Shows / Words on Writing
Words on Writing
After 30 years as an advertising copywriter: documenting the bedlam of writing and publishing my thriller series, The Misjudgements of Andy MacKay, about a man who shouldn’t be trusted with a lighter, let alone saving the world. fiction writing advice, fiction writing process, finished manuscript, indie author fiction, book writing community, publishing advice for writers, marketing for new authors, storytelling for new authors, book publishing journey #fictionwritingadvice…
Episodes
- Words on Writing
Why A Beautifully Written Scene Can Disappoint Readers.
Every scene makes a promise, sometimes even without you knowing. When you break that promise the reader can feel disappointed.
- Words on Writing
Why Some Scenes Drag
Length is how much time a scene takes to read. Pace is how that time feels to the reader. Ten pages can fly past. Two can seem to have been written during the…
- Words on Writing
How Writers Can Lose a Reader’s Trust
Readers know our stories are elaborate fabrications. So why do they suddenly stop believing us. Here are five reasons I think writers can undermine a reader's…
- Words on Writing
Why Publishing Numbers Mislead Writers
Amazon provides authors with an impressive range of statistics, But are these numbers helping us make better decisions. Sometimes the best decision is to leave…
- Words on Writing
Readers Learn Your Patterns Before You Do
Writing three novels has taught me that repeated patterns in your fiction is more than just repeating words. It’s repeating yourself. Repetition teaches your…
- Words on Writing
Readers Build Careers. Writers Don’t.
Writers write the book. But a career is something that formsaround the response. Readers help build it. Readers who come back. Readers who tell somebody else…
- Words on Writing
Why Your Favourite Idea Probably Isn’t Your Best
An old piece of writing advice suggests killing your darlings. But I think there’s something subtler going on when we struggle to let go of an idea. The longer…
- Words on Writing
Your Writing Problem Isn’t the Problem
Sometimes we discover that the more obvious a writing problem is, the less likely it is to be the actual problem. Un this episode we explore the phenomenon of…
- Words on Writing
Publishing Success Is A Moving Target
Publishing my first didn't change my confidence nearly as much as it changed my expectations. As a published author, you don't stop worrying. You simply become…
- Words on Writing
When Your Taste Outgrows Your Writing
Becoming a better write it isn't simply putting better sentences on the page. Sure you learn about character, structure, dialogue and point of view. But…
- Words on Writing
Stop Explaining Yourself
One of the pleasures of becoming a more experienced writer is discovering that some of your best edits involve removing things rather than adding them. You…
- Words on Writing
Writing Isn't the Job I Thought I'd Signed Up For
When I decided to become a novelist, I thought I knewexactly what the job involved. I'd write the book, edit the book and, eventually, publish the book…
- Words on Writing
The Better You Get at Writing, the Harder It Feels
We often imagine experience brings certainty, but I think the opposite happens. Certainty gradually gives way to discernment. Writing isn't chess, and there…
- Words on Writing
Readers Don't Read Stories. They Read People.
Many new writers assume the reader's first question is obvious: What happens next? They worry about pace, intrigue, mysteries and whether the exciting should…
- Words on Writing
Readers Don't Read Stories. They Read People.
Like most new writers, I assumed the most important question was always: What happens next? But readers don't fall in love with plots; they fall in love with…
- Words on Writing
The Cost of Later: Decisions Writers Leave Too Late
After publishing my first two Andrew MacKay thrillers, I realised that many of the decisions which later affect howa book is received are made long before…
- Words on Writing
How to Become a Writer (Without Waiting for Permission)
Nobody appoints writers. No one arrives with an embossed certificate announcing you're qualified to beginChapter One. Writing isn't an identity you earn before…
- Words on Writing
Plot Problems That Aren't Really Plot Problems
Before I started writing novels, I thought plot was all that mattered. But after writing enough attempted manuscripts, I learned reality had little interest in…
- Words on Writing
The Self-Publishing Mistake that Cost Me the Most
I spent years writing my first book: editing, finding mistakes, and correcting endless more mistakes. Eventually, I published it, assuming the hard part was…
- Words on Writing
The Most Useful Writing Advice I Ignored
When you're starting out, you don't know enough to recognizewhich advice matters. You hear it. You nod thoughtfully. Then, if you’re like me, you ignore it…
- Words on Writing
What Successful Authors Don't Tell You
I've published two novels, with a third on the way. I've also spent enough time around writers to notice that most successful authors' careers are built from…
- Words on Writing
Why Good Endings Can Feel Disappointing
Most advice about endings focuses on resolution. Did the hero succeed? Was the mystery solved? Did the plot deliver on its promises? Those things matter, but…
- Words on Writing
Why Writers Stall & How to Get Unstuck
Everyone wants artistic success to involve rare creative ecstasy and dramatic bursts of genius. Writing two books taught me that it comes down to discipline…
- Words on Writing
Non-Decorative Description
Advanced description problems are harder to diagnose than beginner ones. The prose sounds good, which makes writers protective of it. Unfortunately, readers…
- Words on Writing
Reviews: The Strange Economy of Stars and Feelings
In self-publishing, reviews matter. They influence readers, visibility, and your mood more than is sensible. One thoughtful review can buoy your week. One odd…
- Words on Writing
Productive Prose, Better Pages
What writing advertising campaigns taught me about writing faster without writing worse.
- Words on Writing
The Patience & Panic of Self-Publishing
Most self-publishing advice is practical. All of it's useful. Some of it even works. But self-publishing isn’t just a logistical exercise. It’s an emotional…
- Words on Writing
Writing Mistakes That Feel Clever at the Time. (But Aren’t)
These are the mistakes that feel like progress because they look like writing. They resemble depth, intelligence,emotional weight. Unfortunately, they’re the…
- Words on Writing
Why Sequels Sell Better
Unless your write a runaway bestseller (the equivalent to winning the lottery but with considerably worse odds) one book is just a business card. A career is a…
- Words on Writing
Plot Problems That Sink Stories & How to Fix Them
Here, are several things I learned about plot,almost all of them later than would have been ideal. The next time one of your stories stalls, you might be able…
- Words on Writing
Why Most Self-Published Books Quietly Fail
Most self-published books fail, no spectacularly. There are no bonfires of Goodreads reviews. They simply appear, make a small polite noise, and then disappear…
- Words on Writing
Write Better Villains: Why “Pure Evil” Isn’t Enough
In this episode of Words on Writing, James Dunlop, author of the Andrew MacKay thrillers, explores why villains are often the weakest part of a story and how a…
- Words on Writing
Fiction Writing Advice You Don’t Want to Hear
I think if you want to write a novel, you should know what you’re in for. Here are some rather uncomfortable but brutally honest truths I learned when I…
- Words on Writing
Is There a Market for Your Book? (Or Are You Just Talking to Yourself)?
There’s a curious question that wakes a lot off writers at about 2:17 AM: Is there a market for this? The question arrives wearing sensible shoes, possibly…
- Words on Writing
Why Writing Anti-Heroes is More Fun Than Heroes
We explore how making a protagonist a traditional hero wouldcan feel dishonest. And, more importantly, dull.
- Words on Writing
How Writers Accidentally Sabotage Their Own Characters
You smooth an edge here so the reader won’t flinch. You explain a motivation there so no one gets confused. You add context, sympathy, backstory. Still, your…
- Words on Writing
Why Your Book Cover Is Sabotaging You
Most self-published books don’t lose readers in the writing. Because most never make it past the first glance. Here’s how to stop that from happening.
- Words on Writing
What Homer Simpson Teaches Us About Developing a Main Character
If you want to build a main character readers will follow throughchaos, humiliation, and poor decision-making, Homer Simpson is a masterclass in how it’s done.
- Words on Writing
10 More Editing Suggestions
Editing is where you take your book from emotionalsupport project to a functional piece of narrative machinery, from ambitious pile of narrative compost. to…
- Words on Writing
10 Steps to Writing a Book Blurb
The book blurb is has to whisper, seduce, threaten, reassure, and gently shove a stranger toward a purchase. In this episode we explore how you can possibly…
- Words on Writing
10 Things Shakespeare Can Teach Thriller Writers
Squint past the silly tights and soliloquies, and you’ll see the Bard is all about suspense: murder, betrayal, ambition. In this episode we'll look at how you…
- Words on Writing
Editing. My Easy 8-Stage Autopsy
Here is a draft-to-disaster recovery plan to help you take a first draft of confused syntax and unnecessary sentences, and turn it into the story you meant to…
- Words on Writing
8 Self-Publishing Myths That Need to Die
Self-publishing is a legitimate career path. One you can say out loud at family gatherings without getting any weird side eye. Still, the myths persist. So…
- Words on Writing
10 Things I Wish I’d Done Differently Writing My First Book
In this episode I'll share what I learned through perseverance (and the sort of stubbornness generally reserved for mules and evangelists of cryptocurrency).
- Words on Writing
12 Easy-to-Avoid First Draft Mistakes
In this episode we identify mistakes so many of us make, like the misguided belief that a first draft should be good, and look at ways to avoid early pitfalls.
- Words on Writing
10 Terrible Self-Publishing Mistakes
Self-publishing is both thrilling and alarmingly easy to careen straight into the algorithmic abyss with your shoelaces tied together. Here are 10 lessons I…
- Words on Writing
What Writing Hemorrhoid Ads Taught Me About Writing Fiction
Here are 9 things I learned about making readers care about someone else’s discomfort, some excellent lessons for writing fiction.
- Words on Writing
10 Opening Page Mistakes
In this episode we'll look at some mines to avoid stepping on if you want to hook readers before they ghost you.
- Words on Writing
Irresistible Plotting - Part 2
The second episode of a 2-part series on plotting your novel, from midpoint to mayhem. How not to drop the ball just when it starts getting good.
- Words on Writing
Irresistible Plotting - Part 1
The first episode of a 2-part series that examines how you can construct a first half so compelling it’s reader catnip.
- Words on Writing
How to Market Your Self-Published Book
In this episode we look at how you can market your book without resorting to becoming a used-car sales man.
- Words on Writing
8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Writing My First Book
In this episode I'll take you through some of the rookie writing mistakes I made, so you don't have to learn the hard way.
- Words on Writing
How to Write an Unputdownable Book
In this episode we look at how you can keep strangers up at night without being a psychopath.
- Words on Writing
Essential Steps to Self-Publishing
In this episode, I'll walk you through how you can build your book empire from the comfort of your couch.
- Words on Writing
To Outline Your Novel or Not?
In this episode we look at both sides of the argument to either outline your novel or freestyle it out of chaos.
- Words on Writing
What Writing Cadillac Ads Taught Me About Great Dialogue
In this episode, we explore harnessing the power of gaps to write great conversation.
- Words on Writing
Why Self-Publish?
In this episode, we explore how waiting for permission is so last century.
- Words on Writing
How to Write Something Truly Original
In this episode, we look at how to write something original without moving to a yurt. Or inventing new emotions.