Paul Wilson on Bad Karma and Good Writing — The Writing Coach 101

December 8, 2019

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #101 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak Paul Wilson, author of Bad Karma: The True Story of a Mexican Surf Trip from Hell.

Paul is a lifelong resident of coastal San Diego, attending high school at a time when Independent surfing was an option for Phys. Ed., and Rock Poetry was passed off as an advanced English course. It didn’t take much for him to become disenchanted with formal education and drop out of The University of Southern California to embrace his entrepreneurial side. Paul is a multi-patented inventor, a photographer, and has built several successful businesses. Embracing his love of baseball and the ocean, he attends every San Diego Padres home game, and lives in Mission Beach, California with his wife Susan.

During our discussion, Paul describes:

Why he had to wait for the statute of limitations to run out before he could write his memoir
His thoughts on the relationships between photography and writing
How his experiences traveling in Mexico taught him that some of the poorest people in the world can also be the most generous
Why surfing and storytelling mix so well
The unique challenges of writing memoir
How last year’s The Writer’s Craft Summit helped him finish and publish his book
What he learned working with a professional editor on the book
How a great cover has helped him get the book into book stores and surf shops
The unique niche he’s found for the book amongst Volkswagen Bus aficionados
And much more!

Click below to listen now: