Write About Now

Adam Schlesinger has got it going on. The Grammy and Emmy-winning songwriter and producer has written songs for such luminairies as J Lo, Katy Perry, Josh Groban, Stephen Colbert, and Kermit the Frog. Currently, he's executive producer and songwriter on My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW. And he's probably best known for his band, Fountains of Wayne, which tore up the charts in 2003 with their power-pop anthem "Stacey's Mom". He wrote the theme for the Tom Hank's movie That Thing You Do, the music for the Broadway musical Cry-Baby, and the viral opening numbers for the Neil Patrick Harris-hosted Tony Awards.

On this episode of Write About Now with Jonathan Small, he shares the secrets behind writing a killer pop song: his process for coming up with lyrics, the story behind some of his most famous song, the best and worst lyrics of all time, and how to break into the the lyric-writing business. 

Dan Bova has done it all. From writing for Jimmy Kimmel to heading up all digital content for Entrepreneur.com—with stints as editor in chief of Maxim and Stuff magazine in between—Dan is proof that you don't have to specialize to become a successful writer and editor. In this episode of the Write About Now with Jonathan Small podcast, Dan lays out his unorthodox path to the top, with tips and tricks on how you can get into the business of writing about business.

This week on the Write About Now podcast, host Jonathan Small talks to actress, author, and writing instructor, Tempany Deckert. A former Australian soap opera star, Tempany now writes YA books and teaches the widely popular course — Write a Novel in 10 Weeks at UCLA Extension.

Tempany has developed a motivating, fun, and rigurous system for cutting through writer's block and getting that book you've always wanted to write done quickly and thoughfully. It's the same, self-taught technique that she's used to pen her own 18 published novels.

In the pod, she breaks it down for us step-by-step, sharing the exercises and practices she uses herself and with her students. If you're writing a novel or just thinking about it, Tempany will give you the all the tools and inspiration you need to get from prologue to epilogue — in less time than it takes to go through a bottle of shampoo.

On this episode of the "Write About Now" podcast, host Jonathan Small talks to veteran entertainment writer and editor, Bruce Fretts. Bruce opens up about following his childhood dream to write about TV, and what he did to rise to the top of the enterntainment journalism field. He also shares some funny moments from interviews with Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, and Mel Brooks. If you ever wondered what it would be like to get paid to write about TV and movies, you'll get a great taste of it here.

Bruce is currently Senior Articles Editor at Closer Weekly. He was also a staff writer at TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly, and he's written about TV and film for The New York Times, New York Magazine, Emmy, and his website "Fretts on Film."

Jeremy Carver has been the showrunner, aka the big guy in charge, of such shows as Supernatural, Being Human, and Frequency. But success didn't come easily for him. He dealt with his fair share of rejection, humiliation, and even an unfortunate encounter with Nicolas Cage on the red carpet. In this podcast, he shares his Hollywood journey from lowly fact checker to acclaimed executive producer, and talks candidly about the politics and protocol inside the mysterious TV writers' room.

In the new episode of the Write About Now podcast, host Jonathan Small searches for answers to all your questions about ghostwriting. When should you hire a ghostwriter? How do you find the best match? How much does it cost? To get the skinny, Small interviews Dan Gerstein, the founder and president of Gotham Ghostwriters. His agency pairs top writers with thought leaders who want help writing everything from books to speeches. In this episode, he unmasks the clandestine world of ghostwriting. What do ghostwriters actually do? How does the writing process work? How do you find a ghostwriter that's right for you? How much do they cost? These are just some of the topics he tackles in our spirited discussion. Wait, did I just use the word "spirited"? All this ghost talk is giving me the creeps. Who ya gonna call? Dan Gerstein!

Dan Gerstein is the founder and president of Gotham Ghostwriters. His agency pairs top writers with thought leaders who want help writing everything from books to speeches. In this episode, he unmasks the clandestine world of ghostwriting. What do ghostwriters actually do? How does the writing process work? How do you find a ghostwriter that's right for you? How much do they cost? These are just some of the topics he tackles in our spirited discussion.