How I Write prioritizes a durable interview archive over immediate virality

The creator behind How I Write says he researches during interviews using a smartphone, asking guests to keep talking while he looks things up. He then edits the material and reviews every interview; he says he has now watched 130 of them back as “game film.”

He points to a seven-hour recording with Dana Gioia that was edited into a three-hour interview. Although it initially performed only moderately, YouTube’s algorithm began distributing it about 15 months later; the interview became the project’s most-watched by watch time last month despite being two years old.

Rather than booking guests solely for the chance of immediate virality, the creator says he wants conversations that could serve as a historical snapshot decades from now. He aims to interview highly regarded writers and expand into music and screenwriters, while considering multiple recurring formats; no specific launch plans or timing were given.