The Writing Life

Debut author Jon Ransom shares his tips for avoiding writer's block, the importance of deadlines, why he avoids using word counts to judge progress, securing an agent during Covid-19 lockdown and how the Escalator talent development programme helped him complete his first novel The Whale Tattoo, which is due to be published by Muswell Press in 2022. If you'd like to support new voices you can dona...

We're very pleased to finally have Kate Worsley guest on the pod, author of She Rises, discussing her route to publication, her time on our Escalator talent development scheme, how she has benefited from mentoring and the impact of Covid-19 on her work. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Donate to the 2021 Escalator scheme: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/escalator-donations-2020/  ...

"The world of the imagination is being diminished by the day, with theatres dark, cinemas closed, and actors and musicians encouraged to retrain in more ‘viable’ professions, so books are more vital than ever, bringing us together safely at a time when we have never felt more isolated." The wonderful Nicola Upson returns to the podcast to talk about her early career, finding her confidence and how...

Escalator needs your help! Our talent development scheme has helped 10 writers every year since 2004 but austerity and funding challenges means we can only fund 6 places in 2021. If you'd like to donate to help us help more writers, visit https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/escalator-donations-2020/   On the podcast is previous Escalator participant Owen Nicholls, whose debut novel was publish...

Happy New Year! We begin 2021 with a conversation with Desmond Elliott Prize shortlisted Abi Daré, whose debut The Girl With The Louding Voice caught everyone's attention last year. Abi talks about her approach to world building and how she used the narrative voice in the book to explore its setting. Asking the questions is novelist Sarah Bower. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna, who start t...

We're joined on the pod by Dutch writer Thomas Heerma van Voss, who is talking about his new chapbook, Thank You For Being With Us. We're also very pleased to have editor, writer and lecturer Andrew McDonnell asking the questions. They discuss the translation of Thomas' work, how lockdown has affected his writing in 2020 and how he crafted his short stories. Thomas' residency was made possible by...

We talk to producer Tamsin Flower about Black Writers on Democracy, a project conceived following the Black Lives Matters protests in 2020. Funded rapidly via crowdfunding, a commissioning call was sent out to find writers from around the world to address the theme. The five written pieces have now been published and on the podcast today we talk to Olu Alakija, Nike Igbaroola, Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto...

Award-winning poet Will Harris, creator of RENDANG (Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection and a Guardian best poetry book of 2020), is our guest this week. Will discusses how he perceives his writing career and explores form and feeling with Flo Reynolds.  Meanwhile Simon and Steph talk about our fundraising campaign for the Escalator talent development scheme, our lovely 'All Shall Be Well...

Think you know everything there is to know about Charles Dickens? Professor John Mullan is back with his new book The Artful Dickens to show us Dickens and his work in a completely new light, exploring the famous author's often overlooked experimental and ground-breaking techniques. John came on the show to talk everything Dickens, from the original serialisation of his novels (which gets Simon ve...

Stuart Turton discusses the research, editing and planning process behind The Devil and the Dark Water, as well as his route into publishing his first novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Stuart's talking to Vicki Maitland and their conversation is packed full of practical tips, fascinating insights and historical stories you will feel compelled to immediately Google. Meanwhile, Simon tal...

Debut author Sally-Anne Lomas shares her route to being published, which resulted in Gatehouse Press picking up her book Live like Your Head’s on Fire. Sally-Anne talks about her experiences on our Escalator talent development scheme and the process of  reaching publication. We're also joined by Sam Ruddock of Gatehouse who talks about assessing manuscripts and why small presses are essential to t...

Lockdown didn't stop us from putting on the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival this year in partnership with our friends at the University of East Anglia. One of the many highlights was this conversation between Oyinkan Braithwaite and Femi Kayode, discussing Oyinkan's My Sister, The Serial Killer. If you missed it during the festival, now's your chance to listen on the pod! Meanwhile, Steph and Simo...

We spoke to Richard Lambert on the podcast in October 2019 about his debut novel The Wolf Road, which was to be published in early 2020. It never came out: instead, Covid-19 triggered global lockdowns, which forced bookshops and libraries to close, distributors shut down and Richard's dream of publication became another casualty of 2020.  Fast forward to October 2020 and not only is Richard back o...

Kate Summerscale, the award-winning author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, joins the pod to talk to Chris about her new book, The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story. They discuss the origins of the book, Kate's approach to research and how she had to track down the facts, and how the book sets poltergeists and the increased interest in the supernatural in the 1930s with the rise of Hit...

Emma Shercliff of Laxfield Literary Associates talks to us about being an agent outside of London and her efforts to better represent both regional writers and authors from Africa and the Middle East. Following a globe-trotting career with Macmillan, Hodder and Cassava Republic Press, encountering the Common People report prompted Emma to set up Laxfield Literary Associates with the aim of making...

Want to be a more organised writer? On the pod this week we have Antony Johnston, prolific and bestselling creator of comics, novels, podcasts and more. He created the graphic novel that was turned into the movie Atomic Blonde, has worked extensively on his own comics as well as Marvel books, video games including Dead Space and Shadow of Mordor and numerous crime thrillers. His latest  book is Th...

Multi-award-winning comics writer Kieron Gillen joins us on the pod today to discuss his methods for world building. Kieron is perhaps best known for The Wicked + The Divine, the hugely ambitious collaboration with artist Jamie McKelvie which presents a pantheon of gods who happen to also be pop stars, as well as UBER, Phonogram, DIE, Once & Future and Ludocrats. Beyond his own books he's also wor...

It's a very special episode this week award-winning US author and screenwriter Attica Locke joins us to deliver the annual Noirwich Lecture, in which she explores the ways that crime writing can challenge the distribution of power and authority at a structural and individual level, addressing how power, property and privilege intersect. Attica’s most recent novel, Heaven, My Home, is an expertly-c...

RENDANG by Will Harris has been revealed as our new Book Club book! Flo Reynolds returns to the pod to introduce the book and why it's been selected for the book club. They also give some great tips for beginners on how to read poetry, so if you're more used to fiction and non-fiction don't feel like you need to sit this one out. We'll be doing live Zoom sessions to discuss the book in October and...

Is Hercule Poirot the world's greatest detective? Dr Mark Aldridge certainly think so, as he explores in his latest book Poirot: The Greatest Detective In The World. Mark is joined on the podcast for the Noirwich 2020 finale by crime writer Sophie Hannah, author of the Poirot continuation novels including the new The Killings at Kingfisher Hill. Their conversation takes in everything a Poirot fan...

The Noirwich Crime Writing Festival continues with Anita Terpstra joining us on the pod from Leeuwarden in the Netherlands to discuss her crime writing. Talking with Flo Reynolds, Anita reveals her path to becoming published and how keeping the faith and continuing to write are essential. It's an inspiring and positive conversation. Check out yesterday's pod with Paddy Richardson if you missed it...

Noirwich 2020 has begun! Our crime writing festival is online this year, which means all the author events can be accessed for free here on the podcast and over on our YouTube channel. We kick off with an interview with Paddy Richardson, one of our 'virtual' writers in residence. Paddy is talking from Dunedin in New Zealand to our programme director Peggy Hughes. Paddy Richardson is the author of...

Poet Flo Reynolds joins us on the pod to share their tips on getting published as a poet. This episode is packed full of practical advice, including what NOT to do, guiding you along the process of building your writer CV through zines and competitions towards being ready for larger pamphlets, chapbooks and collections. Flo has been writing for over ten years and is also an essayist and editor. Th...

Okechukwu Nzelu joins us on the pod to talk about his debut The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, writing in lockdown and balancing life as a full-time teacher and author. Okey was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize and Polari First Book Prize and won a 2020 Betty Trask Award. Turns out that award-winning debut author + experienced English teacher = a brilliant podcast full of tips and insight...

We're joined on the pod by Eliza Clark, the debut author of Boy Parts. Eliza talks to Steph about being published in her mid-20s, the inevitable comparisons with other authors and the series of unlikely events that led to publication. She also discusses how writing fan fiction in her teens helped hone her craft before embarking on her first book, as well as how Covid-19 has affected the book's lau...