Explore every episode of the podcast Writing and Editing
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 314. Busting the Social Media Myth with Annie Sklaver Orenstein | 27 Feb 2025 | 00:24:51 | |
Researcher and author Annie Sklaver Orenstein talks about her publishing journey, the urban legend of social media followings, and why you can still get published without them. ▬ Visit Annie's website and get a copy of her book: Follow her socials: | |||
| 313. Beyond the Hero's Journey with Stacey Simmons | 20 Feb 2025 | 00:24:40 | |
Psychotherapist and author Stacey Simmons talks about hero's journey versus the queen's path, their impacts on modern-day literature, and which one you should be using in your story. ▬ Check out Stacey's website: Grab a copy of her book: Follow Stacey on her socials: | |||
| 304. How to Write Historical Thrillers with Sarah Raughley | 26 Dec 2024 | 00:26:52 | |
Author Sarah Raughley discusses all things historical thriller, from creating compelling narratives to keeping suspense, and just how historically accurate you should be. | |||
| 214. How to Copy Edit Fiction the Chicago Way | 04 Sep 2023 | 00:27:59 | |
My guest today is Amy J. Schneider. Amy is a copy editor and proofreader, and most recently an author as well: her book is The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction, one of the guides in the series by the University of Chicago Press. We talk about her career and mostly delve into and discuss some of the details in the book. This is “How to Copy Edit Fiction the Chicago Way,” episode 214 of the podcast. | |||
| 213. In Fiction, Crime Can Pay and Be Funny, Too | 31 Aug 2023 | 00:31:39 | |
hi, I’m Wayne Jones. Welcome to Writing & Editing, the podcast about books and language, for people who write, edit, read, or listen. My guest today is Tyler Schwanke, who’s a writer and filmmaker based in Minneapolis in the US. His debut novel Breaking In, which he calls a “comedic crime thriller,” was published earlier this year. In it, a young filmmaker uses her heist movie knowledge to pull off a real-life heist after a crooked Hollywood director steals her script. We talk about that, as well as about how he manages to write when he already has a full-time job, and also about the influence of film on his writing. | |||
| 212. Writing Across Genres in Fiction and Non | 28 Aug 2023 | 00:31:03 | |
My guest today is Natasha Tynes. She is a Jordanian-American author and communications professional based in Washington, DC, and also hosts her own podcast as well. We talk about the various genres she works in, including They Called Me Wyatt, which she describes as a “speculative literary novel,” and also about her writing process. | |||
| 211. Editing Essentials 3: I’m Sorry, I’ll Need to See Some Proofs First | 24 Aug 2023 | 00:29:31 | |
Welcome to Writing & Editing, the podcast about words and language, for people who write, edit, read, or listen. This is the third episode of the series called “Editing Essentials” that I’m doing with my co-host, Jennia D’Lima. Hi, I’m Jennia, a freelance editor based in Maryland. Wayne and I will be having open conversations about a whole range of editing topics that a writer at any level should know about editors and the editing process. Our plan is to do two of these per month, and ultimately combine them into a website and webinar that we would offer to listeners. Today’s topic is “I’m Sorry, I’ll Need to See Some Proofs First,” episode 211 of the podcast. | |||
| 210. Getting Certified as a Book Coach | 21 Aug 2023 | 00:31:26 | |
My guest today is Kathy Otten. Kathy has published fiction in many forms and genres, and has won awards for her writing. She teaches writing as well, and has been a freelance editor for a few years. I asked her to come on the podcast to talk about not only being a book coach, but also the certification process for that, which she completed last year. | |||
| 209. Learning to Talk about the Words on the Page | 17 Aug 2023 | 00:29:53 | |
My guest today is Susan Murphy. Susan has worked in broadcasting for over 40 years. A radio news director. A TV news reporter. And, as she says, a “‘weather girl’ back when they called them that.” She’s hosted a talk show and worked in production for both TV and radio. And much more. I asked her to be a guest on the show to talk about voice, in the literal sense of the sound you make with your mouth, and not, say, the voice of your book’s narrator. When you get that book published, you may want to be talking about it, on local television and radio, on podcasts, in interviews. Susan gives practical advice on how to talk in what she calls an “authentic voice.” | |||
| 208. I’m Sure I Can Finish This without Cleaning the House First, Right? | 14 Aug 2023 | 00:31:02 | |
My guest today is Cathy Perez. Among many other accomplishments and abilities, Cathy is a Worldwide Certified KonMari Organizing Consultant. We talk about organization, in the sense of being organized, and how the lack of it can have a real effect on how you feel and on how productive you are able to be. She provides information based on her training as well as on personal and professional experiences. Writers? Editors? Anyone? Is the mess around you stopping you from doing what you want to get done? | |||
| 207. The Craft of Writing Children’s Books | 10 Aug 2023 | 00:26:00 | |
My guest today is Tonya Ellis. She’s a children’s author who has independently sold over 150,000 books in her Sophie Washington chapter book series and recently signed a deal for a picture book with HarperCollins. I invited her on the show though to talk in more general terms about writing books for children, how a writer writes for their level without writing down to them, and how the whole thing differs from writing for adults. | |||
| 206. Editing Essentials 2: Why You Need an Editor | 07 Aug 2023 | 00:29:28 | |
This is the second episode of the series called “Editing Essentials” that I am doing with my co-host, Jennia D’Lima. Jennia is a freelance editor based in Maryland. She and I will be having open conversations about a whole range of editing topics that a writer at any level should know about editors and the editing process. Our plan is to do two of these per month, and ultimately combine them into a website and webinar that we would offer to listeners. Today’s topic is “Why You Need an Editor,” episode 206 of the podcast. | |||
| 205. How to Be Better at Freelancing | 03 Aug 2023 | 00:26:36 | |
My guest today is Rai Cornell. She has worked in copywriting, content creation, and web development for 15 years, and now runs a successful marketing firm providing advice to a range of clients, large and solo. I asked her to be on the show to talk about the business of being a freelancer, especially as a writer or editor. And she came through, talking articulately from a base of solid knowledge, experience, and training about what a freelancer can do to improve their business. | |||
| 303. Writing With Honesty with Anna Moore | 19 Dec 2024 | 00:23:52 | |
Author Anna Moore shares the importance of writing with honesty, what exactly that means, and how it can enhance your story. | |||
| 204. On a Mission to Help Struggling and Reluctant Readers | 31 Jul 2023 | 00:30:02 | |
My guest today is Danny Brassell. He’s a former inner-city school teacher in the US, and now does many things as a writer, coach, and speaker. But I’d asked him if we could focus on his efforts to increase the habit of reading by children. He was a pleasure to talk to: articulate, enthusiastic, and funny too. | |||
| 203. Editing Essentials 1: Copy Editing and Line/Stylistic Editing | 27 Jul 2023 | 00:29:42 | |
I’m thrilled to say that this is the premiere of a series of episodes called “Editing Essentials” that I will be doing with my co-host, Jennia D’Lima. Jennia is a freelance editor based in Maryland. She and I will be having open conversations about a whole range of editing topics that a writer at any level should know about editors and the editing process. Our plan is to do two of these per month, and ultimately combine them into a website and webinar that we would offer to listeners. Today’s topic is “Editing Essentials: Copy Editing and Line/Stylistic Editing,” episode 203 of the podcast. | |||
| 202. Creativity, Self-editing, and the Practical Aspects of Just Writing | 24 Jul 2023 | 00:21:41 | |
My guest today is Michael Stangeland. He published a sci-fi novel earlier this year called Junkworld: The Ballad of Leroy Brown. We talk about this a little, but we mostly concentrate on the desire to create things in the first place, how it often starts young, and how a writer manages to get things finished. | |||
| 201. “Writing It Down in Pen or Pencil First”: Making and Editing Funny | 20 Jul 2023 | 00:25:04 | |
My guest today is Haji Outlaw, who is a former touring standup comedian, and now is a comedy writer, and has written a series of books called Hey Doorman, about his experiences as a bouncer at comedy clubs. We talk about his career, his writing method, and some of his favourite out comedians. | |||
| 200. Vive la Différence: Teaching and Coaching English Speakers in French | 17 Jul 2023 | 00:28:10 | |
My guest today is Angel Pretot. He’s a teacher and coach for people who want to learn French. He’s written two novels in French, but our discussion focuses on pedagogy—how does one teach another language?—as well as the differences between English and French and some of the difficulties teaching English. | |||
| 199. Reading and Improving Myself | 13 Jul 2023 | 00:29:55 | |
My guest today is David McBee. David is a podcast host, children’s book author, and public speaker. He’s read a lot of self-improvement books, and then wrote his own, Everyday Lessons Every Day, the story of how reading helped him overcome anger issues that nearly destroyed his family. We have a wide-ranging, open, and fascinating conversation about all that, plus the effect of his cancer diagnosis on his life. | |||
| 198. Making Complicated Things Easy to Understand | 10 Jul 2023 | 00:22:55 | |
My guest today is Cleoniki Kesidis. Cleoniki is a freelance copywriter who writes marketing materials for various clients. As she puts it, she uses her storytelling skills to write “compelling marketing materials that spark emotion and drive action.” I also noticed in her profile that she said she has “a knack for explaining complex concepts clearly.” | |||
| 197. Is It the Story or the Words That Really Count? | 06 Jul 2023 | 00:25:53 | |
My guest today is Fernanda Barajas. She’s a copywriter who does work for several different companies. She also hosts a podcast, and writes a blog, called My Impression Of, where she reviews and discusses books, movies, series, authors, and songwriters. She mentions in her profile the importance of stories, and I asked her to be a guest on the podcast to talk about the importance of words—instead of or in addition to. It was a fun and informative chat. Podcast Instagram Linktree | |||
| 196. After Snorting Crank for Three Days | 03 Jul 2023 | 00:23:42 | |
My guest today is Mary Beth O’Connor. She’s a retired judge now, but in January she published a personal memoir that was far from legalese. The title kind of covers it: From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction. The language is frank and the story has got compelling built in. | |||
| 195. My Bonds and Mutual Funds Are Doing Great, but My Stonks Are Way Down | 29 Jun 2023 | 00:14:29 | |
I’m solo today and the topic is the English language, specifically one of its very recent words: stonk. It’s a nice case study of one of the ways in which new words come into the language. First, they’re known by only a few people; then there’s a niche who know about the meme (if it was coined online, as stonk was); and then it starts to gain some acceptability (appears in dictionaries, for example). What Meme Man Looks Like Urban Dictionary Wiktionary Memes Dictionary | |||
| 302. Experimental Prose in Memoir with Jennifer Lang | 12 Dec 2024 | 00:23:31 | |
Author and yogi Jennifer Lang talks about experimental prose, how to use it in memoir, and why it gives you more freedom in telling your story. | |||
| 194. Prompting You to Keep a Journal | 26 Jun 2023 | 00:28:35 | |
Before I start the show and the conversation with my guest, I want to let you know that I’m changing the frequency of the podcast from three episodes a week to two episodes a week. The main reason is that I am now in the process of working with the folks who are helping me edit and ultimately publish the book I’ve written. (It’s called My Sam Johnson, and I am aiming for publication in September. It’s a biography of the great 18th-century English writer Samuel Johnson, but with a difference: it’s written for general readers and not for scholars.) Once that’s done, I plan to start another book, and I just need a little more free time in my life to do all three of the pursuits that I’m passionate about in my life: podcasting, editing, and, yes, writing. So, there will be episodes on Monday and Thursday as usual, but not on Saturday, though I will devote the occasional episode to the English language and its words, as I used to do on my Saturday feature. So, please keep listening. It’s the same podcast, just a little slimmer than it used to be—just like its host, I’m happy to say! My guest today is Jen Hardy. She was raised by an entrepreneur and started working in the family business at the age of 12. She’s now a writer who has published several books, and is also a longtime blogger. Jen is also the host of two podcasts, “Fabulous Over 50” and “Medical Gaslighting.” I asked her to join me on my podcast to talk about journaling, and the books she has published to encourage and guide people in the practice. | |||
| 193. Foster Parent, Lawyer, and Writer | 22 Jun 2023 | 00:23:51 | |
My guest today is Debbie Ausburn, who says that she makes a living as a lawyer but what she does with her life is, as she puts is, “take care of other people’s children.” In fact, children, and especially at-risk children, are the focuses of many aspects of her life—as a foster parent and a stepmother, but also as a now former federal prosecutor of child abuse and violent crimes. The circle was of love and care got created recently as she and her husband found themselves raising the child of one of her former foster children. Debbie published a book a couple of years ago called Raising Other People’s Children, and we talk about it and her extraordinary volunteering. Debbie’s Blog | |||
| 192. Not Just a Lesson, but Fun and Funny Too | 15 Jun 2023 | 00:23:20 | |
My guest today is Steph Katzovi. She has a law degree, but she has spent most of her career as a speechwriter and strategic communications consultant. Now, though, she’s published a middle-grade novel about a girl who is away at camp when a hurricane comes. There are intentional life lessons in the book, and part of what I was interested in was how she maintained the balance between the book being an entertaining novel versus one full of wholesome lessons for kids. | |||
| 191. Being in Politics and Writing about Politics | 12 Jun 2023 | 00:19:52 | |
My guest today is Robin Schepper. For more than thirty years, she served at the highest levels of American politics and government, including presidential campaigns, and she was also executive director of Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity initiative, Let’s Move! She’s just published a memoir, and I was interested in some of the details in it as well as how she went about writing it. How do write about something when you’re so busy? Do you take notes along the way? Do you just hope you have a good memory? | |||
| 190. What Was COVID Anyway? | 10 Jun 2023 | 00:40:56 | |
My guest today is Michael Wallach. He’s a screenwriter, but he’s also now produced a timely documentary about COVID-19, calling it a “viral delusion.” He’s worth listening to for an alternative take on the three years of lockdown and crisis we all went through. | |||
| 189. An Essential Deliverable from Your Editor: The Editorial Letter | 08 Jun 2023 | 00:26:40 | |
I’m solo today and I want to talk about one of the three things that you should get back from your editor when they send you back your edited text. One is that document. The other is the style sheet, which I covered in a previous episode (see the show notes). And the other is a carefully and clearly written cover letter. | |||
| 188. Caveat Scriptor: Watch Out for Scam Self-Publishers | 05 Jun 2023 | 00:29:11 | |
My guest today is Amy Bernstein. She’s a writer and book coach, but also has an excellent knowledge of the current publishing landscape. I invited her on specifically to talk about those publishers and services that some writers pay to help self-publish your book—and especially the dubious services and the outright scams to watch our for. This is “Caveat Scriptor: Watch Out for Scam Self-Publishers,” episode 188 of the podcast. Amy’s Website Writer Beware Blog | |||
| 187. The Joy and Stress of Writing and Change | 03 Jun 2023 | 00:23:38 | |
A couple of short announcements before the episode. First is that I’m not doing my usual “A Few More Words” feature today. I’ve done a lot of interviews over the past month or so, and I want to get those posted. I still have well over 150,000 words to go in English, so that feature will be back in a week or so. Second is that I was interviewed on a podcast hosted by the guy—his name is Matt Balaker—I co-wrote a book with about 4 years ago now, a bio of a standup comedian. Our topic is, well, that book (and a few other things). If you want to listen to or watch it, check out the link in the show notes. So, on to today’s episode. My guest today is Diane Hatz. We talk about transitions in one’s writing career, not only psychologically but also technically, as in: should I have my own blog? should I be on YouTube? should I stick to Substack? It’s a great chat. This is “The Joy and Stress of Writing and Change,” episode 187 of the podcast. Diane’s Blog Diane’s Substack Diane on YouTube | |||
| 186. This Is What I Mean by Literary Fiction | 01 Jun 2023 | 00:21:15 | |
I’m solo today and this episode is a kind of prequel. I’m going to be interviewing the great American writer Lorrie Moore in a few weeks about her new novel, I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, due to be published later this month. I’ve been a lifelong fan of her work, and in this episode I will give an overview of her past works, and my views on what it is about her books and her style that makes her exceptional. The title of this episode is “This Is What I Mean by Literary Fiction,” number 186 of the podcast. Loorie Moore’s Amazon Author Page Lorrie Moore’s First Published Story in “Seventeen” Magazine (1977) | |||
| 185. Writing, Illustrating, and Editing Books for Kids | 29 May 2023 | 00:24:32 | |
My guest today is Heidi Fiedler. She’s a writer, editor, coach, and teacher, with a focus on children and pre-teen adolescents. I asked her to come on the show to talk about the whole process of putting together a successful book for these readerships. | |||
| 301. How to Conduct Research for Your Historical Fiction | 06 Dec 2024 | 00:26:16 | |
Author and self-described historian Leah Lindeman discusses what to research, what resources to use, and what not to do when writing historical fiction. | |||
| 184. A Few More Words: Deprecate | 27 May 2023 | 00:09:26 | |
I talk about the two most known uses of this word in English, one the very common "self-deprecating," and the other, the less well-known sense in computing. Along the way, I discover that the two big dictionaries, the Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Unabridged, don't include the latter meaning, and the definition in the OED hasn't been updated fully in a long time. Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology (editor: Philip A. Laplante), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2017 | |||
| 183. Worse Writing Is Harder to Get Through | 25 May 2023 | 00:22:43 | |
Before I get to today’s conversation, I have an announcement about swag. In the next few weeks I will publish my 200th episode and I wanted to celebrate a little by giving thanks to you, the listeners. I started the show in January last year, and both listenership and downloads have increased steadily, which makes me very happy. And I’ve been very grateful for the nice things some of you have said in reviews. I don’t have hard-to-find first editions for you, or cold hard cash, but a mousepad inside a small cotton totebag, both with the show’s logo. Small tokens, yes, but my thanks are big. Just go to the contact form at WritingEditing.ca and send me your mailing address, and I’ll send them to you (until they run out). Again: thank you. So, for today’s episode … My guest is Todd Brison, who describes himself as an “optimist who writes.” He's an Amazon best-selling author and award-winning ghostwriter. I met him on Substack, where he writes What Makes Great Writing? We had a great discussion about the importance and impact of the quality of writing in all sorts of media. This is “Worse Writing Is Harder to Get Through,” episode 183 of the podcast.
Todd’s Website
Substack
Twitter
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| 182. Enhancing the Oxford English Dictionary | 22 May 2023 | 00:26:08 | |
My guest today is Dr. David Williams, who is an associate professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Canada. He has a five-year academic grant of over $250,000 to continue his work on the Oxford English Dictionary, with two main goals, which we talk about. David Williams | |||
| 181. A Few More Words: Doomscrolling | 20 May 2023 | 00:14:19 | |
I talk about the word doomscrolling and make some searches in dictionaries, in a linguistics corpus, and in Google advanced search to try to get an idea of when it first started being used. I end with a brief etymology of the very old word, doom itself. NOW Corpus (News on the Web) The Decibel | |||
| 180. A New Author Talks about His Disappointment with Hybrid Publisher Friesen Press | 18 May 2023 | 00:25:26 | |
My guest today is Furkhan Dandia . He’s a first-time author of Pursuit of Self-Love: 30 Uplifting Messages and Reflections, which he paid to have published by the hybrid publisher Friesen Press, in Manitoba, Canada, just this past March. A bit more background here before I get to my conversation with Furkhan. If you’re a regular listener to the podcast, you may remember episode 152 in March, when I told the general story of my efforts to get Friesen to answer two simple questions for me: why are there books priced anywhere from 30 to 100 percent more on Amazon than they are on the Friesen site, and do they inform authors of this before contracts are signed? I ended up talking directly to the president, who hinted she might sue me, but refused to answer the questions. Furkhan is one of two Friesen authors who told me that in fact they were never informed of the Amazon pricing issue, and he agreed to come on the podcast to talk about his experiences regarding the editing of his book as well. This is “A New Author Talks about His Disappointment with Hybrid Publisher Friesen Press,” episode 180 of the podcast.
Furkhan’s Website Furkhan’s Book on Friesen’s Site: $21.99 Furkhan’s Book on Amazon.ca: $48.13 | |||
| 179. Two Christians, One Atheist, and No Lyin’ | 15 May 2023 | 00:23:43 | |
My guests today are Susan Gabriel and Steven Eurioste. Susan runs a Christian publishing house with an eight-member team, including Steven. She’d contacted me about being a guest on the podcast, and I agreed as long as we could also talk about theism and atheism. She was amenable to that and brought along Steven as well. We don’t agree on much, but we have a good discussion. Susan Louise Gabriel | |||
| 178. A Few More Words: Bad Faith | 13 May 2023 | 00:13:49 | |
Sitting on a bench by a beach in my home city of Ottawa makes me think of "bad faith," and in this episode I talk about one very specific meaning of the term, one fairly specific, and the general meaning that most people are familiar with (but I also give a bit of its etymology). | |||
| 177. Mental Health, Suicide, and Comedy | 11 May 2023 | 00:34:44 | |
My guest is Frank King. Frank has a long career in comedy, even as a writer for The Tonight Show. After, in his words, he held a gun in his hand and found out what the barrel tastes like, he changed. He didn’t pull the trigger and now focuses on public presentations for corporate and other groups in which he uses comedy as a way to talk about the difficult topic of suicide. | |||
| 176. Writing, Satire, and the Artistic Drive | 08 May 2023 | 00:29:12 | |
My guest today is Sebastian Schug. I invited him on the show to talk about the indie publishing house he ran, but the conversation shifted to his many other interests and talents and experiences. He’s smart and articulate, and we talked mostly about satire and multimedia art. He’s a man in his 20’s who’s accomplished a lot already, and a name to watch for. | |||
| 175. A Few More Words: Empath | 06 May 2023 | 00:14:38 | |
I talk about this relatively new word in English, which actually has its origin in science fiction. The word follows a common pattern for words that start with a very specific meaning in a field or discipline, and then once they're in use in standard English they develop their own meanings and history. I wrap up by comparing it to the word schizophrenic, which has behaved similarly, but with a bit of a twist. | |||
| 300. How to Nourish Your Body for Productivity with Molly Lupo | 27 Nov 2024 | 00:21:48 | |
Dr. Molly Lupo talks about the importance of nutrition, how it can vary based on our daily activities, and what you can begin doing to keep your energy up. | |||
| 174. Avoid Verbal and Narrative Clichés in Your Writing | 04 May 2023 | 00:28:29 | |
I talk about these two types of clichés to avoid. I use "verbal cliché" to mean hackneyed phrases and worn-out imagery that may have been imaginative and fresh at some time in the history of the language now, but has since gone stale. I use "narrative cliché" to mean the use of familiar tropes and situations in the story you are telling. This episode mostly is about fiction and film. | |||
| 173. Teaching Elementary School Students How to Write | 01 May 2023 | 00:32:55 | |
Have you ever wondered how kids in elementary school are taught how to write these days? Do they learn the ins and outs of grammar, or do they learn writing through practising? My guest today is directly involved in teaching this important skill as a full-time teacher in rural Vermont. Samantha Bovat is a writing practitioner as well, with a blog called The Life of a Teacher and a book that was published just last year: The Little Kids: Lessons Learned from Our Perspectives. | |||
| 172. A Few More Words: Paraprosdokian | 29 Apr 2023 | 00:22:53 | |
I talk about the figure of speech called paraprosdokian, and how it fits into the universe of rhetorical figures. It includes puns, too, and I provide examples of it in use. | |||