This is a podcast explicitly about the craft of writing—except when it’s not.

For these “Fanning Out” bonus episodes, Ted is joined by his videographer pal Matthew Simmons not to talk about things they’ve made but rather to revel in the work of others and what it can teach us.

Like the show’s regular episodes, it’s a celebration of human creativity (or something that sounds 57 percent less corny). Here, they’re just doing it from the perspective of fans, and they’re going beyond books and writing to dive into TV, movies, music, and whatever else they can credibly find an excuse to discuss.

There are categories. There are digressions. And today, there is the season seven finale of Seinfeld, officially called “The Invitations” but forever remembered as that time where, yes, they really did kill George’s fiancée. Plus: The Oscars!

Information for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.

Ted is joined by Shobha Rao, the author of the short story collection An Unrestored Woman and the novels Indian Country and Girls Burn Brighter. Shobha has won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction and was a Grace Paley Teaching Fellow at The New School. Girls Burn Brighter was long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the California Book Award and the Goodreads Choice Awards.

Shobha’s best writing tip? It involves figuring out when to let a piece of writing (or an entire novel) go—and what that actually looks like in practice.

Learn more about Shobha and her books at shobharao.com.

Information for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.

A separate description for a trailer episode feels a little silly, so here’s the transcript instead.

--

Hi, my name is Ted Fox, and I’m the author of the novels Schooled and Date Week. And for close to three years, I’ve been the host of this podcast, which up ‘til now has been called Working Drafts.

I’ll be honest with you: It’s been fun. I’ve gotten to talk with a lot of fellow writers about their work, with a focus not so much on their finished products but more the process they go through to get there.

If you’ve listened to all or most or even one of those episodes—thank you.

Maybe the biggest takeaway has been that there’s no one “right” way to write. We all have our go-to moves as well as the things that just don’t work for us the way they do for others. And sometimes what works for one project doesn’t work for the next.

But. As I’ve had these conversations, I realized there is one part of my process that I carry from book to book. It might not be for everyone. But it is my best writing tip.

So in January 2026, I did a solo podcast about it. And that got me thinking: What if I kept talking to other writers about the craft of writing, but specifically through the lens of asking them to share their best writing tip?

I liked the idea so much I’ve changed the name of the show. Working Drafts is now My Best Writing Tip. It’s the same feed, and new episodes will continue to published each month on the 15th.

All episodes, both of the new and previous iterations of the show, are available on my website, thetedfox.com, and most places you get your podcasts.

I’d say “wherever you get your podcasts,” but that’s probably still not true.

Information for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.