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. If you're curious about how faith and reason work together, or worried about what AI means for humanity's future, this conversation will challenge how you think about both. Enjoy!
00:00:00 Why John 1:1 Reveals a Word-Based Universe
00:09:30 How to Know Scripture Is God-Breathed
00:17:40 Why Scientific Explanations Don't Exclude God
00:23:24 Why Style Is As Important As Substance
00:29:29 How to Balance Argument and Self-Criticism
00:33:35 How Narrow vs General AI Create Different Risks
00:41:40 Why the AI Race Is About Making God
00:46:02 How AI Changes What It Means to Be Human
00:52:47 How Christians Can Lead in AI Ethics
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
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Henrik Karlsson: One of the world’s most under-rated writers | How I Write
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 ideas live. He shared strange experiments that actually work, why breaking grammar rules improves your voice, and how writing becomes a search query for finding your perfect audience. If you want to write with more depth, develop your authentic voice, and learn how to turn mental chaos into compelling essays, this conversation will show you exactly how. Enjoy!
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jayne Anne Phillips: Learn Storytelling from a Pulitzer Winner | How I Write
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 her way into the hidden and mysterious world of her own novel. Now that sounds fascinating, but how do you actually do that? Well, that's what this interview is all about. Enjoy!
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Rosanne Cash: Writing Masterclass from 4x Grammy Winner | How I Write
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 great songs to learn from masters like Bob Dylan, and how to develop your authentic voice through decades of deliberate practice. If you want to write with more emotional depth and turn life's difficulties into meaningful art, this conversation will show you how. Enjoy!
00:00:00 Why Great Writers Love Language Early
00:07:47 When to Ask for Feedback on Songs
00:14:46 How to Deconstruct Songs Like Bob Dylan
00:21:25 How to Study Different Songwriting Traditions
00:25:19 Why Truth Should Drive Your Creative Work
00:31:11 Why You Must Master Rhyme Schemes First
00:35:13 How to Use Anger as Creative Fuel
00:42:15 Why Emotions Are Invitations for Discovery
00:50:56 How Your Voice Changes Over Your Career
00:56:06 How Songs Start as Visual Images
01:01:25 Why Music Survives When Everything Else Dies
01:05:48 The Dream That Changed Everything About Art
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1:07:59
David Whyte: Inside the Mind of A Master Poet | How I Write
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 authentically, develop a stronger presence, or learn to find beauty in ordinary moments, this conversation will give you specific tools to do that.
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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.