Podcast Summary

Adult ADHD ADD Tips and Support

Episode: Author Warren Goldie: The Long Game of a Creative Professional
Date: June 6, 2024
Host: Michael Joseph Ferguson
Guest: Warren Goldie

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the lived experience of being a neurodivergent creative, reframing ADHD as a “hunter-type” neurological difference rather than a disorder. Host Michael Joseph Ferguson welcomes novelist and playwright Warren Goldie, exploring his 30-year creative journey in both Hollywood and business writing. The discussion weaves through personal backstory, storytelling craft, emotional resilience, holistic self-care, the spiritual dimension of creativity, and practical advice for maintaining long-term creative productivity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Influences and Sensitivity

• Warren’s Background: Born in Brooklyn to a Holocaust survivor mother; family later moved to Baltimore. Warren experienced the hallmarks of “hunter-type” ADHD—hypersensitivity, deep perception, and emotional intensity, but with little familial understanding or support.
  • “I was a hypersensitive child...I could perceive things at a deep level...but I did feel alone and isolated.” (07:24–07:58)
• Books and Solace: Warren escaped into novels and early explorations of Eastern philosophy, especially the Tao Te Ching, looking for wisdom and validation.
  • “I remember coming across a book about the Tao Te Ching...saying, wow, that kind of describes my experience a little bit.” (10:22–10:44)

2. Journey Into Writing

• Two-Track Career: Warren pursued both creative and business writing, oscillating between the demands of artistic self-expression and more practical, corporate communications.
  • “There’s been two tracks...I’ve used my energy in both tracks.” (09:14–09:32)
• Creative Awakening: Only began experimenting with creative writing at 31 after a career in software and biology. His first essay was published in the Baltimore Sun, launching his journey.
  • “At 31, I just felt this overriding drive to start creating...that’s kind of how I got started.” (11:50–12:54)

3. Hollywood Years & Craft Development

• Script-Reading for Studios: Warren honed his craft as a script reader and analyst in Hollywood, learning the mechanics of story, character, and what makes a script compelling.
  • “I learned a lot about story structure...always keeping an eye out on the reader or the viewer to make sure [it] appeals...as well.” (12:56–14:01)
• Gift and Curse of Imagination: He experienced both hyperfocus ('flow') and difficulty with follow-through—a duality familiar to many neurodivergent creatives.

4. The Shoah Project & Family Legacy

• Documenting Stories: Involved in Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation, interviewing Holocaust survivors to preserve their stories. Warren’s mother and aunt were among those interviewed, ultimately inspiring new creative works based on his family’s experiences.
  • “I have the...interviews. They're precious...Recently, some of my cousins were asking me whether I’d consider writing something dramatic...featuring my own family experiences.” (19:22–21:13)

5. Waking Maya: Process and Philosophy

• Origins: The novel “Waking Maya” was inspired by his desire to leave something meaningful for his daughter and to explore metaphysical concepts like collective consciousness via story.
  • "I try to just let the story and the characters lead. I try to minimize my ego involvement..." (21:42–22:08)
  • “It’s about her learning about her own psychology...and... collective consciousness...that on a very deep level our psyches are connected up...” (23:13–24:16)
• Creative Philosophy: Warren sees himself as uncovering stories—akin to a sculptor revealing a form within marble—where initial creation is followed by extensive editing to crystallize the work.

6. Creative Process & ADHD Management

• Two Phases:
  • Creation: Unrestricted, exploratory, guided by energy and intuition—judgment is actively withheld.
    • “You just don’t interfere with the creation process...looking for energy.” (26:29–27:05)
  • Editing: Analytical, critical, employing various tricks to read one’s work as a stranger would. Techniques include switching formats, reading aloud, taking significant breaks, and empathizing with an imagined audience.
    • “One of the worst things is to fall in love with your writing...If you can somehow forget you’re the author...that works.” (33:34–35:22)
• Handling Inner Critic & Emotional Volatility:
  • Rituals (clearing workspace, music, candles) help demarcate creative time.
  • Acknowledgement that self-doubt and oscillating self-assessment are inevitable:
    • “Sometimes you’re just like, ‘this is the best thing I’ve ever created,’ [then] the next day...the absolute worst...you know that's part of the process.” (37:32–38:06)

7. Following Through & The "Long Game"

• Vision and Motivation: Maintaining a North Star—whether a clear story ending or a felt sense of mission (expanding readers’ consciousness)—carries him through distractions and blocks.
  • “It’s always to realize the vision...there's a guiding North Star up ahead that I'm going toward.” (40:46–43:11)
• Intrinsic Drive: The desire to share inner experience, be understood, and validate one's differentness through art is a key motivator.
  • “Maybe that goes back to some...of feeling different and wanting to share...taking the really cool parts of that and share it here in artistic form...” (43:56–44:33)

8. Challenges: Technology & Distraction

• Modern Tech Impact: Like many, Warren finds technology both a necessary tool and a major distraction. Phones and apps make concentrated work and sustained reading more difficult.
  • “I always say to myself, you’re going to read the book. And it just does not happen...it’s a continual fight.” (45:52–47:01)
• Countermeasures: Maintaining daily aerobic exercise, careful diet, sleep hygiene, and especially meditation.
  • “Every single day I exercise aerobically...diet, sleep. And meditation has been really, really big for me.” (48:43–50:10)

9. Spiritual Practice & Emotional Resilience

• Meditation as Anchor: Warren’s long commitment to meditation (Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness) is rooted in early pain and existential questioning. Practices evolved over decades, with daily routines morning and evening.
  • “The desire not to be in pain is a strong motivator.” (54:57)
  • “I find after...decades of doing it, I can detach from it and then these solutions pop in...” (48:43–50:10)
• Impact: Meditation offers relief from anxiety, rumination, and social anxiety—facilitating clearer connection with creative impulses and emotional equilibrium.
  • “There’s chattering mind and then there's free of chattering mind...meditation...can take me out of whatever whirlwind I'm in.” (56:12–57:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being a sensitive creative:
  “Growing up...I was a hypersensitive child...easily distractible, easily bored. I could perceive things at a deep level. I felt like I was grokking it at a deep level. And...I did feel alone and isolated.” — Warren Goldie (07:24–07:58)

• On writing process:
  “You just don’t interfere with the creation process...you don't edit...if you feel energy, you keep going in that direction.” — Warren Goldie (26:29–27:05)

• On self-critique and editing:
  “One of the worst things is to fall in love with your writing...read it as though you hate it...if anything’s off about it, you sure see it.” — Warren Goldie (33:34–35:22)

• On following through:
  “It’s always to realize the vision...there’s a guiding North Star up ahead that I’m going toward.” — Warren Goldie (40:46–43:11)

• On meditation's role:
  “The desire not to be in pain is a strong motivator. Yes, that's right.” — Warren Goldie (54:57)

• Advice to writers/creatives:
  “If you hit something like that [creative flow], you better stick with it. You can always get a dessert or something sometime later.” — Warren Goldie (32:30–32:34)

[Discussion on Writing Assignment]

• Creative Exercise for Listeners:
  “Write a short story about some event that occurred with family or friends...but write it from the point of view of one of the other people...that’ll take you out of your own head and put you in someone else’s shoes.” — Warren Goldie (58:33–59:34)

Important Timestamps

• Early Life & Sensitivity: 07:02–08:55
• First Steps in Creative Writing: 11:50–12:54
• Hollywood Script Reading/Storycraft: 12:56–16:35
• Shoah Project & Family Influence: 16:35–21:13
• Waking Maya and Writing Philosophy: 21:42–26:29
• Breakdown: Creative vs. Editing Process: 26:29–35:22
• Handling Critique, Plateaus, and Letting Go: 35:22–39:37
• Sustaining Long-Term Creative Projects: 39:37–43:11
• Technology, Distraction & Self-Care: 45:04–50:10
• Spiritual Practices & Meditation: 50:10–54:57
• Writing Assignment for Listeners: 58:33–59:34

Tone & Language

The conversation is warm, encouraging, and gently philosophical, reflecting both host and guest’s lived experience as creatives and neurodivergent individuals. Personal anecdotes and clear, relatable insights make complex topics accessible. The tone is neither clinical nor prescriptive—instead, it offers permission for experimentation and self-compassion.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Creative practice is a journey, not a single act. Third-party feedback, self-awareness, and persistent editing are necessary for growth.
• ADHD/hunter-type neurology is a source of creative insight—but demands awareness, rituals, and self-care for sustainability.
• Meditation is a powerful ally for managing internal emotional storms and connecting with deeper sources of creativity.
• Practical tip: Rituals, workspace cues, and self-empathy can help shift into (and maintain) focused creative states.
• Writing prompt: Stepping into another’s shoes is not only a literary exercise, but a therapeutic tool for perspective-taking and self-understanding.

Additional Resources

• Find "Waking Maya": Amazon
• Warren Goldie’s Articles and Essays: Search “Warren Goldie” online for his broader body of work.
• Drummer and the Great Mountain: drummerandthegreatmountain.com for workshop details, community resources, and more tools for neurodivergent creatives.