The Patchword Podcast

In this episode, again taken from her book “Capital Letters”, Gwyneth tells about a visit from British friends while she was living in Madrid and the problems encountered when ordering a simple coffee or a cup of tea.   Sprinkled with lighthearted linguistic insights, the pieces in “Capital Letters” touch on stories in the news and current affairs at the time of writing. They are written mainly in...

In this episode, Gwyneth talks about how she started using her regular newspaper column “Capital Letters” to add some natural Spanish into the lives of the English readers based on the Spanish coast. She reads “Sizing things up” , which touches on such topics as word order – “ dos años y medio ” versus “two and a half years” – how Sam was wrong when he sang “a kiss is just a kiss”, and how Don Qui...

In this episode, Gwyneth talks about how a good title and an intro to a friend of a friend were key to her getting a regular column in “The New Entertainer” newspaper. She reads “Collectors and collectibles”, the first piece she wrote for “Capital Letters” , which explores the concept of collecting things spontaneously to express our individuality as she did as a child or through strictly regiment...

Do you want to write poetry that is both personal and universally relatable? In this video, I explore the balance between writing from your own experiences and crafting poems that resonate with a wider audience. You'll discover: • Why "write what you know" isn't always enough • How to avoid including irrelevant personal details • The importance of emotional distance when writing...

Entering writing competitions is easy. Winning is trickier. Want to boost your chances of your writing coming out on top? Competitions are a key part of a writer’s journey—but if you’re tired of getting nowhere, it might be time to rethink your strategy. In this video, I share ten practical tips to help your entry make it to the finals. Whether you're submitting short stories, poetry, flash fi...

Is your manuscript really ready for editing? Many authors misunderstand what "editing" actually involves. In this video, I break down the essential stages of editing so you can prepare your book for publication the right way. What you'll learn: Why a big-picture review should come first The difference between structural editing and copyediting When proofreading happens (and why it ma...

Poetry isn’t a puzzle. Poetry isn’t just about fitting words into patterns or filling in a literary Mad Lib template – it’s about meaning, craft and insight. And yet, most writing groups use word games and challenges as inspiration and as a means to kick start writing. In this podcast, I explore how these games can sometimes lead poets astray, making us focus too much on the mechanics to the detri...

When you share your work with other writers in a critique session or workshop, you’ll get lots of advice and different opinions. But the final decisions about your writing remain yours.  Here, I draw on an essay from my book “ A Poet’s Dozen” to explore the difference between comments, criticism, and correction and note how important it is to resist the pressure to make changes that don’t align wi...

Great writing isn’t just about what’s on the page—it’s about what’s beneath it. Here, I explore why writers must know more about their characters and settings than they reveal to readers. Drawing on examples from film, poetry, and fiction, I share how background knowledge keeps the distinction clear between narrator and writer and how it shapes convincing narratives, even when it remains unseen. ...

Do we control the language we use, or does the language we use shape the way we think? Here, I explore how the language we use – our mother tongue, vocabulary, grammar, etc. – might influence our personality, values, and outlook on life. Having been brought up speaking British English, I learned Spanish as an adult, discovering a more direct and expressive side of my personality the more fluent I...

Writing is just a part of the process: planning, editing, cover design, formatting, marketing... it takes a whole team to produce a professional book. Indie authors are famed for being hands-on and getting stuff done without the support of a traditional publisher. But just because you’re “self” publishing, that doesn’t mean you should do it all yourself. Yours may be the name on the finished book,...

When you read through a text that you yourself wrote, it’s hard to see what’s on the page and not hear what was in your head at the time. What’s needed is a new perspective. In this video, I’ll cover 10 smart self-editing tricks to help you see your words with fresh eyes, catch hidden mistakes, and avoid the biggest pitfalls of revising your own work. Whether you’re polishing a novel, short story,...