Scott Carson and The Power of Voice in Writing

On today’s 178th episode of The Thriller Zone, David Temple and Scott Carson, author of Lost Man's Lane, discusses his writing process and the importance of voice in storytelling. He shares his experience working with a private investigator and how it influenced his latest novel.

Carson also talks about the power of face-to-face interviews and the impact of feedback on the writing process.

Scott offers advice to aspiring writers, emphasizing the importance of reading widely and keeping goals close to the vest. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the magic of voice and the thrill of having respected authors read and praise your work.

Takeaways

• Using a pen name can help differentiate between different genres and target specific readerships.
• Supernatural stories can be challenging to write well and appeal to skeptics, but the satisfaction of success is greater.
• Readers often have preferences for certain genres and may be more open to different types of stories within those genres.
• As a writer, it's important to challenge yourself and try new things to continue growing and producing your best work.
• Building a connection with readers is crucial, and they will follow you across genres if they enjoy your writing style and storytelling. 
• The importance of having fun and taking risks in life and art
• The power of voice in writing and the uniqueness each writer brings
• The value of reading widely to improve writing skills
• The benefits of keeping writing goals private and avoiding early feedback

Sound Bites

• "If people like your prose, be whatever flavor it is, they're going to follow you wherever you go."
• "The supernatural stories are by far the more difficult ones for me. But the satisfaction of sticking the landing is maybe a little bit greater."
• "I don't think you're ever going to get your best work by staying in the familiar. It's going out there and getting a little bit dangerous."
• "We only get one crack at this life. So why don't we just have fun with it?"
• "The thing that makes your heart beat a little faster, whatever your emotional cues and triggers are, those are going to still be there no matter how different the story world might be."
• "Write the first draft with the door shut.”
• "Voice is the magic, the thing that makes it work."
• "Read widely because it's all grist for the mill."
• "Keep your goals close to the vest for as long as possible."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Face-to-Face Interviews
05:15 The Impact of Face-to-Face Interviews
09:33 Advice for Aspiring Writers
14:45 The Magic of Having Respected Authors Read Your Work

The Thriller Zone with David Temple is sponsored in part by Blackstone Publishing.