In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I'm thrilled to interview my client Helen Pilz who just published her sweet Christmas romance New York Snow and Turquoise.

Today on the podcast, I am speaking with my coaching client Helen Pilz about the release of her sweet Christmas romance story, New York Snow and Turquoise.

Born into a U.S. Air Force family, Helen lived in many places around the world, including Dublin, Ireland; Ankara, Turkey; the Philippine Islands; and London, U.K. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Biology with a minor in history and additional studies in forest and rangeland management. Helen’s a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and RWA chapters: Hearts Through History Romance Writers; Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal RWA; and Land of Enchantment Romance Authors. She lives in New Mexico with her husband.

During our conversation, Helen discusses:

• How winning a writing contest in elementary school helped launch her writing career
• Her experience transitioning from traditional to independent publishing
• How she’s benefited from my group coaching programs
• Why her love for Southwest culture inspired a Christmas story set in New York
• And much more!

Listen now!

Most writers are creative individuals filled with thousands of wonderful ideas.

This creativity obviously serves writers well when it comes to developing ideas for stories.

Unfortunately, that same creative spark that stimulates the initiation of a writing project is the same instinct that inspires writers to jump from one project to the next without ever finishing and publishing anything.

In this episode, we explore why writers are so prone to abandoning projects and what you can do to see your writing through to publication.

Listen to the episode or read the transcript at www.kevintjohns.com

It's Remembrance Day here in Canada and Veteran's Day in America, so in today's episode of The Writing Coach podcast, we explore veteran authors and discuss how their experiences in war may have impacted their fiction. 

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Many beginning writers want to write a long book.

There seems to be some sort of belief that long equals good.

Yet, as this episode of The Writing Coach podcast demonstrates, some of the greatest novels ever written are rather short.

In this episode, I cover more than a dozen of my favourite books, all of which are under 60K words long.

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No one does anything alone in this world. It takes collaboration, support, and community to make anything happen.

That's why I get so frustrated with the endless perpetuation of the myth of the solitary author.

You know what I am talking about: the writer who goes out into the woods alone with nothing but a typewriter and a bottle of whiskey, and then, months later, returns from their cabin of solitude with a masterpiece of a manuscript underneath their arm and ready for publication.

As lovely a story as that sounds, it's not how books are made.

In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, we debunk the myth of the solitary author.

Listen to the episode now!

In the last episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I outlined my six-step roadmap for creating and publishing a book.

As I mentioned in that episode, I believe the most difficult stage in that entire process is writing the first draft.

That existential battle with the blank paid can be epic. Too many writers start out strong on the manuscript and then crash and burn for a number of common reasons.

In today's episode of the podcast, I outline the three biggest problems I see writers grappling with while writing a first draft. I then outline several techniques you can use to overcome those challenges and finish your first draft strong.

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Writing coach Kevin T. Johns outlines his six-step road map for creating and publishing a book. 

Social media provides writers with the opportunity to connect with writers from across the world.

But is the type of community social media provides really what writers need to find success?

Or are platforms like Facebook and Twitter doing more harm than good when it comes to writers achieving their literary goals?

I discuss the dangers of social media for writers in this week’s episode of The Writing Coach Podcast.

Whether you’re recovering from illness, worn out after a long shift at the day job, or simply not maintaining energy levels the way you did when you were younger, every writer faces periods of low energy.

That said, if you want to continue to make consistent progress on your writing, you need to develop strategies for combating those low-energy days.

In this episode of the Writing Coach Podcast, I identify several techniques you can use to maintain the momentum of your writing even when you’re lacking inspiration, battling brain fog, or are just feeling downright exhausted.

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As a writing coach, everyday writers come to me asking how they can improve their writing.

Using “Active Voice” is one of the easiest ways to improve the quality of any piece of writing.

Sentences written in Active Voice organize words so that the subject of the sentence is doing the action, not the object.

Confused? Don’t worry, I break it down for you in this episode of The Writing Coach podcast.

Listen to the episode now!

Many writers draft an entire manuscript before learning the fundamentals of the art form.

When they come to me looking for editorial advice, only to discover their characters lack an arc, and/or the book's theme is murky, and/or both their scenes and story as a whole lack structure, and/or the story doesn't demonstrate clear causality, and/or any other of a number of common problems that can emerge in a first draft, they are often startled.

After all, no one becomes an artist because they want to follow rules.

And no one wants to write a story only to be told they are doing their art "wrong."

But creative writing, like all art forms, has fundamentals.

Many writers see these fundamentals as "rules" limiting their creativity, and the question thus becomes:

Are there actually rules to writing and, if so, can you break them?

That's the question we tackle in this episode of The Writing Coach podcast.

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Writing a book is a complicated process and figuring out where to start can be confusing, especially for new authors.

Some writers start with character.

Some writers start with a theme.

Filmmaker and painter David Lynch starts with transcendental meditation!

In this episode of The Writing Coach, I describe the perfect way to begin developing a story and exactly where you should start.

Listen to the episode now!

Amazon's billion-dollar streaming series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has now been released . . . and it's not very good.

In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I explain the biggest problem with the show and then describe how you can avoid making the same mistakes when developing and drafting your fiction writing.

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I love these kinds of episodes.

I just love it when one of my clients works hard, makes steady process, and keeps with it through all the highs and lows that go into creating a book.

Then, one day, the book is launched, and I’m able to interview them here on the show as a published author!

Today is one of those days.

In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with my client, author Phillip L. Wray.

We discuss the creative process of his debut novel, THE PONTCOURT MURDERS, how his love of French culture inspired the story, as well as his approach to combining musketeer adventure with Agatha Christie-style murder mystery.

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There are, of course, many ways to go about writing a book.

But having worked with hundreds of authors over the last decade, I’m absolutely convinced the most efficient, effective, and productive way of doing so is by planning ahead.

Knowing where your book is going, who it’s about, what it has to say about the world, and why readers are going to love it before you even write the first page frees up creativity, relieves stress, and speeds up the entire writing process.

In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I explain my personalized approach to story planning and outline how you can create a rock-solid outline for your novel in thirty days or less.

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Conflict is central to storytelling.

But too often when I tell my coaching clients that one of their scenes needs more conflict, they think I mean"big" conflict. They think of building exploding, dragons being slain, and lovers breaking up.

Conflict, drama, and tension, however, do not require life and death stakes to evoke emotional resonance with a reader.

In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, fresh from vacation, I share examples of real-life everyday conflicts I witnessed at a children's resort focused on fun and happiness.

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Everyone deserves a vacation from time to time.

We all need opportunities to rest, unwind, and recuperate.

For writers, however, vacation time can cause quite a dilemma.

I am pretty sure it was our literary friend Hamlet who once said, "To write, or not to write while on vacation? That is the question!"

In this week's episodes of The Writing Coach podcast, we tackle that question, and I share my advice on how to go about best mixing writing and relaxation.

Listen to the episode now!

Every night I read to my daughter.

The Hobbit, Harry Potter, The Dark is Rising . . .

Most recently, I’ve been reading her The Pages Turners trilogy (written by yours truly).  

It got me thinking about the process of rereading our own work and how our opinion about what is good, and what isn’t, changes over time.

In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I discuss how the ever-changing perspective we have about our own art functions at the macro and micro levels, and how you can use that perspective to get through those particularly challenging writing days.

Listen to the episode or read the transcript at www.kevintjohns.com.

If you've listened to my podcast, taken one of my courses, read one of my books, or just spend more than twenty minutes around me, then you probably know I'm a big Star Wars fan.

That said, I was less than thrilled with the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and it left me pondering the state of writing and storytelling on streaming television shows.

In this episode of the podcast, I discuss two different approaches to writing that can result in the creation of a masterpiece, and how current television shows like Kenobi are not following either of those paths.

Listen to the full episode now!

Do you "Wake Up Exhausted" like Tegan and Sarah song?

Do you relate to Post Malone's "always tired" tattoo?

Has age or health problems reduced your energy levels?

Do you lack the energy to do the writing you want to do?  

If so, this episode of The Writing Coach podcast is for you!

In this episode, I discuss productivity, time management, and dealing with reduced energy levels. 

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My group coaching programs First Draft (for writers working on their first draft) and Final Draft (for writers in the revisions process), include a weekly question and answer session and group discussion.

These are agenda-free sessions where the writers in the group are given the opportunity to discuss whatever writing-related challenges they are dealing with or topics they have on their minds.

In this week's episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse behind the curtain and share with you fifty (!) different topics the group has discussed over the last two months.

What types of things do writers talk about when they come together? Listen to this episode to find out now!

No writer wants to be told by a doctor (or anyone else) that they need to step away from the keyboard for any period of time, or, worse yet, that they require surgery on their wrists.

All the same, carpal tunnel syndrome remains a real and significant risk for writers.

That's why, in this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, we discuss not only the importance of wrist health and good ergonomics for writers, but also several approaches to writing that don't involve typing at a keyboard.

In last’s week’s episode, I briefly touched on the positive impact a punk rock mentality has had on my creative output.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the multitude of lessons I have learned from the world of punk rock.

As such, in episode #127 of The Writing Coach podcast, I reveal ten lessons writers can take from the world of punk rock.

Listen to the full episode now or read the transcript below. 

In episode #126 of The Writing Coach podcast, I discuss the concept of "waiting for perfect" in podcasting, writing, and life. During the episode, you'll discover:

• What iMacs, Roombas, and audio interfaces have to do with writing
• The problem with waiting for perfect to come find you
• Why resiliency is both a good AND bad trait
• The challenge of making big purchases
• How life is about solving one program after another
• Why the punk rock DIY mentality is hugely helpful
• And much more!

Listen to the full episode now or read the transcript at HTTP://www.kevintjohns.com

As a writing coach, one of the questions I'm most often asked is, “How long does it take to write a book?” It’s a simple enough question, but answering it demands taking into account a number of variables.

In episode #125 of The Writing Coach podcast, I cover the four key variables involved in determining exactly how long it takes to write a book, and then we dive into every writer’s favourite topic . . . MATH!

I kid, I kid. The math in the episode is fairly minimal; by punching some variables into our equation, we are able to determine an answer regarding how long it takes to write the average book.

Listen to the full episode now or read the transcript below.

In episode #124 of The Writing Coach podcast, we explore multiple techniques for filling in gaps in your in your plot. You’ll learn:

• How a manuscript doesn’t need to be written in chronological order
• Why macro-level story structure is always key
• How to use “why don’t they?” questions
• The huge impact moving objects from one character to another can have
• And much more!

Listen to the full episode now or read the transcript below. 

In episode #123 of The Writing Coach podcast, we tackle a topic many writers are familiar with: self-doubt. You'll learn:

• Why writers are especially prone to self-doubt (and what to do about it)
• Which Steven Pressfield book is most applicable to this topic (it's not the one you are thinking of!)
• What Marie Foreleo can teach you about dealing with criticism and haters
• The mindset advice James Altucher gives regarding how to find success
• And much more!

Listen to the full episode now or read the transcript now. 

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!