noon, at which point I shift to working on other media that I create. If the fire is there, I stay with it\u2014but days where I put in 6 or more hours, I know the next day will feel \u201coff.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Where<\/a>\u00a0do you like to write? What does your ideal work environment look like?<\/h3>\n

I write at my desk. I\u2019ve carefully shaped my environment in my office to be ergonomic, quiet, and visually calm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have any\u00a0pre-writing rituals<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0habits<\/a>\u00a0before you sit down to write?<\/h3>\n

I take a shower and pour a cup of coffee. I play music while I write (almost exclusively by\u00a0Sleeping At Last<\/a>).<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Do you struggle at all with that dreaded enemy of writing:\u00a0writer\u2019s block<\/a>? Do you think such a thing exists?<\/h3>\n

There are days I don\u2019t know what to write. On those days, I write about what it feels like to not know what to write, which keeps the rhythm going. But, those days are pretty rare. I am voracious reader, and that feeds my output, because things I learn in different books connect in my head in ways that surprise me, and then I want to write about that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your new book You\u2019re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass)<\/em><\/a> is your second book. What did you learn the first time around\u00a0that you applied with the new book?<\/h3>\n

Because I\u2019d already published a book, I thought I was a \u201creal pro\u201d and the second would be easy. I over-engineered a outline and citation process that would \u201csave time.\u201d It was so arduous that it almost killed the book. I\u2019m learning every book is different, and that there\u2019s no shortcut around that wild and wooly animal we call the first draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of your work is meticulously researched. What is your\u00a0process\u00a0for\u00a0collecting and organizing material<\/a>\u00a0you might want to use for your future writing?<\/h3>\n

I use Evernote to save and organize just about everything that I read online. I buy copies of books that I read, and when I am working on a book, I turn my bookshelf into a visual bibliography, organized by chapter. That way, I can just spin my chair around and remember what reference materials I have for a given passage. My reference books get stuffed with index cards<\/a> and marked up with highlighters.<\/span><\/p>\n

You also run several awesome podcasts<\/a>. How has podcasting helped your writing? How has your writing helped your podcast? Are there lessons you\u2019ve been able to take from both paths and apply to the other?<\/h3>\n

Writing and podcast are both just storytelling. Practicing one makes me better at the other. Podcasting helps because it allows me to maintain near realtime interaction with audience, so I learn what works and what does not. Writing allows me to go deeper into an idea than a podcast because readers have more time to explore an idea with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

What books or writers have most influenced the way you think and the way you write?<\/h3>\n

My favorite writers are exceptional researchers who speak in a clear, powerful voice. The four authors whose work I most admire (and seek to emulate) are Austin Channing Brown, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Shauna Niequist, and Carl Sagan.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your advice to aspiring writers?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Write every day. Read every day. Both are essential. Writing is something you do for yourself first. If your work grows into something you can share, or even make income from, that\u2019s great. But, writing is first and foremost a workout of the soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

___________<\/p>\n

Ready to create a writing routine of your\u00a0own?<\/h3>\n

Sign up now and receive our free guide\u00a0\u201c12 Essential Writing Routines To Help You To Craft Your Own<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Learn from the routines of superstar authors\u00a0Stephen King, Gertrude Stein, John Grisham, Ernest Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, and many more.<\/em><\/p>\n

Get the free guide\u00a0here!<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who: Mike McHargue Claim To Fame:\u00a0Mike McHargue is a speaker and public educator for the highest profile companies, media, and non-profits in the world. Audiences trust him to use empathy and deep scientific insights to navigate the most difficult parts of the human experience.\u00a0He’s the host of Ask Science Mike, co-founded the chart-topping show The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1674,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-fiction"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBestselling Author Science Mike McHargue On Shaping Your Environment, Organizing What You Read, And Writing As A Workout Of The Soul - Writing Routines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/mike-mchargue-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bestselling Author Science Mike McHargue On Shaping Your Environment, Organizing What You Read, And Writing As A Workout Of The Soul - Writing Routines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who: Mike McHargue Claim To Fame:\u00a0Mike McHargue is a speaker and public educator for the highest profile companies, media, and non-profits in the world. 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