Episode 353 - Writing the Stories Only Life Can Teach You with Bruce Robert Coffin
Are you getting value from the podcast? Consider supporting me on Substack, Patreon, or Buy Me a Coffee!
Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment on YouTube!
How can a career that seems to take you away from writing become the experience that makes your fiction possible? International bestselling novelist and retired detective sergeant Bruce Robert Coffin joins Matty Dalrymple to discuss his journey from nearly three decades in law enforcement to publishing his first novel at age 52. Bruce explains how police work supplied the lived detail behind his procedurals while reading widely helped him learn plotting, characterization, pacing, and the techniques mystery writers use to guide and misdirect readers. He explores why effective twists must feel both surprising and fair, how close third person can let readers share a detective’s mistaken assumptions, and why compelling characters matter more than clever plots alone.
Bruce also compares writing with painting, describing both as forms of storytelling that create mood, emotion, texture, and connection. The conversation offers encouragement for writers who fear they have started too late, showing how adversity, work, love, loss, and joy can give fictional characters emotional weight. Bruce shares practical advice about preserving discarded scenes, developing the tools needed for ambitious stories, resisting discouraging voices, and remembering that writers get to play in imaginary worlds while giving readers a place to escape.
BRUCE ROBERT COFFIN is an international bestselling novelist and retired detective sergeant. He is the author of the Detective Byron Mysteries and Detective Justice series, and co-author (with LynDee Walker) of the Turner and Mosley Files. He has won Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion for Best Procedural and Best Investigator and the Maine Literary Award for Best Crime Fiction, and been a finalist for the Anthony, Agatha, and Barry Awards.
Episode Links
https://www.facebook.com/brucerobertcoffin
https://www.instagram.com/brucerobertcoffinauthor
Bruce’s appearances on The Indy Author Podcast:
Episode 245 - Co-Authoring Fiction with LynDee Walker and Bruce Coffin
Want the Full Companion Post?
Podcast episodes are free for everyone. Expanded episode materials, including an extensive interview summary, transcript, and access to the supporter-only discussion threads, are available to paid subscribers of The Indy Author on Substack.