People Who Do Things

Laura and John talk about staying motivated to write and how to pick up where you left off, as well as completing trilogies and where to go from there.

Laura and John discuss Laura's newly released novel, The Book of Reservations, the pressures of writing the final book in a trilogy, and how reading helps you write (and admitting Stephen King was right).

John and Laura talk with Claudia Zuluaga—author of Fort Starlight and longtime creative writing teacher at John Jay College—about the art of surviving your messy first draft. Together, they explore why messy drafts are essential, how to push past perfectionism, and strategies to keep going when the words feel chaotic. A conversation full of honesty and insight, this episode reminds us that the first draft’s job is simply to exist.

In their 40th episode, Laura and John dive into one of the most essential—and sometimes misunderstood—principles of storytelling: show, don’t tell. They unpack what it really means to let readers experience a scene through vivid detail, dialogue, and action instead of flat description. With practical examples and writer-friendly tips, they explore how showing builds emotional resonance, creates immersive worlds, and deepens character development. Laura and John also tackle the pitfalls of over-showing and when telling can be just as powerful. Whether you’re a new writer or refining your craft, this conversation offers clarity and inspiration for your next draft.

In this episode, Laura and John dive into the power of place in fiction—how setting does more than anchor a story; it breathes life into it. They explore how writers can craft landscapes that shape mood, theme, and even character behavior, transforming locations into living, breathing entities. Whether you're building a fictional town or drawing from real-world places, this conversation offers insight into turning setting into a vital, memorable force in your storytelling.

In this episode, John and Laura dive into the challenges and rewards of writing sequels and building book series. They discuss how to keep momentum after the first book, balancing character growth with expanding the world, and sequel fatigue. Drawing from personal experiences and favorite examples from literature, the duo explores strategies for planning long arcs, keeping continuity fresh, and knowing when a series should end. Whether you're plotting a trilogy or expanding a standalone into something bigger, this episode offers practical advice and creative inspiration.

John talks with Laura about her newly released debut novel, The Coat Check Girl.

Laura and John discuss Laura's upcoming debut novel, The Coat Check Girl, John's new middle grade novel Ace Adler and the Pendulum of Doom, and get inspiration from a quote by John Steinbeck.

Laura and John talk about their two paths to publishing: Laura with her traditional contract, and John with his self publishing. Also, tips and tools for getting reviews for your book, whichever way it is published, from Kirkus Reviews to Net Galley.

Laura and John welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Richard Drew to the podcast. Richard has been an Associated Press photographer for more than fifty years and has been front row to many historic events, from the assassination of Robert Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, to the fall of the towers on 9/11. He is known for his image Falling Man from 9/11.

Laura and John catch up after a busy summer and talk about progress and next steps as they are both preparing books for publishing. Laura is in revisions for her publisher, and John is about to release his eighth book independently. They also discuss their next projects and what their plans are for those. 

John welcomes special guest, PWDT's own Laura Buchwald to talk with her about some big announcements in her world. They also discuss progress in their WIPS (works in progress), and more!

Laura and John contemplate self doubt in writing, how it ties to ego and confidence. They also go through a few 'best first lines' of book, according to The Guardian. 

Laura and John welcome author Barbara Josselsohn into the PWDT virtual studio to talk about her book The Lilac House, being a prolific author, managing multiple points-of-view in a book, and her recipe for a great first chapter. 

Laura and John talk about their WIPs (work in progress) and  their processes for revising and editing. As usual, they get sidetracked talking about other things, such as Yellowstone, Marc Maron, and more. 

Laura and John distract themselves from writing by talking about what it takes them to get motivated to write. 

Laura and John discuss the importance of creating three-dimensional protagonists and antagonists, and how much detail to give supporting characters. 

Laura and John welcome Claudia Zuluaga back to the podcast. We talk about writing tips and advice for new writers, when you are no longer an aspiring writer, and finding time and 'your place' to write. 

Laura and John talk about what comes first: plot or character. 

In what we'll call our Season Two premiere after a summer break, Laura and John catch up on what projects they are working on, the benefits of taking breaks, the excitement of new projects, and prove neither of them know how to pronounce Taiki Waititi's name.

We talk to Brian Niemietz about writing for New York City tabloids The Daily News and the New York Post, covering nightlife in the city, and hanging out with James Brown.

We talk to Deborah Way, founder of The Keepthings, an Instagram submission based memoir project. A hat your dad wore. Your grandmother's diamond ring. An artificial hip. People post a photo and a short description of the item and what it means to them. 

Laura and John talk about the Association for Writing Professionals conference they attended last week in Philadelphia, sessions they attended, the book fair, and share comments from others at the conference.

Laura and John talk with Elena Perez, poet, YA author, and current staff writer on the NBC series Chicago PD.

Laura and John discuss the do's and don'ts of dialogue in writing, from proper punctuation to sounding natural. They also talk about tense and point-of-view, head-hopping, and the upcoming AWP22 writer's conference in Philadelphia.

Laura talks to her good friend Elizabeth Prinvault about her work as a journalist in Paris and as an author/adaptor translating American TV and movies into French.

With Laura on travel in Paris, we talk about creativity derived by where you are (like Paris), writing during global events, how to process new ideas that come at unexpected times, how we handle, and how different people have different versions of their home cities.

Today we talk to Kitty Zeldis, author of Not Our Kind, a look at 1940's New York City and the unexpected friendship between two women, one Jewish and one gentile. We discuss researching the era, everything from fashion to anti-semitism. Kitty is also author of several of the children's Who Was picture book series as Yona Zeldis McDonough.

We speak with USA Today bestselling romance author Alexx Andria about getting her first manuscript bought by Harlequin, writing with pseudonyms, how romance novels have changed over the years, and her new suspense thriller trilogy under the name JH Leigh.

We have a great chat with Brian Hutchison about the podcast he wrote and stars in, I Still Think About You, a psychological suspense based on real events from his life. Also on being in a Tony award winning play with Zachary Quinto, Jim Parsons, and Matt Bomer. 

Laura and John talk about the different ways of getting words out of your head and onto the page, from longhand on paper, Microsoft Word, Pages, and the software platform Scrivener.

We talk with writer, playwright, actor Ronnie Marmo about his one-man show I'm Not a Comedian...I'm Lenny Bruce, about what it's like working with director Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds, Simpsons, Spenser), getting the approval of Bruce's daughter Kitty Bruce about his portrayal of her father, being naked on stage, and the impact Lenny Bruce had on comedy and language.

Laura and John talk to screenwriter Hannah Bos about her new HBO series Somebody Somewhere, starring Bridget Everett, about the challenges of shooting during a pandemic, writing with a partner, her film Driveways, working with Brian Dennehy, and the allure of old shopping malls.

This week Laura and John talk with songwriter, musician, and new father Jack Grace about creating after having a baby (during a pandemic, no less), how the music industry has changed, the changing genres of music, the Beatles and Spinal Tap, and getting an unexpected wad of cash from Neil Young.  

On the first episode of 2022, Laura and John talk about the old writing idea of "write what you know" and what that really means, using editors and writing groups, and more.

In this extra episode to end 2021, Laura and John talk about the last year (or two), losing Joan Didion, and what we are planning for 2022!

Laura and John talk about the research that goes into writing, from traveling to other cities and countries, to checking routes on Google Maps, or talking to ghosts in restaurant bathrooms.

A special episode featuring Michael McGlone doing a reading from his novel, Cal.Music:Dreams Of War  by Rafael KruxLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/5404-dreams-of-war-License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Laura and John talk with Michael McGlone. Actor, writer, comedian, musician, poet... he does it all. From his breakout role in Brothers McMullen to his upcoming part in an episode of SWAT on CBS, McGlone has been working hard in showbiz for 20 years. He has three studio albums of music and a long list of credits on IMDB. 

To create, you must be inspired by...something. Laura and John talk about what inspires them to sit down and write as well as inspirations for specific works. 

After Laura and John's talk with Claudia Zuluaga, they invited her to record part of her novel Fort Starlight to add to the episode. They then decided to let it stand on its own and made a new episode out of it. Please enjoy this reading of part of Chapter 2 of Fort Starlight, read by the author, Claudia Zuluaga.

Laura and John talk to Claudia Zuluaga, author of the novel Fort Starlight, about her experiences with her first novel compared to work on her second, teaching college students writing, balancing a work/family/writing life, and more!

Welcome to the first episode of People Who Do Things with Laura Buchwald and John H. Matthews! In this initial outing, Laura and John talk about how they got started writing, inspiration, writer's block, and much more.