London Writers' Salon

#136: Tessa Hadley – The Secrets of Literary Fiction: How to Craft Powerful, Resonant Stories, Creating Compelling Stories, Publishing in your 40s, 50s and beyond

Mar 15, 2025

Tessa Hadley, an acclaimed author known for her intricately crafted literary works, shares her journey to publication in her 40s. She discusses the significance of character development, emphasizing that conflict enriches storytelling. Listeners are treated to a reading from her new novella, exploring themes of nostalgia and youthful deception. Hadley reflects on the emotional struggles of a writer, the importance of community, and her creative process. Her insights emphasize how personal experiences shape compelling narratives, resonating with writers and readers alike.

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Tessa Hadley

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Quick takeaways

Crafting flawed characters with elements of conflict enhances storytelling, reflecting the complexity of human nature in narratives.

The journey to becoming a published author is often lengthy and requires a commitment to refining one’s craft over time.

Reading extensively and exploring diverse genres are vital for shaping an author's unique voice and enriching their writing skills.

Deep dives

The Importance of Flawed Characters

Writing should embrace the complexity of human nature, which includes crafting flawed characters. The advice offered by a mother figure stresses to avoid creating overly nice characters, encouraging a more realistic portrayal of human interactions. By integrating elements of bitterness and conflict, the narrative can resonate more profoundly with readers, as life itself is rarely sweet. This approach allows the author to explore the full spectrum of human experiences, whether tragic or comedic, leading to richer storytelling.

Intro

2min

Crafting Compelling Stories: A Journey Through Literary Fiction

3min

Nostalgia and Imagination in Writing

5min

The Writer's Journey: Struggles and Authenticity

22min

Crafting Compelling Characters

16min

The Creative Process: Navigating the Highs and Lows of Writing

5min

Navigating the Writing Struggle

9min

Dreams and Reflections on a Literary Journey

2min

Best-selling Author Tessa Hadley on getting published in her 40s and beyond, the craft of literary fiction, developing character and conflict, and the importance of conflict.

ABOUT TESSA HADLEY:
Tessa Hadley is the author of eight highly acclaimed novels, including Clever Girl and Free Love, as well as four short story collections, most recently Bad Dreams and Other Stories, which won the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her latest book is the novella The Party. Her work regularly appears in The New Yorker and Granta, and she has won the Windham Campbell Prize and the Hawthornden Prize. After two decades of struggling to publish, she landed her first book deal at 46 and has since become one of the most respected literary fiction writers of our time.

RESOURCES & LINKS

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.

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