Author Mike Mchargue On Writing

For years, Mike Mchargue, otherwise known as ‘Science Mike’, has grown a following with his podcast ‘Ask Science Mike‘. Mchargue, a former atheist, tackles difficult topics where faith and science intersect. He recently released his first book, Finding God In The Waves. I was curious to ask Mike a few questions on tackling his first book.

The subject of finishing personal work is a passion of mine, and Mike writes ‘Finding God In The Waves‘ as a memoir of sorts. For some, the writing process looks easy. In fact, there is an Italian word for people who make it look easy: Sprezzatura. As Mike was in the process of writing his book, his Twitter updates on the process had an element of ‘sprezzatura’. I wanted to know more so he graciously offered to answer a few questions on writing Finding God In The Waves. Enjoy!

Mike Mchargue // Creator of the Ask Science Mike Podcast & Author of Finding God In The Waves.

I remember reading a tweet from you that made the writing process sound easy. Some struggle for words and claim ‘writer’s block’, but you made the writing process seem like second nature to you. Was this accurate? Did you struggle more to condense?

“I wouldn’t say the writing process was easy. Finding God in the Waves was my first book, and I spent a lot of time and energy (and more than 900,000 words) learning how to translate my voice onto the page and structure a narrative that flowed well. But, you are right. I didn’t experience much writer’s block. If I did, I’d just write about that, or write myself instructions on what I should write. In a sentence or two, the flow would start. My problem is generally too many words, not too few.”

This site is focused on helping people push through excuses to focus on their life’s work. I was hoping you could take a moment to help demystify the idea of ‘writer’s block’, and if you could, lay out for the readers what is actually happening neurologically when the words or ideas just aren’t coming.

“I haven’t seen any studies on writer’s block–and it’s not a good idea to draw over-generalizations from neuroscience. I can say that science tells us the creative inspiration is more likely to happen in the context to routine, manageable goals, exercise, and being outdoors. Reading a lot helps too.”

There’s a quote in your book that says “spend enough time hiding who you are, and it’ll warp you”. Did Finding God In the Waves feel cathartic for you as an exercise in revealing who you really are? What would you say to those who are hiding from creative work they fear to complete because it will reveal more of who they really are?

“I learned a lot about myself and what I believe in the process of writing Finding God in the Waves. The chapters on Jesus, the Church and the Bible were particularly revealing, as my stance on those points changed radically over the course of writing the book. For those who fear such revelations, I’d ask why they’re afraid at all? How can learning about yourself be anything but liberating?”

What are your plans for a follow-up book to Finding God In The Waves? Is it tough to ship out your work and then immediately shift into a new project, or did you need time to breathe?

“I’m hard at work on the next book already (and the one after it, and the one after that). I approach writing like product development, so different projects and books are always at different stages of the process, and scheduled accordingly. A methodical approach helps–despite a family emergency and a brain injury, I still turned in my manuscript early.”

You played bass many years in your church band. Many may look at podcasting, speaking and writing as a hard pivot from that life, but what benefits have you come to realize came from those early days of playing music? How has that bled into your current creative work?

“I’m a really terrible bass player, but music shapes how I write anyway. I’ve always been drawn to music that explores fundamental ideas about the human experience, essentially philosophy with a melody. But lately, I’ve learned to love pop music as well, and my writing reflects that too. Sometimes you just want to celebrate being alive.”

You can listen to Mike Mchargue on his Ask Science Mike Podcast, order his book Finding God In The Waves or catch him on tour in a city near you.