thewritingcoach's podcast (Writing)
In episode 122, writing coach Kevin T. Johns shares what he has been up to since his last podcast episode, including:
  • Why he spent his November NOT participating in NaNoWriMo
  • Why community is a beautiful thing
  • The exact moment he realized he had COVID
  • Why he gave away a $500 program for free
  • And much more!

Listen now!

Direct download: Writing_Coach_120.mp3
Category:Writing -- posted at: 10:38pm EDT

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #119 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with writer Carmone Harris.

Over the month of November, I ran my new group program, STORY PLAN INTENSIVE. The goal of the program was simple: rather than spend the month throwing together a stressful to create (and possibly disastrous) first draft of a manuscript via NaNoWriMo, the participants would instead spend the month planning their story, developing their macro-level story craft, and ultimately complete a rock-solid outline for their book that will set them up for long term success.

The program was a hit and I look forward to running it again before too long. (If you would like to participate in the next round of STORY PLAN INTENSIVE, reach out to me at kevintjohns@gmail.com.)

One of the participants in the program was Carmone Harriss. Carmone is a mother, embroiderer, and writer. When she’s not writing and being a mom, she loves to watch movies and television shows. She also enjoys reading and has a love for music. She’s a member of the Supernatural fandom and loves vampires and rock and roll. Her favorite book genres are  YA/NA Paranormal romances, fantasy/urban fantasy, horror, and a few other romances. 

Throughout STORY PLAN INTENSIVE, Carmone shared numerous resources with the group via our private forum. What impressed me about Carmone’s sharing was not just the helpful content she was able to find, but also the vast array of channels she was pulling content from. As such, I asked Carmone to be on the show to discuss the various sources she finds inspiration for her writing.

During our discussion, Carmone explains how writers can use:

  • Role-Playing Boards
  • Music
  • Youtube
  • TikTok
  • Podcasts
  • Pinterest
  • And more!

Listen to the full podcast episode:

Direct download: WC_119_Final.mp3
Category:Writing -- posted at: 10:56am EDT

In episode #74 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with book marketing coach Audrey Hughey.

Audrey previously appeared on the show in episode #61, where we discussed her book marketing program and community, the Author Transformation Alliance. This week, Audrey returns to the show to discuss The Ultimate Authorship Planner, an incredible new resource she has created for authors.

The Ultimate Authorship Planner is designed to be an all-in-one day planner and writing-career coach, helping authors to organize their writing life and get on a clear path to reach their goals. The planner is a place to:

  • Track daily and weekly word counts
  • Map out writing and publishing plans for an entire year
  • Manage and track monthly expenses
  • Develop an editing checklist and evaluate potential editors
  • Plan social media marketing, book promotions, and advertising
  • Sketch out ideas for author newsletter and track open and click-through rates
  • Have space and flexibility to plan your days and weeks according to your own unique lifestyle and schedule.

I own a copy of the planner (and I love it!) so I was thrilled to get an opportunity to talk to Audrey all about it.

During our discussion, Audrey describes:

  • Where the original idea of the planner came from (and how it sent her NaNoWriMo in an entirely new direction)
  • How she worked with her community of authors to create a product she knew they would find valuable
  • The role planning, tracking, and reviewing plays in achieving goals, selling books, and building an author business
  • Why she chose to publish the book using the Lulu platform in additional Amazon's CreateSpace
  • How and why she was able to create three different covers for her planner
  • And much more!

Whether you're on the lookout for a planner to help get your author business organized, or just curious about the behind the scenes work that goes into creating a product like this, you won't want to miss this episode.

Click below to listen now!

Direct download: WC_074.mp3
Category:Writing -- posted at: 11:06am EDT

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #70 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Lisa Tener.

An authority on book writing and publishing, and winner of the Silver Stevie Award for Coach/Mentor of the Year, Lisa guides experts, entrepreneurs and visionaries to joyfully write and publish their books. Lisa has been quoted in The New York Times, featured on ABC News and more. Lisa Tener serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s publishing and women's leadership courses, and teaches Award Winning Book Writing Courses.

Lisa Tener's clients have received 5- and 6-figure book deals from a large variety of publishers from Random House, St. Martin's Press and Harper Collins to niche and university publishers. Her clients' books have been featured by Oprah, on NPR, the Today Show, Good Morning America and all over the national media, including the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, Forbes and much more.

During our discussion, Lisa describes:

  • Transforming anger into a tool for creativity
  • Why the best teachers are lifelong learners
  • How a time of serious illness in her life led to a period of intense reading and self-discovery
  • The importance of finding your own way
  • Five elements for entering a flow state as a writer
  • And much more!

Listen to the episode now:

Direct download: WC_070.mp3
Category:Writing -- posted at: 10:19pm EDT

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