In this episode Mark interviews Paul Austin Ardoin about his new book OUTLINING FOR NOVELISTS WHO DON'T OUTLINE.

Prior to the interview Mark shares a person update and a word from this episode's sponsors.

This episode is sponsored by Author Nation, being held in Las Vegas Nov 13 through 14, 2026

Learn more about Author Nation and register at AuthorNation.live.

In the interview Mark and Paul talk about:

Paul's previous non-fiction book for writers FROM ZERO TO FOUR FIGURES
Mark's offer of gifting 3 copies of FROM ZERO TO FOUR FIGURES by buying them from Paul and/or a local bookshop for listeners based on a random selection of comments for this episode
Paul's new book OUTLINING FOR NOVELISTS WHO DON'T OUTLINE
How Paul wrote his first four mystery novels without using an outline
The method Paul used to adapt strategies from outlining processes that a pantser could leverage within their own writing without having to sacrifice their strengths as a "discovery writer"
How the book doesn't talk down to pansters/discovery writers, but embraces and understands that perspective
Discovering that all of his different novels that he pants were all exactly 27 chapters
What a time-loop mystery is, the comparison to movies like Groundhog Day and Paul's example with his novel A TIME FOR MURDER
The mini flashlights that can help when a writer is "writing into the dark"
Keeping the enjoyable element of discovery writing while having a plot concept to fall back upon
Advice Paul would like more authors to know
How Paul's love for Milwaukee really comes through in his books
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that came up in the conversation and reminds listeners of the opportunity to win a free copy of Paul's previous book.

Links of Interest:

Paul Austin Ardoin (Website)
Paul's Book: Outlining for Novelists Who Don't Outline
Paul's Book: A Time for Murder
EP 309 - From Zero to Four Figures with Paul Austin Ardoin
Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Mark's YouTube channel
ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link)
Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
Stark Realities Book
An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
The Relaxed Author
- Buy eBook Direct
- Buy Audiobook Direct
Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
Wide for the Win
Ghost Stories of the Great Lakes
Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
- This Time Around (Short Story)
- A Canadian Werewolf in New York
- Stowe Away (Novella)
- Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
- Fright Nights, Big City
- Lover's Moon
- Hex and the City
- Only Monsters in the Building
- Once Bitten (Novella)
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises

Paul Austin Ardoin is the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries, The Woodhead & Becker Mysteries, and the author guides From Zero to Four Figures and Outlining for Novelists Who Don't Outline. A California native, Paul holds a B.A. in creative writing from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. He lives in the Milwaukee area, where he enjoyed Milwaukee's surprisingly excellent symphony orchestra and unsurprisingly excellent fried cheese curds.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0