Writing and Editing
Episodes
189. An Essential Deliverable from Your Editor: The Editorial Letter
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI’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...
188. Caveat Scriptor: Watch Out for Scam Self-Publishers
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Amy Bernstein. She’s a writer and book coach, but also has an excellent knowledge of the current publishing landscap...
187. The Joy and Stress of Writing and Change
03 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textA couple of short announcements before the episode. First is that I’m not doing my usual “A Few More Words” feature today. I’ve ...
186. This Is What I Mean by Literary Fiction
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI’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 w...
185. Writing, Illustrating, and Editing Books for Kids
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Heidi Fiedler. She’s a writer, editor, coach, and teacher, with a focus on children and pre-teen adolescents. I aske...
184. A Few More Words: Deprecate
27 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the two most known uses of this word in English, one the very common "self-deprecating," and the other, the less ...
183. Worse Writing Is Harder to Get Through
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textBefore 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 w...
182. Enhancing the Oxford English Dictionary
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Dr. David Williams, who is an associate professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, lo...
181. A Few More Words: Doomscrolling
20 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the word doomscrolling and make some searches in dictionaries, in a linguistics corpus, and in Google advanced search to tr...
180. A New Author Talks about His Disappointment with Hybrid Publisher Friesen Press
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Furkhan Dandia . He’s a first-time author of Pursuit of Self-Love: 30 Uplifting Messages and Reflections, which he p...
179. Two Christians, One Atheist, and No Lyin’
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guests today are Susan Gabriel and Steven Eurioste. Susan runs a Christian publishing house with an eight-member team, including Stev...
178. A Few More Words: Bad Faith
13 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textSitting 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 ve...
177. Mental Health, Suicide, and Comedy
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy 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 ...
176. Writing, Satire, and the Artistic Drive
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Sebastian Schug. I invited him on the show to talk about the indie publishing house he ran, but the conversation shift...
175. A Few More Words: Empath
06 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about this relatively new word in English, which actually has its origin in science fiction. The word follows a common pattern fo...
174. Avoid Verbal and Narrative Clichés in Your Writing
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about these two types of clichés to avoid. I use "verbal cliché" to mean hackneyed phrases and worn-out imagery that ...
173. Teaching Elementary School Students How to Write
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textHave 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 d...
172. A Few More Words: Paraprosdokian
29 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the figure of speech called paraprosdokian, and how it fits into the universe of rhetorical figures. It includes puns, too,...
171. Nutritious Love
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Nancy Perpall, who is a former nurse as well as a former attorney who used to practice family law. She saw a lot of pe...
170. Self-Reflection and Staying Calm
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Steve Vincent, who talks about self-reflection and examining the issues and characteristics that make you who you are,...
169. A Few More Words: Metathesis
22 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about this word, its prefix, and other words that share the same prefix, meta- .
168. Cancer & Musical Theatre: “What Is Happening to Me?”
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Edward Miskie, author of a book with the great title, Cancer, Musical Theatre, and Other Chronic Illnesses, published in 201...
167. Even Social Media Require Manners, Right?
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Kristin Johnson, who is a writer, screenwriter, and ghost writer. She is the author of the award-winning and award-nominated...
166. A Few More Words: Book Banning
15 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI discuss the small town in Texas where they considered closing the public library system rather than follow a judge's order to rei...
165. Modern Dating, Relationships, and Apologies
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Bethany Nicole, who is a writer and relationship expert based in Los Angeles. She uses astrology as part of her work with in...
164. How Was Your Weekend, Fin de Semaine, or Fine Settimana?
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI discuss the recent announcement by the Italian government that it is introducing legislation to levy fines on those who use foreign te...
163. A Few More Words: “Incent”
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the use and origin of the word "incent," and its relationship to "incentive" and "incentivize.&quo...
162. Literary Fiction, Aesthetics, and Me at Midnight
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about literary fiction, using the example of one of the great novels of all time, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.
161. Editing Articles for Academic Journals
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI describe my own experiences in editing articles for academic journals published by a university press, both copy editing and proofread...
160. A Few More Words: “Sensitivity Readings”
01 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the revision and censorship of books that are carried out so as to rid them of words and situations that are considered too...
159. The People Side of Editing
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Audrey Jamieson, who is an editor and writer. On the editing side, she does developmental, stylistic, and copy editing. On t...
158. My Exclusive Interview with ChatGPT
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI have a one-on-one interview with ChatGPT while I am in my home office, and it is in a hotel room in downtown Ottawa, Canada, after it ...
157. One More Word: “In Terms Of”
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the scourge of this phrase, which is much over-used in English these days, usually either joining two thoughts together wit...
156. Bringing Literary Fiction to Readers
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Frances Peck, who was an editor and ghostwriter for 30 years, but last year began her career as a novelist, with The Broken ...
155. What Is an Editor’s “Style Sheet” and What Is It For?
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI discuss the purpose of a style sheet and walk through some of the details of what is included in a typical one.Wayne Jones Editing: St...
154. One More Word: Nice
18 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the origin of this 700-year-old English word as well as the numerous, diverse, and even contradictory meanings it has had o...
153. Why Do Even Librarians and Executives Like Murder So Much?
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Joe LeValley, who is a former executive as well as a former journalist, but is now an award-winning writer of mystery/thrill...
152. Amazon’s Steep Pricing Markup on One Hybrid Publisher’s Books
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about my experience trying to get answers from FriesenPress about why their book prices are so substantially (30–50%) marked up...
151. One More Word: Abuse
11 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the origin of the word, its use in sexual and other senses, and the way it can be a euphemism shielding ugly truth.
150. Always Writing Films
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Pat Bradley, who is a Screenwriter and Director from Queens, New York. He has produced many short films, as well as the exce...
149. Genuineness Inside and Outside
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Sarah Chauncey, who was also a guest last October whom I was impressed with on many levels. Sarah is an editor, book coach, ...
148. One More Word: Existential Threat
04 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a text
147. This Episode Is 0.00159 Scaramuccis Long
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textHi, I’m Wayne Jones. Welcome to Writing & Editing. This is episode 147, which is 0.00159 Scaramuccis long. My guest is Neil Berlin...
146. The Basics You Should See in Any Contract You Sign with an Editor
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about the basic clauses you should expect in any contract you sign with an editor, as well as some of the things that the editor ...
145. One More Word: Onomatopoeia
25 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a text
144. One Thriller Writer’s Technique: Less Dialogue by Characters, More Dialogue with Book Clubs
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Matt Witten, who now writes thrillers for a living after spending 20 years writing for television, including shows such as L...
143. Publishing and All the Self-Publishings
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Jane Friedman, who is an internationally known publishing expert based in New York. Jane has over 25 years experience in the...
142. One More Word: Etymology
18 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textThis is the premiere episode of a weekly series I am going to be doing on Saturdays about words in the English language. This week’s w...
141. How to Stay Busy: Writing, Coaching, Getting Unstuck, and World Peace
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textBefore I introduce today’s guest, I wanted to talk briefly about a new feeature—and a new episode—that I’m adding weekly to the ...
140. The Writing and Everything Else of Films for Young People
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is actor Mollie Leivars, who is also the owner of Spirit Productions, a film production company she founded in 2019 when she wa...
139. The Language of American Mass Shootings
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about some of the words and rituals around the seemingly intractable problem of mass shootings in the US.
138. The Worklady
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Jan McInnis, whose activity schedule for the past 25 years has been incredibly varied. “Worklady,” BTW is the apt name o...
137. Memoir of a Female Doctor and Immigrant to Canada
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Gigi Microys, who is now a retired family physician. She graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1963, an...
136. The Play and the Audiobook Are the Things
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Alex Freeman, who is a theatre director who also does voicework. He has directed plays across the US and has voiced over 50 ...
135. Editing: Flow in Writing, Getting Clients, and Writing Social Media
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Louise Harris, who is an editor and writer based in St. Petersburg, Florida. We focus on her editing work, including blog ...
134. Indie-Publishing Books with Your Own Publisher Imprint
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Colleen Tews, who is an author with a taste for writing about strong women who take strength even from their weaknesses. Col...
133. A New Method for Generating Ideas
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Robin Landa, who holds the title of Distinguished Professor at Michael Graves College of Kean University in Union, New Jerse...
132. Multimedia from a Gay Love Story to Editing to Slasher Movies
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Harker Jones (no relation), who provides a witty self-bio, but of whom I can say more newscastery, so to speak, that he’s ...
131. A Conversation about Conversation, Part 2
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Oscar Martens, who is a writer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Oscar is also a good friend of mine whom I’ve k...
131. A Conversation about Conversation, Part 1
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Oscar Martens, who is a writer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Oscar is also a good friend of mine whom I’ve k...
130. Editors Canada
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Heather Buzila, who is past president and a current member of the national executive council of Editors Canada, the professi...
129. LGBTQIA+ and Young Adult Fiction
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Emily McPherson, who writes for young adult readers, with several fantasy projects in the works. She describes herself as “...
128. Taking Photographs and Writing Words
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Les Madewell, who is a professional photographer with a wide range of experience, from event photography to fashion. We also...
127. Full-Service Indie Publishing
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Julie Ann, who is the founder and CEO of Influence Publishing in British Columbia, Canada. She also hosts retreats for write...
126. A Toxicology Expert Writes a Sci-Fi Novel with a Twist
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Alan Kolok, who is a professor at the University of Idaho and Director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, base...
125. Clutter: The Messy Effects on Your Home and Your Emotions
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Julie Coraccio. She is a professional organizer, who writes books and gives talks about the effects that go way beyond just ...
124. The State of the Arts, the State of the World
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Doug MacLeod, who has a doctorate degree from SUNY Albany and is an associate professor at SUNY Cobleskill—teaching interc...
123. Mental Health and Writing Poetry
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Mercedes Killeen, who has extensive experience as a poet, a freelance writer and editor, and a digital marketer. She is base...
122. Life as a Freelance Editor
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Jennia D’Lima, who is a freelance editor offering the full range of editing services.
121. The Big Bang, a Brief Human Stay on Earth, and Space Colonies
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Richard Anderson, who has written a book called The Evolution of Life, with a broad timeline: starting 13.8 billion years ag...
120. Getting Out of Your Head to Live with Anxiety
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Brian Sachetta, who has published books about both anxiety and depression, and maintains a website and a blog. He also does ...
119. Coding, Happiness, and the Memoir of a Wife’s Death
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Rob Broadhead, who has written about the practicalities and pleasures of his coding career—and about the death of his wife...
118. Writing and Blogging and Making Sure It Gets Read
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Alison Ver Halen, a writer who writes for her clients or helps them do it themselves.
117. How to Shave
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Douglas Smythe, who describes himself as a “Male Grooming & Shaving Guru.” He’s written, blogged, and podcasted ab...
116. An Open and Personal Conversation about Dissociative Identity Disorder
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Lyn Barrett, who is a writer as well as a facilitator of Writers’ Workshops and Memoir Classes for People with Dissociativ...
115. Flawed and Snarky Heroes
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is bestselling writer Tom Fowler. He is the author of the C.T. Ferguson mysteries and the John Tyler thrillers, both of which a...
114. A Memoir of South East London in 1963
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Jill Phillips, the author of Lamlash Street: A Portrait of 1960’s Post-War London Through One Family’s Story.
113. Book Coach on Land, Historian at Sea
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Caroline Malloy, who is a former academic, but now is a book coach as well as a resident historian onboard cruise ships.
112. A University Professor and Anesthesiologist Who Writes Medical Thrillers
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Tammy Euliano, who is all of the things in the title of this episode. She’s published two medical thrillers, Fatal Intent ...
111. The Mess of Overthinking, Anxiety, and Loving Everything
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Sarah Chauncey, who is a writer, editor, and book coach. She also maintains a website called Living the Mess, where she writ...
110. Intuitive Design and the Future of Work
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Kyle Evans, who is a product designer, writer, podcaster, and general thinker about creativity.
109. Short
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI talk about shortness and spareness in writing, film, and jokes.
108. Writing about Depression
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Cathy Jean-François, who talks about the incorporation of details about her own depression into her novel The Box, for whic...
107. Using Illustrations and Spare, Focused Writing to Tell the History of Healthcare
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Tegan Kehoe, who is a public historian specializing in healthcare and science at the Russell Museum of Medical History and I...
106. Self-Love, Indie Publishing, and Building a Community
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest is Diane Hatz, who indie-published her book Rock Gods & Messy Monsters in September 2022. She also has a substack called ...
105. A One-Woman Comedy Show about Infertility
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Meirav Zur. She is a theatre performer, producer, writer, and director. Her latest show is Inconceivable: The Totally ...
104. Of Writing and Vaginas
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Karin Freeland, who is a life coach and the author of The Ins and Outs of My Vagina: A Penetrating Memoir.
103. The Changing Usage of “Not Necessarily”
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textI discuss how the phrase "not necessarily" seems to be taking on a new meaning.
102. In Memory of Smart Comic Writing
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textThis episode, published on the 12th anniversary of the death of standup comedian Greg Giraldo, covers his life, his writing, and his cha...
101. What a Voiceover Actor Does
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Maccabee Griffin. He’s a voiceover actor and podcaster.■Announcements:- I successfully appealed the removal of epi...
100. I’ve Been Censored
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textWayne reacts to the notice he received from YouTube that one of the podcast audio episodes he had uploaded there had been removed for vi...
99. The Book I'm Writing
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textWayne provides an update on the book he's writing, My Sam Johnson: A Biography for General Readers.
98. Editing and Publishing Scams
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textWayne discusses two examples of what may be scams he came across on Instagram, one to get your short book published and making money for...
97. Indie Writing, Music, Filmmaking—and Editing
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is James Noll, who practices those first three arts and also has a friend who helps him with the fourth one. (One of his ...
96. Media, the State of the World, and Irreverence
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Natasha Mott. Natasha is many things. A neuroscientist, a writer, a host of two podcasts, Syllojism and NeoAcademia. ...
95. Adult Problems and Children’s Books
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Marcy Pusey. Marcy has a wide range of ability and experience. She’s a writer of books on adult trauma as well as bo...
94. Two Aspects of the Singular They, and How Texting Is Not Destroying Your Kids’ Literacy
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textToday’s episode is a continuation of my conversation with Dr. Valerie Fridland, who is a professor of linguistics in the English depar...
93. Dictionaries, and Changes and Development in the English Language
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest today is Dr. Valerie Fridland, who is a professor of linguistics in the English department at the University of Nevada, Reno. S...
92. A Book about the Worst Movie Ever Made
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textMy guest for this episode is Adam Rosen, who has been a writer and editor in both print and digital publishing since 2008. He has spent ...
91. (Hand)writing Analysis
27 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textThe topic of this episode is a bit of an indulgence for me. It’s about writing, yes, but specifically about handwriting, and even more...