SPA Girls Podcast

Screenwriter and thriller author Thomas Dean Donnelly joins the SPA Girls Podcast to explain Superdraft, his evidence-based approach to the writing process. Learn how to separate your Creator voice from your Critic voice, beat writer’s block and imposter syndrome, use flow states to write faster, and apply the 1-3-2 drafting method to fix a sagging second act. Essential listening for indie authors and self-published writers who struggle to finish a first draft.

In this episode we discuss:

Why the 2023 Hollywood writers’ strike pushed a 30-year screenwriter into self-publishing

What screenwriters get wrong when they first write novels (hello, head hopping)

Why there are hundreds of books on writing craft and almost none on writing process

The marathon comparison: 70% of marathon trainees finish, but only 11-12% of NaNoWriMo starters finish a novel

The Creator and the Critic — the two voices in every writer’s head, and why they’re mutually exclusive

Why you have to write the bad words before you can write the good words

Iteration versus inspiration, and why you need both but never at the same time

Which stage of writing belongs to which voice: brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing

Critic Trick #1: research — plus the IOUZ placeholder system and timed research sprints

Critic Trick #2: rereading yesterday’s pages — and the voice memo workaround

Critic Trick #3: the Big Idea that wants you to go back and start over

Manufacturing flow: walking habits, green spaces, blue spaces and the shower effect

The 1-3-2 method — write your first act, then your third act, then your second

Tom’s Malcolm Chaucer spy thriller series and the cozy mysteries he’s writing as a palate cleanser

About Thomas Dean Donnelly

Thomas Dean Donnelly was born in New Jersey but has been living and writing in Los Angeles as a screenwriter for more than 30 years. In that time he has written on projects that have grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. He has adapted the classic works of writers such as Ray Bradbury, Clive Cussler, Stan Lee and Robert E. Howard, and worked on franchises from Voltron to Uncharted, and from Marvel’s Doctor Strange to The Walking Dead. His feature credits include Sahara starring Matthew McConaughey, and Conan the Barbarian.

In 2023 he turned his hand to writing thriller novels, and now has three books in the Malcolm Chaucer series under the pen name T.D. Donnelly, with a fourth arriving in November. His book on the writing process, Superdraft, releases in September 2026.

You can find him early mornings walking the beaches of Southern California, and spending time with his wife, two mostly grown children, and two very demanding guinea pigs.

Find Tom at tddonnelly.com

Resources mentioned

SPS Live London — where Tom has delivered the Superdraft talk

Superdraft: The Art and Science of Better, Faster Writing — releasing September 2026

Year of the Sheep — free prequel novella when you join Tom’s reader group

Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey — Tom worked with Vogler early in his Hollywood career

NaNoWriMo / National Novel Writing Month completion statistics

20Books Vegas / Author Nation — where Tom was first told to write novels

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:

🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

🎧 Subscribe to our weekly episodes on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”

❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast

💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community! ⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

#SelfPublishing #romancewriter #writingpodcast #writingcommunity

Is your back matter costing you sales? Bestselling fantasy author Helen B. Scheuerer joins us to break down exactly how to launch a book series — from optimising your back matter for read-through, to pre-order strategy, ARC campaigns, and building a street team that generates real buzz.

In this Classic Replay episode, Helen shares the launch strategies behind her book How To Launch A Successful Series. Whether you’re a new indie author planning your first book launch or a seasoned self-published author looking to level up your release strategy, you’ll walk away with practical tactics: the “rank vs bank” pre-order debate, why buffer time saves your sanity, and how to run a street team on Discord that turns readers into cheerleaders.

👤 ABOUT HELEN B. SCHEUERER:

Helen B. Scheuerer is the bestselling fantasy author of The Oremere Chronicles, Curse of the Cyren Queen, and The Legends of Thezmarr. Her work has been praised for its strong, flawed female characters and action-packed plots. She also publishes advice for authors through her nonfiction series, Books For Career Authors, and has been a full-time author since 2018.

🔗 https://www.helenscheuerer.com

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

How To Launch A Successful Series by Helen B. Scheuere

How To Write A Successful Series by Helen B. Scheuerer

BookFunnel (for ARC delivery): https://bookfunnel.com

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:

🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

🎧 Listen on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”

💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community!

⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

Subscribe so you never miss an episode!

#WritingCommunity #WritingPodcast

Dreaming of writing in a new genre?

In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP564), all four SPA Girls answer a listener’s question about switching genres as a self-published author, including how Cheryl knew it was the right time to move from contemporary romance to cozy mysteries. Whether your books aren’t selling, you’re bored with your current genre, or a new trend is calling your name, this episode gives you a 5-question framework to make the decision with confidence.

Changing genres is one of the biggest decisions in an indie author career — it can mean a new pen name, new covers, new marketing, and starting your readership from scratch. We unpack when a genre switch makes sense, when a tweak to your current genre is the smarter move, and how to test a new genre before you commit.

#SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #AuthorTips

1️⃣ Check your motivation — are you running FROM something or stepping TOWARD something?

2️⃣ Check your relationship with your current genre — would a tweak fix it?

3️⃣ Check your timing — where are you in your career and catalogue?

4️⃣ Check your brand and readers — will they follow you?

5️⃣ Check your practical reality — so you can plan your switch for success

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:

🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

🎧 Subscribe to our weekly episodes on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”

❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast

💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community!

⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

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This episode was originally recorded in 2021. We’re replaying it because the advice hasn’t aged a day.

Most writers don’t have a talent problem. They have a fear problem.
In this Classic Replay, internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron joins Trudi, Shar, Cheryl and Wendy to talk about why fear is the real engine behind procrastination, what to actually do about it, and three publishing myths that need to die.

Rachael has written more than two dozen books across thriller, mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir and nonfiction for writers. She publishes both traditionally and independently, which makes her one of the most useful people to ask about how those two paths really compare — money included.

What we cover:

How seven years of not writing ended with a 50,000-word NaNoWriMo draft — and a three-book deal at auction

What a six-figure, three-book New York deal actually paid her per year after taxes and agent commission

Why she’s never earned out a US advance, and what “earning out” really means

How keeping ANZ rights separate accidentally launched her self-publishing career

Why she now makes more from self-publishing than from traditional

Three publishing myths worth killing: that you need a degree, that a big advance means you can quit your job, and that publishers market better than you do

Ira Glass’s “gap” theory, and why your good taste is the thing making you miserable

Building a “trash mountain” first draft on purpose

Her revision toolbox: the sentence outline, 100 Post-its, and writing forward as if you’ve already fixed it

Practical anti-procrastination tactics — the café with no Wi-Fi, the check-in buddy, the 45-minute burst

Swapping your to-do list for a “ta-da list”

Writing across multiple genres, and what it costs you

Rachael’s one piece of advice: write “Don’t wait” on a Post-it and stick it on your computer.

About Rachael Herron
Rachael Herron (also writing as R.H. Herron) is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of more than two dozen books. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and has taught writing extension workshops at UC Berkeley and Stanford. Her most recent novel is The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland. She lives in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Find Rachael: rachaelherron.com | How Do You Write podcast | Resources for writers

Note since recording: NaNoWriMo closed as an organisation in March 2025. For a structured drafting challenge, try Sarra Cannon’s Rough Draft Challenge at roughdraftchallenge.com

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:

🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

🎧 Subscribe to our weekly episodes on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”

❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast

💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community! ⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

Why do some characters feel real enough to root for while others fall flat despite having every “correct” ingredient? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP562), we dive into writing fear and emotion with Becca Puglisi, international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus. Becca’s writing craft books have sold over 1.4 million copies and are used by novelists, screenwriters, and universities worldwide.

Becca unpacks the difference between surface-level fear and the deep, wound-driven fear that powers a character’s arc — and how to weave it through your whole story without spelling it out. We talk showing vs. telling emotion, the danger of over-aware characters who kill reader empathy, using setting to amplify feeling, how fear drives the plot through turning points and choices, and why villains weaponise fear while protagonists learn to overcome it. Whether you’re a plotter or a “messy middle” pantser, this one will change how you build characters readers can’t stop caring about.

If your book isn’t working, the problem might be that you haven’t nailed your character’s fear yet.

Watch On You-Tube

👤 ABOUT BECCA PUGLISI:
Becca Puglisi is the bestselling co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus series (with Angela Ackerman), an international speaker and writing coach whose resources have sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide. She’s the co-founder of the Writers Helping Writers blog and One Stop for Writers, home to the Character Builder and Storyteller’s Roadmap tools.

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Writers Helping Writers blog: https://writershelpingwriters.net

One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com

The Fear Thesaurus (Becca’s newest release)

The Emotion Thesaurus & the full thesaurus series

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:
🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: https://www.spagirlspodcast.com
🎧 Listen on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”
💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community!
⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

Subscribe so you never miss an episode!