Writing and Editing

Send us Fan Mail Wayne discusses the case of standup comedian Andrew Schulz . He bought his standup special back from Amazon for $1 million (his life's savings) after they requested that he delete some "wild" jokes about abortion. The special is now being shown as a pay-per-view event on July 17. Wayne is offering to pay the price of the show to the first 10 listeners who contact hi...

Send us Fan Mail Pete Zaborszky is a serial entrepreneur who previously founded a privacy advocate organization, and now is the CEO and founder of Retalk.com . He was born in Soviet Hungary, and grew up in both the UK and Hungary. Pete strongly believes in individual liberty and freedom of speech. This led him to create Retalk, a new social network for people frustrated with censorship. Retalk is...

Send us Fan Mail Hannah Lyon is a professional editor who has assisted dozens of authors in both fiction and nonfiction, working with them to achieve successful publication. Some of the books she has edited or ghostwritten have made it to #1 bestseller lists both nationally and internationally. Hannah practices what she calls “comprehensive editing,” and I was curious to find out from her what exa...

Send us Fan Mail Deb Courtney hosts the popular Write Drunk, Edit Sober Improv Writing sessions online and  in-person in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The sessions focus on microskills in fiction writing to improve how writers make progress on what they’re writing. She frequently speaks on Project Management for Writers, The Procrastination Myth, and the psychological and chemical underpinnings of p...

Send us Fan Mail Based partly on his interviews of many writers over the past month or so on the podcast, Wayne offers his opinions and thoughts about literary fiction and genre fiction. Their differences, what they have in common. He provides some definitions and examples, including an extended analysis of Vladimir Nabokov's novel, Pale Fire (1962).

Send us Fan Mail Dave Milbrandt is the author of Fool's Luck and the Jim Mitchell series of novels ( Chasing Deception, Undue Pressure, and Running ). Dave was born in southern California and spent five years in journalism and public relations before becoming a teacher. In addition to working at several area colleges, he has taught high school English and social studies classes since 2005. Da...

Send us Fan Mail Molly O'Connor describes herself as truly a country gal. She lives in a large, century-old, farmhouse, teeming with four active grandchildren, their parents, three cats, a rabbit, and one dog, not to mention a busy bird feeder outside her office window. Her novels have underlying themes of lesser-known and lesser-understood emotional anxieties and the hidden abuse of women. B...

Send us Fan Mail Kirsten Weiss writes mysteries for people who want to escape but with real, complex, and flawed but likable characters. If there’s magic in the story, she insists that it must work consistently within the world’s rules and be based in history or the reality of current magical practices. She’s best known for her cozy mystery and witch mystery novels, though she’s written some steam...

Send us Fan Mail Nancy O’Brien was raised in small-town southern Ontario and ventured to Ottawa in her early twenties with dreams of making a difference in Canada’s capital. Throughout her career she has written about everything from local news to fishing to online dating. She also worked in municipal politics for over five years and volunteered in multiple elections. She is a proud millennial mot...

Send us Fan Mail Tanya Gough is the founder of StoryBilder , a creative writing platform for new and aspiring writers. It’s built to foster creativity no matter what or how you write. Tanya also writes middle-grade fantasy fiction and science-infused fantasy short stories for adults.

Send us Fan Mail Robin Landa holds the title of Distinguished Professor in the Michael Graves College of Kean University in Union, New Jersey. She’s also “creativity guru” who champions her students, advocates for industry inclusion and equity, and provides scholarships for meritorious students or students in need. Robin’s expertise is in creative advertising, branding, graphic design, and social...

Send us Fan Mail Sheri Saginor is an audiobook narrator and producer based in Boston. She has over 20 years experience as a speaker, writer, and performer. Sheri specializes in nonfiction, including business, self-development, and memoir. She also loves narrating fiction, especially mysteries. For listeners to this episode of Editing Writing , Sheri is offering a complimentary, 30-minute consultat...

Send us Fan Mail Carol Saller describes herself succinctly as “helping writers and editors on behalf of the reader.” She has written six books for young children, including her latest, Eddie’s War . She’s best known in the editing world for her work for The Chicago Manual of Style , but after a long career in editing of one kind or another, she is now writing full-time, focusing on middle-grade co...

Send us Fan Mail Lauren Hunter is a writer and consultant, with a career spanning more than two decades in public relations, content marketing, freelance writing, and publishing. Her latest book is Write Your Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide to Write Your Life Story Fast . She also maintains a twice-monthly newsletter, and if you sign up you’ll receive as a gift a PDF of the introduction and first ch...

Send us Fan Mail My guest today is Rachael Hanel . She’s a writer and also an associate professor of Mass Communication at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Raechel also teaches narrative nonfiction and memoir at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. She has a master’s degree in history and a Ph. D. in creative writing. She has an interesting book coming out, which we discuss in our conversa...

Send us Fan Mail My guest on this episode of Editing Writing is Donna Mazzitelli . She is a writing coach who helps writers particularly with memoirs. Donna says herself that “everyone has stories to tell, and how we grow through our life experiences is what others want to read. The more we share our stories from our hearts, the more our readers will connect with us and be transformed.” She is the...

Send us Fan Mail Barbara Boyd says on her website that a book coach is a combination of “an editor, a project manager, a mentor, and an honest BFF … [providing] editorial feedback, emotional support, and project management and accountability.” In my conversation with her, she was extraordinarily sensitive, intelligent, and articulate. I concentrated on her work with people who are writing memoirs....

Send us Fan Mail Jody Sperling is a fiction writer, and one of the few who at one time has had a literary agent to represent his book to publishers. But after failing to attract a willing publisher, in his words, his “dream wilted.” He ultimately went on to found the podcast The Reluctant Book Marketer , appealing to people such as himself who have tried and tried to get published by a traditional...

Send us Fan Mail Wayne provides details about how the various parts of a self-published book should generally be organized, drawing on information in three style manuals. You can find a PDF with all the details here .

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Editing Writing consists of an interview I did with Meryl Klemow. She’s a standup comedian, performing mostly around California, but much more. Meryl co-hosts and co-produces Campfire Sht Show (with the “i” discreetly omitted from the s-word), a weekly comedy podcast with her podcast partner Beau Hufford. She’s also founded Pre-Canceled apparel , so that both she a...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Editing Writing consists of an interview I did with Lindsay Lees.  Lindsay is originally from Los Angeles, but grew up in both the US and the UK. She has a BA from Manchester Metropolitan University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the California College of the Arts. Her debut novel is called The Willing , and is available in paperback and...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Editing Writing consists of an interview I did with Ali Khamseh. He describes himself on a website as "a bearded nerd from Iran in his mid 20’s, with a particular interest in the motion pictures as a hobby, career and general life. Has a very high opinion of Jeremy Irons, adores Westerns and Musicals and loves movies from the 1960s." I can add to that tha...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Editing Writing consists of an interview I did with Erin Lebacqz. Erin has been teaching writing for over 25 years. Her clients include businesses and non-profit organizations. Erin’s book High-Value Writing: Real Strategies for Real-World Writing was published just earlier this year. I wanted to focus our conversation on clear and concise writing, and Erin came th...

Send us Fan Mail This episode consists of an interview I did with Katie Wall. She is an editor and certified book coach who works with authors to improve the books they are writing. She and her husband Andrew co-founded Craft Better Books . They offer a variety of packages and services to potential clients. She is articulate and enthusiastic and was a lot of fun to talk to.

Send us Fan Mail Wayne continues with  the example of an excerpt from his own published novel, Will's Dead Wife , to illustrate some aspects of literary fiction. Part 1 here .