Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

The one where NYT Bestseller David Ellis explains why he builds characters before plot.


Listen Later

David Ellis knows how to write successful suspense into his novels. With twists and turns frequenting his pages, he puts forth special effort to make sure his plots are both complex and head-scratching while remaining decipherable to his average reader. David is a NYT bestseller of ten standalone crime novels and has co-authored eight novels with James Patterson. To purchase his latest novel, Look Closer, follow the link below.

From Amazon.com:

David Ellis is a judge and an Edgar-award-winning author of nine novels of crime fiction, as well as five books co-authored with James Patterson. In December, 2014, Dave was sworn in as the youngest-serving Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court for the First District. Dave currently lives outside Chicago with his wife and three children.

In this episode, you’ll discover:
  • Why David builds characters before plot
  • Why he isn’t afraid to keep pivoting
  • How his work as a judge influences his writing
  • Why he starts writing at 3am
  • What it’s like writing with James Patterson
  • Links:

    J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

    J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

    Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

    Wonder Lodge - https://www.vrbo.com/2911457?unitId=3483497

    2022 Colorado Gold Writers Conference - http://rmfw.org/conference-2022/

    Tess Gerritsen - https://www.tessgerritsen.com/

    Rizzoli & Isles: Listen to Me: A Novel - https://books2read.com/rizzoli13

    Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws

    Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/

    Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

    Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

    Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com

    Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ and Atticus - https://www.atticus.io/

    Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

    Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

    Audio production by Geoff Emberlyn - http://www.emberletter.com/

    Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

    *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authorsBy J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle

    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    53 ratings


    More shows like Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

    View all
    The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers by Joanna Penn

    The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers

    613 Listeners

    Helping Writers Become Authors by K.M. Weiland

    Helping Writers Become Authors

    989 Listeners

    The Wordslinger Podcast by It's all about the story here.

    The Wordslinger Podcast

    57 Listeners

    The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience by Kelton Reid

    The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

    214 Listeners

    Writing Excuses by Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

    Writing Excuses

    1,297 Listeners

    Self-Publishing with ALLi by Alliance of Independent Authors

    Self-Publishing with ALLi

    55 Listeners

    The Indy Author Podcast by Matty Dalrymple, The Indy Author

    The Indy Author Podcast

    29 Listeners

    Writer's Routine by Dan Simpson

    Writer's Routine

    304 Listeners

    The Rebel Author Podcast by The Rebel Author Podcast

    The Rebel Author Podcast

    75 Listeners

    Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers by Sara Rosett and Jami Albright

    Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers

    129 Listeners

    Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips by Savannah Gilbo

    Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips

    1,431 Listeners

    The Shit No One Tells You About Writing by Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

    The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

    765 Listeners

    Essential Guide to Writing a Novel by James Thayer

    Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

    355 Listeners

    Writers on Writing by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett and Marrie Stone

    Writers on Writing

    77 Listeners

    Indie Writers Club by James Blatch & Cara Clare

    Indie Writers Club

    9 Listeners