Become a Writer Today

Have you ever considered writing fiction for young adults?

In this episode, I chat to Zara Miller, whose first book, I Am Cecilia, is about to be published. It’s a romance aimed at young adults. 

We talk about her process for writing young adult fiction and romance, and she explains how she also writes fanfiction set in the Riverdale universe, which she says helps her decompress. 

Zara also talks about what drew her to write young adult fiction and how she landed a book publishing contract.

In this episode we discuss:

• Where the idea came from for a young adult book
• The benefits of having a strong LinkedIn profile
• What is an 'episodic' writer
• Tips for getting the writing process started
• Letting off steam through writing fanfiction 

Resources

• Zara Miller on LinkedIn
• The Teen Magazine

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Journaling is very popular right now, but could you produce a book from your journal entries?

I'm writing a parenting book at the moment, and journaling is the approach that I'm using. I wrote journal entries about the sorts of things that my kids got up to, then, when I was ready to write the book, I reorganized the entries and turned them into chapters.

Taking this approach works because if you write 300 words in your journal today, chances are tomorrow you'll feel a bit more comfortable about the topic and go past 300 words, and you might write 400 or even 500. If you do that for a week, you'll rack up a couple of thousand words. If you do it for the year, you'll undoubtedly have more than enough for your book or several books.

In this episode, I chat with Tom Kreffer. He's the author of Dear Dory: Journal of a Soon to Be First Time Dad, which he initially wrote as a series of journal entries when his partner was expecting their first child, before turning it into a book.

In this episode we discuss:

• At what point Tom realized his personal journal could be a book
• Using humor in the book 
• The pros and cons of parenting books for dads
• Lessons that Tom has learned from writing the book
•  When did Tom find the time to write when working full time
• Tactics for promoting the book

Resources:

• Day One
• Scrivener
• David Sedaris - Masterclass
• Braintoss
• Evernote
• Tom Kreffer

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Have you ever considered offering something in addition to your book? I've discovered several non-fiction authors who provide coaching, organize events, or facilitate courses that elaborate on their book's ideas.

Doing this helps spread your message more widely because not everybody enjoys learning via the written word. It also enables you to earn more from your writing, which you could invest in your business or live off while writing another book.

It can also help you clarify your ideas and reposition you in a way that enables more people to engage with you.

My guest in this episode has done precisely this. Dr. Trevor Blattner runs a dental practice, and his new book, Redefining the Top 1%, is out now.

He's also the hosts a podcast and offers coaching and consulting based on the seven behaviors that drive shepherd leadership, which he explains in his book.

In this episode we discuss:

• What inspired Trevor to write the book 
• Explaining the relevance of the seven principles written about in the book
• Redefining goal setting
• Trevor's process for writing the book
• The importance of accountability
• The value of having an editor

Resources

• Redefining the Top 1%: The Seven Behaviors that Drive Shepherd Leadership - Dr Trevor Blattner
• Redefining the Top 1% Podcast
• Dr. Trevor Blattner

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

You may think that as you're the book's author, then you're the best person to edit it, but finding and working with a good editor can help improve the writing that you produce.

Not only will editors find and fix errors in your manuscript that you might have missed when you were writing them, but it can also be like having access to your own coach or mentor. Editors are trained professionals who can help you improve your craft and help you spot issues you've missed.

A good editor can offer advice specific to the types of problems you have with writing that you won't necessarily find in a book about writing.

I caught up with the founder of NY Book Editor, Natasa Lekic. Her company has been in the business of helping authors for over eight years, and they have several high-profile success stories, some of which she talks about in this week's interview.
 
In this episode we discuss: 

• Why Natasa started NY Book Editor
• Who is NY Book Editor's target market?
• What is a good editorial fit?
• How long the editorial process takes
• At what point should you enlist the help of an editor?
• How much does an editor cost?

Resources:

• NY Book Editors
• Story by Robert McKee
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
• Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Like many authors, you probably have a dream of writing and publishing your first book. Chances are, you've also got to work to pay the bills and write the book when you have some time to spare.

At least that's what I had to do. I used to get up at 5 or 6 am and spend the first-hour writing before the kids woke up and my working day started. But, I believe that if you spend 30 - 60 minutes per day on your writing project, you can make great progress.

My guest in this episode is Conor Bredin, and he did just that. He wrote and self-published his first novel, The Longest Night, while working as a primary school teacher.

I wanted to understand what his writing routine looked like, how he balanced writing with a day job, and what steps he took to ensure that he got to a point where he was happy to publish.

In this episode we discuss:

• Making writing your priority
• Planning your day to make time for your writing
• Using tools and software to enhance your writing
• How Conor structures his writing
• The different types of editing processes
• How Conor markets his work

Resources:

• Conor Bredin
• The Longest Night
• The Story of a Storyteller Podcast
• NaNoWriMo
• Robert McKee - Story
• Shawn Coyne - The Story Grid
• Snowflake Pro
• Scrivener
• Book Funnel
• StoryOrigin
• The Anatomy of Story - John Truby

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Have you ever felt the urge to perform your work in front of people? Or do you already love performing your work to others?

My guest in this episode of the podcast is Dallas based poet and performer, Tyran Saffold.  He spends a lot of time reading and reciting his work and he also runs a spoken word magazine, has a YouTube channel and his own podcast.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Tyran and I wanted to know how he gets himself and his pieces ready for a recital and what it is he loves about performing his work to others

In this episode we discuss:

• Defining the spoken word
• How Tyran got into spoken word
• Genres and topics that interest Tyran
• How Tyran gets a piece ready to perform
• Is it possible to earn money from poetry

Resources:

• Gods_ink_Spokenword
• Tyran Saffold Jr
• The Words I Never Said Podcast
• The Ink Magazine
• GodsInk1

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Platforms like Medium make it easier than ever to earn a living from writing.

My guest on this episode of the podcast is Michael Thompson,  a career coach and writer from the United States who emigrated to Barcelona, in Spain.

He's also the editor of a popular publication on Medium called Entrepreneur's Handbook and has written dozens of articles that have gone viral on Medium.

Mike and I chatted about how he found himself moving to Barcelona from the US and how that move set off a chain of events that uncovered a love for writing.

We also chat about how he got started with Medium and turned his writing into a full-time profession.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Mike losing $250,000 ultimately led to him becoming a writer
• Why a good title is as important as a good article
• Having options so that not all of your writing is just Medium
• The number one mistake writers make when submitting an article to a Medium publication

Resources:

• ConvertKit
• mikethompsonblog.com
• Substack
• Michael Thompson on Medium
• Make Money on Medium

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Could you write about your family? And if so, how would you decide what to include and what to take out?

I've just finished writing a book about my experiences of being a dad to three children, and I've had to make some decisions about what to leave in and what to take out. After all, I want to be fair to the children.

And although my editor has given me some good advice, ultimately the best person to look over it and give their opinion will be my wife!

It was whilst researching the book that I came across former school principal Dr Paul Reeves. His book is very cleverly titled A Principal's Family Principles. His book is full of stories of his own family and his experiences as a high school principal.

I was interested to know why he decided to write a parenting book, how he got it into the hands of other dads and what it's like to write in this particular type of genre.

In this episode we discuss:

• Where the idea for the book came from
• How to decide what to leave in and what to take out
• Paul's take on bullying
• Which chapters especially resonated with the readers

Resources:

• Dr. Paul's Radio Show
• A Principles Family Principles
• Paul Reeves.com
• This is Working - Bryan Collins

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Have you ever tried to write a short story? I've often felt that short stories are a great way to try out different styles and genres without the commitment of writing a novel.

They are also a valuable way of moving your writing away from blogging or journalism.

Frank Burton is a podcaster and author. Not only has he produced several novels, but he's also a prolific short story writer.

I was interested to know more about his short story writing process and how he comes up with so many different ideas for short stories across genres.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Frank got into writing short stories
• How long it takes to write a short story
• Influences and favourite writers
• Are there any rules about how long a short story should be?
• Can anyone write a short story?
• Dealing with mental health during the lockdown

Resources:

• Ragbag Storytelling Podcast
• Scrivener
• Frank Burton

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

What does SEO look like for creatives today?

It's a great strategy for building traction for a business or a book, how can you do that without throwing money at Facebook or Google ads?

My guest in this episode is the Founder of Lolly Co, Daniel Cooper. His new book, Upgrade, shows business owners how to use key strategies and techniques to grow their business, including producing engaging content.

Content can come in many forms, from blogging, writing guest articles, newsletters - in fact, anything where some type of creative writing is involved.

But it's not just about producing volumes of content for the sake of it. It's learning how to craft exciting and useful content that will ultimately get you seen.

In today's episode we discuss: 

• Writing content that engages the reader
• The benefits of creating a newsletter
• Using the right tools when crafting your content
• Where to place your content so that you retain full control over it

Resources:

• Ahrefs
• Clearscope
• Marketmuse
• Dashword
• HARO
• UpGrade the book
• Lolly.co

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!