The Art of Paying Attention

William Turner is a former Vietnam Vet turned mystery/thriller author. A cruel comment from a teacher in grade school gave William the passion to write great books. He's now the author of two popular novels: Murder in Our Midst and Death Comes for the President. In this interview, Ryan and William discuss the role of research for your novels, how to use critique as fuel for better writing, never g...

Dr. Thien Doan is a Christian writer that's known for his nonfiction work. But now, he wants to try his hand at fiction. In this episode, Ryan and Thien do a live coaching session on his fiction work in progress. Listen in as they explore story structure, what makes for good characters, why outlines aren't necessary, trusting your storytelling senses, and much more. Follow Thien and his work:  htt...

In this installment of Motivation Monday's, Ryan explores the idea that the project with the most tension, resistance, and fear... might be the one that's most important to start. More writing resources:  https://theprolificwriter.net/ Mentioned in the Show: Steven Pressfield article: "Write the Book You Can't Write." Join the VIP List Leave a rating/review on iTunes Sign up for The Prolific Creat...

J.P. Choquette is an author who pens thrillers that turn pages, not stomachs. She has published several full-length suspense novels, a number of short stories and hundreds of articles for magazines, newspapers and trade publications during her writing career. In this episode, Ryan and J.P. discuss how to write a page turning thriller, why too many details in your stories is boring, when J.P. almos...

In this episode, Ryan dissects and analyzes his first novel (Hired Gun) written in 2013. Previous to the episode, Ryan hadn't read a single word from the book since being published in 2015. He will discuss why he no longer uses pen names, the reasons he changed the title and cover, why your first novel is not very good (and it doesn't matter), why most reviews aren't helpful, and much more. Listen...

Simone Weil said paying attention is the greatest and purest act of generosity. How does that apply to writing? Find out in this installment of Motivation Monday's. More writing resources:  https://www.theprolificwriter.net/ Sign up for The Prolific Creator+ and get full access to the archives and weekly bonus content! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-prolific-creator . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

Lucas Mangum is a horror, literary, and romance writer who loves to blend all three genres together. He also believes in a simple adage: read and write widely, and read and write a lot. Lucas found early success with Flesh and Fire, his debut novel, and then a sequel Blood and Brimstone. But, after having a child, and life getting in the way, Lucas almost gave up the dream. Join Ryan and Lucas as...

In this installment of Motivation Monday's, Ryan finds some writing inspiration from actor, musician, and rapper Will Smith. It may seem counterintuitive, but it might be the motivation we all need to get more words on the page. More writing resources:  https://theprolificwriter.net/ Interview mentioned in the show: https://lewishowes.com/podcast/mark-manson-what-people-dont-tell-you-about-success...

Shashane Wallace is a romance author from Jamaica. In her early years, Wallace didn't have access to many books and didn't think authors existed. Yet, she was determined to write the stories deep in her heart. Listen in as Ryan and Shashane explore the role of sacrifice and passion in your writing, how you can publish great books on a small budget, how she managed to go from $50 a month in sales t...

In the latest installment of Motivation Monday's, Ryan discusses the role of digital media, creation versus consumption, and how to find more time to write. More writing resources:  https://theprolificwriter.net/ Sign up for The Prolific Creator+ and get full access to the archives and weekly bonus content! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-prolific-creator . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Susan Neal is an author, speaker, and wellness coach who is on a mission to reclaim the health of the body of Christ. She combated a health crisis at the age of forty-nine with ten medical diagnoses and two surgeries. Her doctors did all they could but she was still not healed. Susan used her nursing and health science background to heal her body. In this interview, Ryan and Susan chat about her s...

Ella Barnard is host of the Author Like a Boss podcast, owner of Author Boss Academy, and administrator of the Author Like a Boss FB Group. She’s also an author and publishing coach who loves helping creative people connect with their audiences and with each other. In this episode, Ryan and Ella explore what holds authors back from starting and finishing their books, why marketing doesn't need to...

In this installment of Motivation Monday's, Ryan explores the rise and fall of Tiger Woods and what we can learn from his story. Find more writing resources at:  https://theprolificwriter.net/   Sign up for The Prolific Creator+ and get full access to the archives and weekly bonus content! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-prolific-creator . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Rachael Herron is the internationally bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thriller (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she teaches writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford. In this interview, Ryan and Rachael talk all things memoir...

Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin. After working in commercial editing in Los Angeles for a few years and writing after hours, Aileen decided to leave the industry to dedicate more time to learning the craft. Since then, she’s hit the USA Today Best-Selling list twice, and has moved nearly five hundred thousand books in her Alpha Girl series. In this interview...

*Ryan was not feeling well, so he's doing another Greatest Hits episode with Joe R. Lansdale. One of our most popular shows. This show was recorded June 8, 2018.   Prolific writer Joe R. Lansdale, has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense. He has also written for comics as well as "Batman: The Animated Series." As of 2018, he h...

In this Motivation Monday's, Ryan reflects on a commencement speech by Stephen King. The essence of the talk: everything's on loan, we don't own anything, we're just stewards. How does this relate to our writing life... and all of life? Listen in, and find out. More writing resources at:  https://www.theprolificwriter.net/ Mentioned on the Show: Leave a rating/review on iTunes:  https://itunes.app...

In the latest installment of Monday Motivation's, Ryan explores the advantages for being a prolific writer and creator. Does quantity diminish quality? Listen in and find out. More writing resources at:  https://www.theprolificwriter.net/ Mentioned on the Show: Medium article:  https://medium.com/the-prolific-writer/5-advantages-for-being-a-prolific-creator-4c679919341b?source=friends_link&sk=3aa2...

Intent on combining his creativity with his experience, Tim began writing thrillers in 1996 from an apartment overlooking Moscow’s Gorky Park. Twenty years later, his passion for creative writing continues to grow every day. In this interview, Ryan and Tim discuss how he learned to write, why outlining is a must for thrillers, how Tim's military experience shapes his writing, why most marketing ad...

In the latest installment of Motivation Monday's, Ryan discusses the secret for becoming a prolific writer. It has nothing to do with technology, software, or skill. It's all about knowing thy self... and season. More writing resources at:  https://www.theprolificwriter.net/ Mentioned on the Show: Make sure to subscribe to the show and leave a rating/review on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/...

Catherine Banks is a USA Today bestselling fantasy author that pushes the boundaries of prolific writing. Banks has penned over forty novels and is set to complete one million words in 2019... all with a family and a day job. In this interview, Ryan and Catherine discuss the evolution of indie publishing since 2010, her process for writing millions of words with a day job, why covers matter, some...

USA Today bestselling author, Sarah K. L. Wilson hails from the rocky Canadian Shield in Northern Ontario where she lives with her husband and two small boys. In this episode, Ryan and Sarah discuss what drives Sarah to be so prolific, her unique rapid release book strategy, why shorter books are the wave of the future, the best writing advice for someone starting out, and much more. You can find...

In another installment of Motivation Monday's, Ryan discusses the short versus the long game of writing and publishing. We're all tempted to take shortcuts and become impatient with our work. But if we play the long game of publishing our short term disappointments are lessened. More writing resources at:  https://www.theprolificwriter.net/ Mentioned on the Show: Support the Show on Patreon:  http...

In the latest installment of Motivation Monday's, Ryan discusses the place of completion. What are the projects you need to complete for 2019? How do you decide which ones to tackle? Listen in and get motivated! More writing resources at:  https://www.theprolificwriter.net/   Sign up for The Prolific Creator+ and get full access to the archives and weekly bonus content! https://plus.acast.com/s/th...

Glen Robins loves a good adventure. Whether going on one, reading about them, and now, writing them. Glen is carving a path for living a new adventure with his writing dreams. Glen Robins is the author of the popular "Off" thriller/action-adventure series. In this episode, Ryan and Glen discuss what makes a good thriller, how to write depth into your characters, finding time to write, the importan...