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

How Professional Comedy Writer & Author James Breakwell Writes: Part Two


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In Part Two of this file the prolific pro comedy writer, author, and amateur parenting expert, James Breakwell, took a timeout to rap with me about @XplodingUnicorn and his rise to viral Twitter fame, how he juggles multiple writing projects, his family and his sanity, and the writer as entrepreneur.

In the early days of his writing career James told me that he knew he wouldn’t score a book deal sending out query letters or tossing his ideas over the transom, so he decided to build an online following for his unique, self-effacing comedy.

Finding inspiration in his family of four girls all under the age of eight, he turned his attentions to blogging, web comics, podcasting, and family humor on Twitter where he eventually found viral fame.

In 2016 Buzzfeed dubbed him “The Funniest Dad On Twitter” and shortly thereafter his audience grew … in a big way.

He has been featured on media outlets around the world, has attracted over a million followers on social media, has signed multiple book deals, and even writes a column for a newspaper.

His second book, Bare Minimum Parenting: The Ultimate Guide to Not Quite Ruining Your Child, comes out November 6th, 2018, and is “… a book about doing as little as possible without quite ruining your child.”

New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins said, “… Parents! Read this book and free yourself from the blood sport that parenting has become!” And bestselling author Liliana Hart wrote, “Breakwell has a hit … uproariously funny, and at times, unexpectedly poignant.”

Join us for this two-part interview. If you missed the first half you can find it here.

If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.

In Part Two of the file James Breakwell and I discuss:
  • How he balances his work and family life
  • The author’s unique workflow and process
  • How his humor builds on real-life experiences
  • The difference between comedy and non-fiction
  • The conundrum of internet fame
  • And why writers have to like what they’re writing to succeed over the long haul
The Show Notes:
  • How Professional Comedy Writer & Author James Breakwell Writes: Part One
  • Bare Minimum Parenting: The Ultimate Guide to Not Quite Ruining Your Child – James Breakwell
  • @XplodingUnicorn, James Breakwell on Twitter
  • Exploding Unicorn on Facebook
  • James Breakwell on Instagram
  • This Guy With Four Daughters Just Might Be The Funniest Dad On Twitter – BuzzFeed
  • Podcast: Wrong & Wronger – Steve Olivas & James Breakwell
  • Podcast: 10 Minutes to Save Your Marriage – Steve Olivas & James Breakwell
  • Kelton Reid on Twitter

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The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and NeuroscienceBy Kelton Reid

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