"It's honestly one of the biggest gambles I've taken in my career," says David Howard, the journalist behind "Conversations with a Hit Man," this for the Atavist Magazine.

David is a journalist and author, and in this conversation we talk about:

• Nonverbal stuff, so the importance of doing this stuff in person
• The grand puzzle of a piece
• Looking for stories to believe in
• Keeping his mind as clear as possible when he starts to write
• Taking gambles
• Learning from losses
• And what the tape recorder frees him up for

We also hear from lead editor Jonah Ogles about his side of the table. If you want to learn more about David, visit davidhowardauthor.com and follow him on Instagram @davehoward99.

Order The Front Runner

Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm

Welcome to Pitch Club

Show notes: brendanomeara.com

"The story is the horse, and the writer is the rider of the horse, and you as the editor, need to help guide them along. And if the rider starts to fall off, you put them back on, and it's your job to lead them safely into the barn. At no point should you shove the rider off the horse, get on yourself and ride it into the distance," says Amanda Heckert, executive editor of Garden & Gun.

Amanda Heckert is something of a wunderkind and an absolute boss of an editor.

In this episode we talk about:

• How she tells her writers to let it rip (within reason)
• How she found empathy for the writer side of the table, and how writers can better understand the POV of the editor side
• Writing a great pitch
• How a story is a horse the writer is the rider
• And the arc of her career that brought her back to her native South Carolina

You can learn more about Amanda at gardenandgun.com and follow her on IG @amandaheckert.

This episodes opens with an audio excerpt of The Front Runner, read by Roger Wayne.

Order The Front Runner

Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm

Welcome to Pitch Club

Show notes: brendanomeara.com

"If you don't cultivate other interests or travel or spend time with friends, this and that, you don't have anything to write about," says Dane Huckelbridge, author of Queen of All Mayhem (William Morrow).

Dane returns to the show to talk about his latest book, but also a smattering of other juicy writer topics such as:

• Procrastination
• Writing around the uncertainty
• Not having much of a routine
• Spacing out
• Niche hobbies
• And staying motivated

Dane can be found at danehuckelbridge.com and on IG @huckelbridge.

This episodes opens with an audio excerpt of The Front Runner, read by Roger Wayne.

Order The Front Runner

Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm

Welcome to Pitch Club

Show notes: brendanomeara.com