In Part Two of this file, the award-winning creator, producer, and host of the megahit Lore podcast, TV show, and book series, Aaron Mahnke, returned to share how he created his scary storytelling universe from scratch, his writing regimen for success, and advice to fellow scribes.
In less than three years the writer and former graphic designer grew his humble “true life scary story” podcast, Lore, from a small email list and an effort to market his self-published novels, into a critically acclaimed show with more than 100 million downloads.
The podcast won Apple Podcasts’ Best of 2015 & 2016, and picked up a “Best History Podcast 2016” from the Academy of Podcasters. Lore was also recently turned into an Amazon TV series by producers of The Walking Dead and The X-Files (with Aaron as a co-exec. producer), as well as a live tour, and a book series from Penguin Random House.
The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures is the first in a three-book series from the author. The books include both old and new tales from the world of Lore, with their signature blend of history and the macabre, to plumb the depths of our collective nightmares.
Entertainment Weekly noted that Mahnke “… dives deep into the world of folklore and the darker side of history in a quest to root out the fragment of truth at the bottom of our fears.”
The author has been featured in the Huffington Post, The Guardian, Esquire, The Atlantic, USA Today, and others.
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If you missed the first half you can find it right here.
In Part Two of this file Aaron Mahnke and I discuss:
- The writer’s process and the advantages of a home office for a podcast producer
- How to turn a scary, spoken word podcast into a hit TV show
- Why the author leans on planning and outlining
- Aaron’s reliance on the cloud to sync all of his script editing and weekly tasks
- Why professional writers can’t wait for inspiration
- And more great advice for keeping the ink flowing
Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ...

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The Show Notes
- If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com
- TheWorldofLore.com
- Subscribe to Lore on Apple Podcasts
- Aaron Mahnke’s author page at Amazon
- The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures – Aaron Mahnke
- Pints Pub has the largest selection of single-malt Scotch in Denver
- Aaron Mahnke on Twitter
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
Hey Kelton and Aaron!
Another great and insightful podcast episode!
Writing is truly an art. Story-telling and content creation are the branches of such skill.
I admire such writers and they constantly inspire me to become a better writer myself.
Thank you very much for all of the helpful tips so far!
Best regards! 😀
So happy you’re getting some use out of the show! Thank you for tuning in –