All Episodes
Writing and Editing — 394 episodes
393. After the Vows: The Appeal of the Forced Proximity Trope, with Jenelle Hovde
392. The Perfect Combination: Speculative Fiction and Real-World Issues, with Liz Shipton
391. The Other Side of Paradise, with Sheila Yasmin Marikar
390. When Past Meets the Present: Writing Dual Timelines, with Melanie Dobson
389. Stephen King Unlocked: Into the Vault of Infamous Horror Author, with Caroline Bicks
388. Hook, Line, and Sinker: Capturing an Audience, with A.A. Sekhon
387. The Meaning of Justice, with April Reynolds
386. Reconstruction: A Story of Love Enduring Beyond Life, with Lori Carlson-Hijuelos
385. Treasure Hunts and Secret Missions, with Connie Mann
384. Blurring the Lines of Fact and Fiction, with Jean Burgess
383. Discovering the Adventure of Authorship, with Marilyn McEntyre
382. Uncovering Our True Selves, with Christine Hill Suntz
381. How High Stakes Settings Can Create High Stakes Situations, with Emily Listfield
380. Starting from Rock Bottom: Writing Imperfect Characters, with T.I. Lowe
379. How to Approach Agents and Mentors, with Mary Demuth
378. Purpose in Prose: The Philosophy of Writing with David Arndt
377. The Appeal of Opposites Attract in Fiction, with Becca Kinzer
376. A Family Affair: How to Portray Sibling Relationships, with Farah Naz Rishi
375. The Only Thing to Fear Is a Blank Page . . . with Ginny Kubitz Moyer
374. High Thrill and Low Body Count: The Hidden Genre, with Kristine Delano
373. The Future is Now: How Technology is Outpacing Fiction, with Lee Schneider
372. Parables and Lessons in Plain Sight, with Bill Cates
371. Art Reflecting Life: Using Humor to Diffuse Intense Situations, with Richard Walter
370. Ghosts Are for Everyone: A Deep Dive into Ghosts with Daniel Braum
369. Keeping Your Audience Engaged with Daniel Roth
368. Under the Surface: A Discussion of Theme with Alida Winternheimer
367. You're Stuck with Me: When Friendships Turn Toxic with Robin Merle
366. Portrayals of Postpartum Motherhood and Why it Matters with Jaime Parker Stickle
365. Humor and Hard Truths with Matthew Check
364. Eco Thrillers and Inspiring Hope with Dheepa R. Maturi
363. Basing Stories on True Events with Stephanie Landsem
362. Subverting Expectations: The New Genre of Feminist Thriller, with Charlene Wang
361. Division and Unity, with Chip Webster
360. Family Drama and Hidden Secrets, with Robin W. Pearson
359. Going to Hollywood: Behind the Scenes with Noël Stark
358. Emotional Honesty for Younger Audiences, with Donna Galanti
357. Entertainment and Education: Writing for Kids, with Terri Lilga
356. Messages of Hope in Hopeless Worlds, with Tim Weed
355. Beyond Dystopian: Metaphysical Horror, with Ally Walker
354. Humor and Horror: The Magic of Genre Blending, with Grace Daly
353. Two Eras, One Book, with Sarah Landenwich
352. An Investigation into Time, with Flavia Brunetti
351. Does Anyone Else Feel This Way? An Analyzation of Early Adulthood with Eli Rallo
350. Writing With Respect: A Lesson in Historical Writing, with Wendy Holden
349. Finding Horror in the Familiar with Brian Asman
348. Tips and Tales from a Ghostwriter, with Alison McBain
347. What is Autofiction and How to Write it, with Nick Berg
346. Humanizing Science Fiction with Brad C. Anderson
345. What are Techno Thrillers and How to Write Them with Charles Breakfield
344. How Visuals Can Create Character Driven Stories with Stan Yan
343. History, Crime, and Fiction: Striking a Balance Between Genres with Joe McClean
342. How to Add Myth and Folklore into Your Story with K.T. Anglehart
341. Writing About Making a Difference with Jeff Wenninger
340. Finding Your Inner Creativity with Laura Munson
339. Reclaiming Your Voice with Memoir, with Brenda Coffee
338. Writing Unique Perspectives in Historical Fiction with Roseanna White
337. How Culture Influences Memoir with Rebe Huntman
336. Packing a Punch: Writing Accurate Fight Scenes with Patrick Tumblety
335. The Emotional Journey to Success with Randy Lyman
334. It Was a Dark and Stormy Night . . . Using Setting as Story Structure with Daniel Braum
333. How to Write Romance with Opposing Characters with Jenelle Hovde
332. Preserving a Legacy with Beau L'Amour
331. Different Forms of Art: A Conversation with Michael DiMartino
330. A Marriage of Convenience with Christine Hill Suntz
329. Writing Fictional Moral Dilemmas with Lauren Stientsra
328. Writing About True Crime with Janice Cantore
327. Uncovering the Good Mother Myth with Nancy Reddy
326. How to Use Fiction to Explore Real Life with Paul Vecchiet
325. Overcoming Adversity with Jeff Heggie
324. Blending Magical Realism and Contemporary Events with Angela Brown
323. Making Science Accessible in Fiction with Sara Winokur
322. How to Balance Sensitive Topics in Your Writing with Becca Kinzer
321. How to Write Strong Female Characters with Shaylin Gandhi
320. Enhancing Your Book's Packaging with Marrielle Myers
319. Using Loss to Build Connections with Jessica Fein
318. How Writing Can Be Part of Your Healing Journey with Francesca Lia Block
317. Unmasking Hybrid Publishing with J.D. Barker
316. Bringing Historical Fiction to Life with Samantha Greene Woodruff
315. Taking Your First Step as a Writer with Paula Whyman
314. Busting the Social Media Myth with Annie Sklaver Orenstein
313. Beyond the Hero's Journey with Stacey Simmons
312. How I Became a Traditionally Published Author with Suja Sukumar
311. The Art of Subtext with Sue Mell
310. Using Your Own Platform to Sell Your Books with L.C. Son
309. Pace and Don't Race Your Story with Lola Reid Allin
308. Memoirs and the Principles You Should Know with Wendy Dale
307. Worldbuilding, Why You Should Do it, and How, with D.J. Williams
306. Your Guide to Getting Your Books in Libraries with Eric Simmons
305. How to Add Humor to Your Writing with C.J. Spataro
304. How to Write Historical Thrillers with Sarah Raughley
303. Writing With Honesty with Anna Moore
302. Experimental Prose in Memoir with Jennifer Lang
301. How to Conduct Research for Your Historical Fiction with Leah Lindeman
300. How to Nourish Your Body for Productivity with Molly Lupo
299. What to Look for When Hiring a Cover Designer with Rachel Rosen
298. How to Write a Fairy Tale Retelling with Kalynn Bayron
297. How to Find Work Life Balance as an Author with Alyssa Hazel
296. How to Plan a Successful Book Launch with Danielle Mendoza
295. Why You Should Join an Online Writing Community with Ian Craven
294. Are Book Tours Worth It? With Richie Billing
293. How to Write a Second Chance Romance with T.I. Lowe
292. When Life Imitates Art with Bryan VanDyke
291. Writing About Family Secrets with Ava Morgyn
290. Music Industry Tips for Book Marketing with Ari Rosenschein
289. Ethical Storytelling with Dante Terese
288. Environmental Themes in Literature with Kate Brandes
287. How to Be an Authortunist with Angela Yuriko Smith
286. Writing Short Stories to a Theme with Patrick Barb
285. Myths, Fairy Tales, and Memoir with Elisabeth Sharp McKetta
284. How to Start Your Novel with Donna Levin
283. Is Formal Writing Training Necessary for Writing Success? With Paul Brooks
282. Editing for EFL Writers with Mekiya Outini
281. Reasons to Join a Writing Group with Tiffany Aurora
280. Creating Characters Who Inspire with DiAnn Mills
279. Writing Middle Grade Fiction with Polly Holyoke
278. What is Flash Fiction? With Veronica Klash
277. The Importance of Vulnerability in Memoir with Christopher Morris
276. How to Turn Your Book into a Movement with Jennifer Jane Young
275. What to Know About RARE with Frankie Diane Mallis
274. Keeping Up the Pace with Ryan Steck
273. Writing Dystopian Fiction with Liz Shipton
272. How to Bring Your Setting to Life with Cheryl Grey Bostrom
271. How to Strive for Excellence in Your Storytelling with Steven James
270. Working with a Small Press with Ari Rosenschein
269. How to Write About a Music Scene with Jean Burgess
268. Writing With Inclusion with Tonya Todd
267. How to Write About an Iconic Historical Figure with Phil Gramlich
266. The Specificity of Language with Eli Burnstein
265. Event Review: AwesomeCon with Kenton Kilgore and Taylor
264. Research Tips for Nonfiction Writers with Susan Day
263. Folklore and Fairy Tales with Vanessa Rogers
262. What is Urban Fantasy? With Carina Steinbakk
261. What is Fantasy? With Richie Billing
260. Working with a Co Author, with Lillah Lawson and Lauren Emily Whalen
259. How Minimalism is Linked to the Creative Process with Bastien Siebman
258. Editing Essentials #10: What is a Book Coach?
257. How Sharing Your Story Can Boost Your Personal and Professional Goals with Keith McNally
256. How to Create Animal Characters For an Older Audience with Kenton Kilgore
255. Self-Care for Writers with Finnian Burnett
254. Writing About Grief from Losing a Beloved Animal with Maribeth Decker
253. Demystifying the Publishing Process with Deborah Kevin
252. Using Letters To Enrich Your Family History with Kevin O'Connor
251. Comics 101 with Carl Shinyama
250. Editing Essentials 9: Style Sheets and Sample Edits
249. All About the Neurodivergent Publishing Conference with Ellis Prybylski
248. What is Ooligan Press? With Jackie Krantz
247. Why Is Imposter Syndrome So Common? With Veronica Kirin
246. Get Signed with Lucinda Halpern
245. The Rest is History with Harrison Stockeland
244. I Dread Hearing From You with Zilla Novikov
243. Editing Essentials 8: How to Find an Editor and What to Look For
242. How to Support the Author in Your Life with Jeffrey Stevens
241. Plotting, Plotting, and More Plotting with KJ Warawa
240. From Screenwriter to Novelist with Jennifer Manocherian
239. Magic Realism and Fabulism
238. Irony, Art, and the Art of Irony
237. Standardizing Profit and Loss Statements in American Publishing
236. Writing and Teaching and Learning about the World
235. The Professor, the Curious Podcaster, and the Best Novel Ever Written
234. You Can Start It, Write It, and Finish It If ...
233. Digitizing a 250-Year-Old Dictionary of English
232. Wayne Chats with the Narrator of His Audiobook
231. Editing Essentials 7: The Human Side of Editing
230. A Frightful Festivity
229. To Speculate or Not to Speculate
228. Reporting the Facts as You See Them and the Elusive Truth
227. Editing Essentials 6: Developmental Editing
226. You Have to Write It and Edit It Before You Can Perform It
225. A Literary Magazine, a Woke Editor, and the Indigenous Issue
224. Teaching and Writing Virtually and in the Classroom
223. So, I’ve Published a Book: How Do I Launch and Promote It?
222. Editing Essentials 5: Editing Agreements between the Editor and the Author
221. The Path of a Mystery Writer and Teacher
220. Podcasting Requires a Lot of Writing
219. Editing Essentials 4: Editing and the Author’s Voice
218. Getting Under Your Skin: A Conversation about Horror
217. Drawing Conclusions and Not Just Writing Summaries
216. Simple Creative Copy, Creative Writing, and Life in General
215. Your Website, Front and Back
214. How to Copy Edit Fiction the Chicago Way
213. In Fiction, Crime Can Pay and Be Funny, Too
212. Writing Across Genres in Fiction and Non
211. Editing Essentials 3: I’m Sorry, I’ll Need to See Some Proofs First
210. Getting Certified as a Book Coach
209. Learning to Talk about the Words on the Page
208. I’m Sure I Can Finish This without Cleaning the House First, Right?
207. The Craft of Writing Children’s Books
206. Editing Essentials 2: Why You Need an Editor
205. How to Be Better at Freelancing
204. On a Mission to Help Struggling and Reluctant Readers
203. Editing Essentials 1: Copy Editing and Line/Stylistic Editing
202. Creativity, Self-editing, and the Practical Aspects of Just Writing
201. “Writing It Down in Pen or Pencil First”: Making and Editing Funny
200. Vive la Différence: Teaching and Coaching English Speakers in French
199. Reading and Improving Myself
198. Making Complicated Things Easy to Understand
197. Is It the Story or the Words That Really Count?
196. After Snorting Crank for Three Days
195. My Bonds and Mutual Funds Are Doing Great, but My Stonks Are Way Down
194. Prompting You to Keep a Journal
193. Foster Parent, Lawyer, and Writer
192. Not Just a Lesson, but Fun and Funny Too
191. Being in Politics and Writing about Politics
190. What Was COVID Anyway?
189. An Essential Deliverable from Your Editor: The Editorial Letter
188. Caveat Scriptor: Watch Out for Scam Self-Publishers
187. The Joy and Stress of Writing and Change
186. This Is What I Mean by Literary Fiction
185. Writing, Illustrating, and Editing Books for Kids
184. A Few More Words: Deprecate
183. Worse Writing Is Harder to Get Through
182. Enhancing the Oxford English Dictionary
181. A Few More Words: Doomscrolling
180. A New Author Talks about His Disappointment with Hybrid Publisher Friesen Press
179. Two Christians, One Atheist, and No Lyin’
178. A Few More Words: Bad Faith
177. Mental Health, Suicide, and Comedy
176. Writing, Satire, and the Artistic Drive
175. A Few More Words: Empath
174. Avoid Verbal and Narrative Clichés in Your Writing
173. Teaching Elementary School Students How to Write
172. A Few More Words: Paraprosdokian
171. Nutritious Love
170. Self-Reflection and Staying Calm
169. A Few More Words: Metathesis
168. Cancer & Musical Theatre: “What Is Happening to Me?”
167. Even Social Media Require Manners, Right?
166. A Few More Words: Book Banning
165. Modern Dating, Relationships, and Apologies
164. How Was Your Weekend, Fin de Semaine, or Fine Settimana?
163. A Few More Words: “Incent”
162. Literary Fiction, Aesthetics, and Me at Midnight
161. Editing Articles for Academic Journals
160. A Few More Words: “Sensitivity Readings”
159. The People Side of Editing
158. My Exclusive Interview with ChatGPT
157. One More Word: “In Terms Of”
156. Bringing Literary Fiction to Readers
155. What Is an Editor’s “Style Sheet” and What Is It For?
154. One More Word: Nice
153. Why Do Even Librarians and Executives Like Murder So Much?
152. Amazon’s Steep Pricing Markup on One Hybrid Publisher’s Books
151. One More Word: Abuse
150. Always Writing Films
149. Genuineness Inside and Outside
148. One More Word: Existential Threat
147. This Episode Is 0.00159 Scaramuccis Long
146. The Basics You Should See in Any Contract You Sign with an Editor
145. One More Word: Onomatopoeia
144. One Thriller Writer’s Technique: Less Dialogue by Characters, More Dialogue with Book Clubs
143. Publishing and All the Self-Publishings
142. One More Word: Etymology
141. How to Stay Busy: Writing, Coaching, Getting Unstuck, and World Peace
140. The Writing and Everything Else of Films for Young People
139. The Language of American Mass Shootings
138. The Worklady
137. Memoir of a Female Doctor and Immigrant to Canada
136. The Play and the Audiobook Are the Things
135. Editing: Flow in Writing, Getting Clients, and Writing Social Media
134. Indie-Publishing Books with Your Own Publisher Imprint
133. A New Method for Generating Ideas
132. Multimedia from a Gay Love Story to Editing to Slasher Movies
131. A Conversation about Conversation, Part 2
131. A Conversation about Conversation, Part 1
130. Editors Canada
129. LGBTQIA+ and Young Adult Fiction
128. Taking Photographs and Writing Words
127. Full-Service Indie Publishing
126. A Toxicology Expert Writes a Sci-Fi Novel with a Twist
125. Clutter: The Messy Effects on Your Home and Your Emotions
124. The State of the Arts, the State of the World
123. Mental Health and Writing Poetry
122. Life as a Freelance Editor
121. The Big Bang, a Brief Human Stay on Earth, and Space Colonies
120. Getting Out of Your Head to Live with Anxiety
119. Coding, Happiness, and the Memoir of a Wife’s Death
118. Writing and Blogging and Making Sure It Gets Read
117. How to Shave
116. An Open and Personal Conversation about Dissociative Identity Disorder
115. Flawed and Snarky Heroes
114. A Memoir of South East London in 1963
113. Book Coach on Land, Historian at Sea
112. A University Professor and Anesthesiologist Who Writes Medical Thrillers
111. The Mess of Overthinking, Anxiety, and Loving Everything
110. Intuitive Design and the Future of Work
109. Short
108. Writing about Depression
107. Using Illustrations and Spare, Focused Writing to Tell the History of Healthcare
106. Self-Love, Indie Publishing, and Building a Community
105. A One-Woman Comedy Show about Infertility
104. Of Writing and Vaginas
103. The Changing Usage of “Not Necessarily”
102. In Memory of Smart Comic Writing
101. What a Voiceover Actor Does
100. I’ve Been Censored
99. The Book I'm Writing
98. Editing and Publishing Scams
97. Indie Writing, Music, Filmmaking—and Editing
96. Media, the State of the World, and Irreverence
95. Adult Problems and Children’s Books
94. Two Aspects of the Singular They, and How Texting Is Not Destroying Your Kids’ Literacy
93. Dictionaries, and Changes and Development in the English Language
92. A Book about the Worst Movie Ever Made
91. (Hand)writing Analysis
90. Clarity and Style in Academic and Creative Writing
89. 15 Details Your Proofreader Will Notice but You Won’t
88. Differences between Academic Writing and Fiction Writing for a New Novelist
87. Philosophy, Comedy, and the World’s Problems
86. Monetizing, Branding, and Videorecording Your Podcast
85. Increasing Downloads and Monetizing Your Podcast
84. The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest
83. Friendliness and Meaning in Life
82. 10 Things That Will Make Your Novel Better
81. God, Love, Sex, and Atheism
80. Memoir, Storytelling, and Engaging the Audience
79. Donnie Boivin on going from f*cked to focused
78. making and teaching film with Jesse Filipko
77. Shanti Hershenson: Teen Sci-fi Novelist
76. Mark A. Herschberg on the workplace and your career
#75 – illustration and design with Wendy Fedan
#74 – Jennifer Westbrook: copywriting and strategic web design
#73 – Erin Ollila: copywriting, SEO, and conversion
#72 – book coaching, 3
#71 – book coaching, 2
#70 – book coaching, 1
#69: running and teaching creative writing
#68: censorship and woke cancellation, case 2
#67: censorship and woke cancellation, case 1
#66: what is “comprehensive editing”?
#65: helping writers with procrastination
#64: literary fiction and genre fiction
#63: author interview – Dave Milbrandt, novels and screenwriting
#62: author interview – Molly O’Connor, novel (general fiction)
#61: author interview – Kirsten Weiss, cozy steampunk mystery
#60: author interview – Nancy O’Brien, political satire
#59: StoryBilder – helping new writers write their novels
#58: design, creativity, and the three g’s
#57: how audiobooks are voiced and produced
#56: editing subversively
#55: write about your past fast (life-writing, episode iv)
#54: writing biography (life-writing, episode iii)
#53: the how and why of memoirs (life-writing, episode ii)
#52: coaching a memoir writer (life-writing, episode i)
#51: writing, rewriting, but not being published
#50: does your self-published book have the parts in the right order?
#49: a funny thing happened on the way to the podcast
#48: sex, dystopia, and satire
#47: writing movies and writing fiction
#46: writing concisely and clearly
#45: book coaching
#44: writing fiction about grief (part 2)
#43: writing fiction about grief (part 1)
#42: why you can write even though you think you can’t
#41: the musky stench of Twitter
#40: book indexing
#39: don't edit that
#38: the heartbreak of small-press publishing
#37: marketing your book good enough
#36: writing funny: an interview with a standup comedian
#35: the importance of detail in writing
#34: how do I start writing?
#33: telling lies
#32: writing and editing porn
#31: the language of COVID
#30: from the personal micro story to an historical novel
#29: tone
#28: the five possible fates of any word in the English language
#27: writing comedy and getting slapped in the face for it
#26: “can we stop writing short stories, please?”
#25: the uses and abuses of euphemism
#24: the book was way better than the movie
#23: the most common errors that an editor sees in your writing
#22: three ways to improve your writing
#21: I receive an email from NATO and the EU
#20: writing and lying
#19: some reference works a writer should have
#18: the different ways to write sex scenes
17. Writing Poetry and Writing Non-fiction
16. Writing War
15. The Importance of Consistency in Editing
14. "Accurately rendered"—An Opinion about Great Fiction
13. Self-publishing Your Book
12. Editing Controversial Subject Matter
11. Mixed Metaphors: What’s Wrong with This Picture?
10. The Singular They: An Interview with Linguist Dr. Kirby Conrod
9. How to Pick an Editor
8. The Semi-colon: Punctuation’s Most Endangered Species
7. Editing and Not Editing a Writer’s Style
6. An Editor’s Eye for Minute Details and for the Whole Structure
5. Things in Fiction Reviews That Are Irrelevant
4. Good Writing Means Leaving Things Out
3. Changes in the Publishing Business
2. Four Examples of Good and Bad Writing
1. How an Editor Makes Your Writing Better