My Best Writing Tip

This is a podcast explicitly about the craft of writing—except when it’s not. For these “Fanning Out” bonus episodes, Ted is joined by his videographer pal Matthew Simmons not to talk about things they’ve made but rather to revel in the work of others and what it can teach us. Like the show’s regular episodes, it’s a celebration of human creativity (or something that sounds 42 percent less corny)....

Ted is joined by Lindsay Lewis, who fell in love with books when she realized she could escape algebra class by peeking at the romance novel hidden on her lap. Now she entertains herself by making the characters in her head kiss. Her debut novel, a sports rom-com titled It’s a Business Doing Pleasure With You, will be published by Alcove Press this August. Lindsay tells us about the book and why s...

Ted is joined by Marc S. Perlman, whose debut novel, The Riddle of the Trees , was published this March, more than a decade after he first conceived of it while biking through the Belavezskaya Forest from Poland to Belarus. Marc gives us an overview of the book, an espionage thriller, and the role that place played in inspiring its writing before offering his best writing tip, which he first heard...

This is a podcast explicitly about the craft of writing—except when it’s not. For these “Fanning Out” bonus episodes, Ted is joined by his videographer pal Matthew Simmons not to talk about things they’ve made but rather to revel in the work of others and what it can teach us. Like the show’s regular episodes, it’s a celebration of human creativity (or something that sounds 71 percent less corny)....

Ted is joined by Marie Ellis, a Sunday Times number 1-bestselling ghostwriter and editor for books as well as the founder of the boutique content agency Muse. When she’s not working with clients on nonfiction projects, she’s applying her 15-plus years of experience to her own novelistic pursuits. After taking us inside the world of a professional ghostwriter, Marie shares her best writing tip, whi...

This is a podcast explicitly about the craft of writing—except when it’s not. For these “Fanning Out” bonus episodes, Ted is joined by his videographer pal Matthew Simmons not to talk about things they’ve made but rather to revel in the work of others and what it can teach us. Like the show’s regular episodes, it’s a celebration of human creativity (or something that sounds 57 percent less corny)....

Ted is joined by Shobha Rao, the author of the short story collection An Unrestored Woman and the novels Indian Country and Girls Burn Brighter . Shobha has won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction and was a Grace Paley Teaching Fellow at The New School. Girls Burn Brighter was long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the California Book Award and the...

A separate description for a trailer episode feels a little silly, so here’s the transcript instead. -- Hi, my name is Ted Fox, and I’m the author of the novels Schooled and Date Week . And for close to three years, I’ve been the host of this podcast, which up ‘til now has been called Working Drafts . I’ll be honest with you: It’s been fun. I’ve gotten to talk with a lot of fellow writers about th...

In this solo pod, Ted offers up his absolutely, positively, one-and-only best writing tip (how’s that for some attempted SEO optimization?). Plus an update about the next couple months of the show. More information about Ted and his books is available on his website, thetedfox.com .

Ted is joined by Alice Florence Orr of Podcast Review , who also just so happens to be a novelist. Her work has been featured in publications including Extra Teeth , The Independent , Scottish Review , Barley Magazine , and The Dillydoun Review . She was awarded The Sloan Prize in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers Award in 2023. And while Ted can attest Alice is a...

Ted is joined by Rob Harvilla, the host of the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s and a senior staff writer at The Ringer . A professional rock critic for 20-plus years, Rob has had stops at the Village Voice , SPIN , Deadspin , and various other alt-weeklies. His podcast, which has now moved beyond the 1990s to consider the music of the 2000s, was the basis for his 2023 book 60 Songs That Exp...

Ted is joined by Dave Cohen, a writer, comedian, founding member of the Comedy Store Players, and one of the most respected teachers of comedy writing in the UK. A former standup comedian, he has written for radio and TV shows and is an eight-time BAFTA winner for his songs for the BBC hit Horrible Histories . Dave is also the author of the Barry Goldman novels, a series set in the world of the 19...

In a different kind of episode, Ted is joined by Jim Lang, an emeritus professor of English at Assumption University and current professor of the practice at the University of Notre Dame’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence. Jim is one of Ted’s favorite people to talk writing with in three-dimensional spaces—i.e., in-person, no internet connection needed—because he brings a teacher’s mentality t...

Ted is joined by Nishant Batsha, whose second novel, A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart , was published this month by ecco/HarperCollins. He is also the author of Mother Ocean Father Nation (ecco/HarperCollins), which, among other honors, was named one of the best books of 2022 by NPR. Nishant holds a Ph. D. in history from Columbia University, so it’s no surprise that his fiction draws heavily on r...

No guest this month, so Ted revisits a previous solo pod, during which he talked about the challenges of navigating the months in between when you submit your final manuscript and when the book actually comes out. In that episode, he shared how, for him, a big part of managing those challenges involves getting started on a new project. Well, it’s now been a year since that finished manuscript was...

Ted is joined this month by not one but two amazing guests, Jennifer Acker and Emily Everett. Jennifer is the founder and editor in chief of The Common , an award-winning print and digital literary journal based at Amherst College, and author of the novel The Limits of the World , which was one of three fiction honorees for the Massachusetts Book Award.   Emily works with Jennifer as managing edit...

Ted is joined by Maggie Su, whose debut novel, Blob: A Love Story , was published in January to praise from The New York Times Book Review , Publishers Weekly (starred review), The Washington Post , The New Yorker , and Goodreads, among others. Maggie and Ted begin by discussing the short story and dramatic origins of Blob , which is a work of speculative fiction about a young woman who tries to m...

Ted is joined by Annie B. Jones, the author of the soon-to-be-released Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put . A book of essays, it draws on her experiences living in a small town in the area where she grew up. Those experiences include owning and running an independent bookstore, The Bookshelf, through which she also talks books, small business, and life in the South as the host of the...

Ted is joined by Angela Montoya, whose debut novel, Sinner’s Isle , received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and trade reviews from Booklist and The Bulletin . Her second novel, A Cruel Thirst , was published last month and has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and an Editor’s Pick: Best YA of December by Amazon Books. Angela also co-hosts the podcast Of the Pu...

Ted is joined by Katherine J. Igoe, a writer and editor who’s been freelancing since 2011. At the moment, she is also a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire . She has written for The New York Times , The Cut , Cosmopolitan , InStyle , Parents , and The Boston Globe , among others.   Katherine and Ted have known each other for a number of years and have bonded over their shared love of...

A short post-election break from our regularly scheduled programming. Website Mentioned in This Episode: Postcards to Voters: postcardstovoters.org More information about Ted and his books is available on his website, thetedfox.com .

Ted is joined by Kirthana Ramisetti, author of the novels Advika and the Hollywood Wives and Dava Shastri’s Last Day , a Good Morning America Book Club selection optioned by Max. Her books have been praised by TIME , Cosmopolitan , The Washington Post , Buzzfeed , The Associated Press, and others. Beyond her novels, Kirthana’s writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times , The...

Ted is joined by Laura Hankin, an author, screenwriter, and performer. Her books include The Daydreams , one of the “Best Beach Reads of 2023” ( Harper’s Bazaar , Cosmopolitan , and more); Happy & You Know It , a Book of the Month and Library Reads selection; and A Special Place for Women , as seen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . Laura and Ted’s conversation begins with her most recent...

Ted is joined by Alyssa Neece, his real-life coworker who shares his passion for making funny stuff outside of the office. For Alyssa, though, it’s not about writing books but coming up with and performing comedy for audiences. Alyssa’s comedy journey started in college but didn’t really take off until some years later when they received a simple piece of advice: Focus less on what they should do...

Ted is joined this month by Lauren Aliza Green, author of the just-released novel The World After Alice , a “most anticipated” book by Vogue , Town & Country , and LitHub , among others. Her chapbook, A Great Dark House , won the Poetry Society of America’s Chapbook Fellowship, and she was named to Forbes ’ 2024 30 Under 30 list.   After a quick overview of The World After Alice —which Ann Nap...