| Profile | https://bymatthewporter.com |
| Web | https://www.ByMatthewPorter.com |
| IMMP Podcast | https://www.immproject.com |
#WritersCoffeeClub 3/23 How do you organise your notes?
I used Scrivener for quite a while -- wrote most of my upcoming book there -- but found I was spending too much time fiddling with the software and organizing notes.
Now I use a paper project notebook, Apple Notes and text files with snippets as needed, and my noggin.
#WritersCoffeeClub 3/21: Do you celebrate any writerly anniversaries or special occasions?
I do give a nod to Bloomsday every June 16th.
I’d say I read some of Joyce’s ULYSSES in observance of the day, but I’m pretty much never not reading ULYSSES.
#writerscoffeeclub 3/19 Do you need to finish a project before starting another?
When it comes to first draft, yes. But when things are going well, I'm likely to have a draft underway and other projects at other stages of development and production.
Adventures in Writing: Low Power Edition
I’m 30,000 words into a draft of a novel I really want to finish in the next two months.
The best copy of that draft is a Scrivener file on an Intel MacBook Pro I haven’t used in more than a year.
https://bymatthewporter.com/adventures-in-writing-low-power-edition/
#WritersCoffeeClub March 11. Does your work reflect your morals? How so?
Only insofar as my moral sensibilities inform my authorial attitude to the events and character actions in my stories. (And my moral sensibilities are those of a raised-reform-Jewish-atheist in his sixties, so they're almost certainly not what you'd expect them to be.)
What I *don't* do is write approvingly about protagonists doing things I consider to be despicable.
#WritersCoffeeClub 3/10: How informal is your prose?
After some thought, I'd say "informal but precise."
I write fiction mainly in first person, or very close 3rd person. So I tend toward conversational language that reflects how the character speaks and sees the world. But my characters are smart and sometimes educated people (for example a prosecutor turned private investigator, or a sharp young woman pushed toward amateur sleuthing), so their language is mostly grammatical and clear.
Left Coast Crime 2026 – Fun People and Lock Picks
#writing #mystery #LeftCoastCrime
https://bymatthewporter.com/left-coast-crime-2026-fun-people-and-lock-picks/
#WritersCoffeeClub 3/9 Do you prefer to write complex, intricate plots, or more straightforward ones?
I usually start with a straightforward procedural plot in mind, and during the writing process I discover lots of side paths and twists to complexify it. The end result is part planning, part pleasant surprise.
Seems like a good time to mention that my book QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD is available to pre-order at *lots of different* online retailers. And your local bookstore as well.
Of course you could also wait until closer to its 5/19/2026 launch date. But preorders are fun! They're like sending a present to future-you!
Charlie Stross