Writing advice surrounds me. Everyone, it seems, is an expert. One day, all that information on self-publishing, pitching a story, and writing query letters will come in handy, but for now I feel like I’m drowning in unhelpful advice. Sink with me to the bottom of the writing-advice ocean, where I talk with Mark Stevens, author and host of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) Podcast. Why would Mark bother speaking with me? I don’t know much about being a writer, but I know a lot about being a new writer.
I know many new writers will identify with the topics I shared. Impostor syndrome is a real thing. Your first self-published novel hasn’t even netted beer money yet. Writing is way harder than you imagined, and now you have to learn all this industry jargon too. What do you mean, my publisher isn’t going to push my book? The podcast covers these topics and more. It’s an expert guide to not being an expert writer.
In addition, I tell you a little about myself, which is practically worthless because, in case you didn’t get the memo, I am not a famous writer. But you might feel better knowing you’re not the only retired computer programmer trying to write science fiction. Also, I got lucky and managed to publish two short stories. To hear how I did it, listen to the podcast. Better yet, buy First Encounters and Wild: Uncivilized Tales to read my stories.

Paul is a prizewinning speculative fiction author, technology blogger, and former punk rock drummer. His work is published or forthcoming at Uncharted Magazine, Amazing Stories, Creepy Podcast, and Punk Noir Magazine. At age six, he saw 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen, which lead him to a collection of Clarke’s short stories and a lifelong insatiable appetite for mind-bending science fiction. Originally from Flint, MI, Paul resides in Colorado, where he tries to avoid reliving his punk rock days. He is still trying to teach his cat to play drums.