Shawn Inmon on Writing Every Day, Building Middle Falls, and Creating a Fiction Universe episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 4, 2026 · 1H

Shawn Inmon on Writing Every Day, Building Middle Falls, and Creating a Fiction Universe

from Here's What We Know · host Gary Scott Thomas

Send us Fan MailWhat does it really take to build a fictional universe that readers cannot get enough of?This week on Here's What We Know, let’s welcome back bestselling author Shawn Inmon, the wildly prolific and deeply thoughtful author behind the Middle Falls series, to explore the discipline behind writing every single day, the emotional depth of the Middle Falls series, and the surprising origin of the Universal Life Center and “the machine” that connects his stories. Shawn shares how he writes six to seven books a year, why he never waits for inspiration, and how internal dialogue became the secret weapon behind his most beloved characters.We’ll dive into redemption arcs, writing action scenes, killing off favorite characters, franchising fiction across continents, and what happens when creativity is fueled by instinct rather than outlines.If you are a writer, a creative, or simply someone fascinated by how stories shape us, this one is for you.In this episode, we talk about:Why he refuses to write multiple projects at onceThe secret behind writing powerful internal dialogueKilling off characters you loveWhy action scenes are actually the easy partThe origin of the Universal Life Center and “the machine”Expanding Middle Falls beyond AmericaWhat redemption really means when someone resists itThis episode is sponsored by: Sterling Oak Cabinetry (Be sure to tell them Gary sent you!) Bio:Shawn Inmon is a small-town kid who dreamed of being a writer. Today, he is now a full-time author who lives in Tumwater, Washington, USA. He worked several dozen jobs - retail, real estate, traveling with the Unlimited Hydroplanes, crabbing in Alaska, morning disc jockey and station manager, and many others he can't remember to list. These jobs gave him a wonderful base to write what he knows because he knows a little about a lot.He achieved his dream of becoming a full-time writer in 2016 and has never looked back. One reviewer called him "The King of Redemption stories." Shawn says he doesn't feel like a king of anything, but he does love a good tale of second chances.He is the author of the ever-growing The Middle Falls Time Travel series, 18 books and counting, and The Alex Hawk Time Travel Adventure series. He is also the author of Feels Like the First Time, a bestselling memoir of growing up in a small town in the seventies, falling in love, and messing everything up.He lives with his high school sweetheart - now wife -Dawn, two happy-go-lucky Chocolate Labs, and a slightly schizo cat named Georgie. Website: https://www.shawn-inmon.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShawnInmonWriter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawninmon/X: https://twitter.com/ShawnInmonConnect with Gary:Gary's WebsiteFollow Gary on InstagramGary's TiktokGary's FacebookWatch the episodes on YouTubeAdvertise on the PodcastThank you for listening. Let us know what you think about this episode. Leave us a review!

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Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to build a fictional universe that readers cannot get enough of? This week on Here's What We Know, let’s welcome back bestselling author Shawn Inmon, the wildly prolific and deeply thoughtful author behind the Middle Falls series, to explore the discipline behind writing every single day, the emotional depth of the Middle Falls series, and the surprising origin of the Universal Life Center and “the machine” that connects his stories. Shawn share...

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Shawn Inmon on Writing Every Day, Building Middle Falls, and Creating a Fiction Universe

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