We all have those people in our lives. They have “wonderful ideas” that they think should end up as your next novel or screenplay. Daniel Ford and Sean Tuohy discuss what writers should do with these ideas. The pair also spent Patriot’s Day going off on tangents featuring what they’re reading, good distractions while writing, query letters, superhero musicals, and constructive criticism.

Screenwriter Alan Trustman, whose credits include “The Thomas Crown Affair” and “Bullitt,” talks to Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford about his early career as a lawyer, writing for Hollywood legend Steve McQueen, his recently published autobiography, Jai Alai, and missing the screenwriting business.

The Nerd Blogger returns with a spoiler-y review of “Batman v Superman.”

Daniel Ford and Dave Pezza discuss how they sometimes write better in their heads than on the page. The pair also talks about writing dialogue, their short story plans, and what’s on their reading lists. 

Lois Lowry, author of such children’s classics as The Giver and Number the Stars, talks to Sean Tuohy about how she became a storyteller, her readers’ ongoing fascination with The Giver, and how she goes about crafting a story.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” screenwriter Nicole Perlman talks to Sean Tuohy about how her family supported her early writing efforts, how she strives to stay original while writing for a franchise, and why screenwriters need to be open to constructive criticism.

The Nerd Blogger shares 10 classic comic book films. 

Author Tommy Wallach talks to Daniel Ford about his evolution as a writer, the Young Adult market, and what inspired his recently published novel Thanks for the Trouble.

Daniel Ford and Sean Tuohy discuss how their recent experiences reading subpar fiction helped them improve their craft. 

Screenwriter and author Scott Frank talks to Sean Tuohy about making the transition from scripts to novels for his recently debuted thriller Shaker. Frank also discusses his screenwriting career, adapting Elmore Leonard and Charles Willeford to the big screen, why he decided to tackle a western for Netflix, and why writers can never give up.

Sean Tuohy still doesn’t get a cup of coffee, but he does get a writing assignment from Daniel Ford after the two talk about how personal memories can influence their writing.

Screenwriter James Vanderbilt talks to Sean Tuohy about “Basic,” how he developed his screenwriting voice, why outlining is important, how David Fincher became attached to “Zodiac,” and his most recent movie “Truth.” Sean also professes his undying love for “The Losers.”

Screenwriters Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt return to the podcast to talk about “London Has Fallen,” things all screenwriters need to do to become successful, and some of the surreal moments they’ve experienced in Hollywood.

Author Raphael Montes talks to Daniel Ford about how Arthur Conan Doyle helped him fall in love with writing, his decision to pursue crime fiction, and what inspired the dark tale featured in the recently debuted Perfect Days.

Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford gather around a creaky kitchen table, pound a few beers, and discuss how over-editing can hurt a writer’s work. 

Jay Atkinson, author of Massacre on the Merrimack, talks to Daniel Ford about his mentor Harry Crews, his research and writing process (yellow legal pads play a starring role), and what inspired his narrative featuring Hannah Duston’s thrilling, and bloody, escape from her Native American captors.

  The Nerd Blogger returns to discuss the greatest relationship in comic book history: Batman and the Joker.

Sam Slaughter, author of the upcoming short story collection God in Neon, talks to Daniel Ford about his writing process, how to deal with rejection, and why it’s important for every writer to find a writing community.

Dave Pezza talks to Daniel Ford about Rod Serling’s prolific writing for “The Twilight Zone,” his unabashed love for “Rick and Morty,” and Ernest Hemingway’s misunderstood feminism.

In this guest podcast, Only Nerds Allowed founder Atalie Garcia gives aspiring nerds the tools they need to achieve comic book glory.

Screenwriter Doug Jung talks to Sean Tuohy about how he developed his love of movies, his early “Confidence” scripts, and working with Simon Pegg on “Star Trek Beyond.”

Stephanie Schaefer joins Daniel Ford to dish on her favorite movies and television from the past year (including “Brooklyn,” “Take Me Home,” "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," and “Sisters”), the quasi-“Friends” reunion, and the Netflix shows she’s looking forward to in the spring.

Author Matthew J. Hefti talks to Daniel Ford about his early dreams of becoming a writer, serving his country, his writing process, and what it felt like to publish his debut novel A Hard and Heavy Thing.

Daniel Ford talks to Dave Pezza about getting back into a writing/reading groove, Elmore Leonard, “Star Wars,” and the deaths of Alan Rickman, David Bowie, and Glenn Frey.

Sean Tuohy and his one of his best Florida buds chat about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Jason Krawczyk, screenwriter and director, talks to Sean Tuohy about how he got into screenwriting (Jon Lovitz’s “The Critic” plays a role), his directing style, meeting Henry Rollins for the first time, and the inspiration behind his recent movie “He Never Died.”

Ryan Britt, author of the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can't Read: And Other Geeky Truths, helps us celebrate Star Wars Day by talking to Sean Tuohy about all things nerd.

Author James Rollins talks to Daniel Ford about his latest book, The Bone Labyrinth, which debuts Dec. 15.

Peter Sherwood, author of the pale of memory, The Murdery Delicious Hamwich Gumm Mystery, and The Murdery Delicious High Seas Horror, returns to the podcast to talk about his most recent novel, Friendship Fog.

Daniel Ford and Sean Tuohy talk about writing during the holidays, Thanksgiving fixin’s, and, of course, pie.

Graham Yost—whose credits include “Speed,” “Broken Arrow,” “Raines,” “Boomtown,” and the hit series “Justified”—talks to Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford about his father’s influence on his career, writing the script for “Speed,” working with Elmore Leonard, and what he’ll miss most about crafting stories for Raylan Givens.

Patrick Sweany, one of Nashville’s bluesy rockers, talks to Dave Pezza about his roots, his early musical influences, his songwriting process, and recording his recent album “Daytime Turned to Nighttime.”

Mike Royce, whose credits include “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Men of a Certain Age,” and “Enlisted,” joins Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford for their 100th podcast to talk about his early stand up career, how he got into screenwriting, the art of being a showrunner, and how he deals with cancellation and rejection. To learn more about Mike Royce, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Today’s episode is sponsored by Libro.fm.

Sonya Gavankar, manager of public relations for the Newseum in Washington D.C., talks to Daniel Ford about the museum’s founding principles, some of her favorite exhibits, and why it’s important to have a museum dedicated to journalism in the nation’s capital. 

Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford talk about why deadlines are so important to writers, especially aspiring ones, and then author and screenwriter Derek Haas—whose credits include “3:10 to Yuma,” “Chicago Fire,” and his Columbus series—comes on to chat about his new book A Different Lie and his screenwriting career.

Erica Wright, author of The Red Chameleon and The Granite Moth, talks to Daniel Ford about her writing career, why $1 pizza is important to writers, and the inspiration behind her witty and tough heroine Kathleen Stone.

International best-selling science fiction author Steve Alten talks to Sean Tuohy about how an article about the Mariana Trench inspired him to write his first novel Meg, his writing and research processes, how he incorporates his fan base into his work, and what’s next for his career.

Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford discuss dealing with rejection, why writers shouldn’t exclusively write for the market, the Korean War (no, seriously), how they develop story ideas, The Writers’ Room of Boston, and their favorite times to write.

Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford talk about their fall reading lists, Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, following an author or screenwriter’s career arc, and how their own writing careers have evolved in the past couple of years.

Author Amy Stewart talks to Daniel Ford about her desire to be a writer at a young age, her love of the natural world, and the inspiration behind her debut novel, Girl Waits With Gun.

Author and literary agent Bill Clegg talks to Gary Almeter at the Baltimore Book Festival about his serendipitous path into the literary world and the inspiration behind his debut novel Did You Ever Have a Family.

Screenwriter Ken Nolan, whose credits include “Black Hawk Down,” talks to Daniel Ford and Sean Tuohy about his love of writing and movies, the art of screenwriting, and his awkward moment with legendary moviemaker Michael Mann.  

Eric Rickstad, author of The Silent Girls, Reap, and, most recently, Lie in Wait, talks to Sean Tuohy about capturing Vermont’s scary beauty, his organic writing process, and how his love of reading fueled his desire to become a writer.  

Eric Bennett, author of A Big Enough Lie, talks to Dave Pezza about his upcoming book, Workshops of Empire: Stegner, Engle, and American Creative Writing during the Cold War, and the state of American fiction.  

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0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Author Brian Panowich talks to Daniel Ford about his debut novel Bull Mountain.

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Ming Chen, co-host of podcast “I Sell Comics” and regular on AMC’s “Comic Book Men,” talks to Sean Tuohy about his love of podcasting, working with Kevin Smith, developing friendships with the other cast members of “Comic Book Men,” and his appearance at this weekend’s Walker Stalker Con in Boston.

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Author, screenwriter, #nicestguyinHollywood Doug Richardson returns to the podcast and talks to Daniel Ford about his new novel 99 Percent Kill and how he strives to provide readers with pure entertainment.