Writer's Routine

This week, we chat to Danya Kukafka. Her first debut, 'Girl in the Snow', was released in 2017 and was extremely successful. It was a national bestseller, translated in many languages, and then the pressure came. The pressure of that difficult second book... how do you follow up on success?Danya started to write furiously, and along came 'Notes on an Execution'. It tells the story of Ansel Packer, who is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he's done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. Through a kaleidoscope of women--a mother, a sister, a homicide detective--we learn the story of Ansel's life.We talk about why her writing routine has changed since that book, how she's hopefully made it calmer and healthier. You can hear about her first idea for the story and how it was mostly the feeling of the plot rather than all the details that became clear. We chat through her process journal, how working in publishing helps her write, and why what she thinks will happen in the book rarely comes true.Get 10% of Plottr, at go.plottr.com/routineSupport the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LC North's new book is 'The Ugly Truth'. It tells the story of Melanie, trapped and convinced she's kidnapped... meanwhile her father says she is in danger and thinking of her own safety. It's inspired by documentaries about similar real-life cases, featuring members of Royalty and even the most famous of celebrities.We talk about why her writing life is organised, but the other stuff in regular life isn't, also hear why her planning process is like colour by numbers, and how much she analyses the commercial hook of the book... if you want it to sell, you need to think about why people will buy it.You can hear about why her writing is influenced by her lessons in psychology and also her fascination with celebrity and fame. We chat about why she starts and finishes early and how she gets to know characters even when she's writing out of order.You can get 10% off the software Plottr, by heading to go.plottr.com/routine.Support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abdulrazak Gurnah was forced to flee Zanzibar when he was 18. He draws on that experience to write stories that address colonialism from different angles. His book 'Paradise' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His book 'By The Sea' was longlisted for the Booker Prize. He's Professor Emeritus of English and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent, and was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature. He only had 9 minutes warning about that, by the way!The new book tells the story of Ilyas, stolen from his parents by German colonial soldiers, who must now find his way home.We talk about why he needs a blank wall to write, why he's never bothered with a word count, and how teaching full-time affected his ability to write stories.You can hear how much he thinks about plot points, how he gets to know his characters, and all about the Nobel Prize.Get 10% off Plottr, at go.plottr.com/routine.Support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eva Rice has returned with a new novel, 'This Could Be Everything', after a little while away. Her book, 'The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets', was a runner up in the Richard and Judy Book of the Year Prize 2006.The new one is about February, who has lost everyone and is rudderless, but when a small yellow bird flies into her life, it seems to offer a glimmer of hope.We talk about the frustration of writing words you know will be cut. Also, why she doesn't like the first bits of plotting, how the characters decided how long they'd stick around for, and why Adrian Mole picks her out of any creative slump.You can get 10% off the writing software Plottr, by using the link go.plottr.com/routineSupport the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sally Page's debut is 'The Keeper of Stories'. It's been extremely successful, tapping into book clubs across the country. It's about Janice, who is used to hearing other people's stories, until the elusive, mysterious Mrs B wants her to tell her own.Sally has done a lot, worked in a flower shop, started a fountain pen business, and hopes that a successful debut will let her write full-time forever. We talk about how prepared she is to write in this genre for a while, and how old manuscripts have her well prepared for the future. Also, why being signed and published means she's no longer doing it alone.You can hear why she's been surprised by the support of twitter, how she deals with crying while writing on trains, why she becomes obsessive over writing, and why she started research a year before actually writing.This week we are supported by Plottr. Get 10% off the software at go.plottr.com/routine.You can support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava Glass has worked with spies and understands the mechanics of their job. She has taken all that experience and written 'The Chase'. It's the first in the 'Alias Emma' series, and tells the story of a brand new spy, tasked with transporting a wanted Russian target across London in less than a day. The book has already been Amazon's Book of the Month, and is optioned for TV.We talk about how the logistics of travelling quickly through a big city without being noticed became much clearer as she wrote. You can hear why a switch in timeframe saved the book for her, and why even though she wanted to treat it like a regular job, she had to mix things up.You can heard how she got to know her character through flashbacks, why she plotted it very tightly for adrenaline, and how the idea all came on a frantic plane-ride.Save 10% on writing software Plottr! Click here - go.plottr.com/routineSupport the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we chat to multi-million New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, Gregg Hurwitz. He's written many screenplays, comic books, took charge of Batman, and is known for the 'Orphan X' series. The newest one, 'The Last Orphan', sees Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, on one last mission after he was taken from a group home as an orphan and trained as an assassin.We discuss how he made a plan at the start of his career, in order to make writing a regular job so it could last as long as possible. Also, you can hear how he's managed to get back to a state of pure writing, without any of the distractions that surround success. We chat about how even though he's written and published many books, he still gets stuck in the baggy middle like everyone else. Gregg runs through his extensive research, which has seen him jump from planes, train with Navy SEALS, and go under cover in mind control cults.Support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgina Moore has worked in PR and publishing throughout her career. She understands how books are sold, where they are place and what makes them commercial. She has just published her first novel, 'The Garnett Girls'. It tells the story of Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, struggling to escape their alienated family. It's set across the wild beaches of the Isle of Wight and the glamour of luxurious London. It asks whether children can ever escape the mistakes of their family.We discuss how to make sisters as characters that are similar, but also different and unique. You can hear how tough it is to realise some characters aren't as fully developed as others - how much do you need to change things and alter your plot to flesh them out more.We chat about her busy life in PR and how well that has set her up for a career as an author, and how she balances a social life with waking up early to write. She also reveals some embarrassment about what she has asked writers to do for publicity in the past, and why now she's an author herself, she's realised how much more pressure she must have placed on their time.Send over the best book you have read this year! Suggestions to writersroutine.com please.You can support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Hindle published his successful debut, 'A Fatal Crossing', in 2022. It drew comparisons to Agatha Christie and propelled him to the list of mystery writers to watch. He's back with a second whodunnit, 'The Murder Game'. It tells the story of nine guests trapped in one house, when a murder mystery night goes wrong. We talk about how his writing life has changed since he packed in the full time job, and how he switches between writing for work and for pleasure. You can hear how he tries to be a plotter... but always ends up pantsing, what it was like meeting a major childhood hero, and how he solved the problem of getting two people in the same room at the same time.Thanks for sending over the best books you've read this year to writersroutine@gmail.com. This week's picks were:'Before You Knew My Name' by Jacqueline Bublitz, 'The Art of the Gathering' by Priya Parker, 'The Mandrake Company' series by Ruby Lionsdrake, and 'Garden of Lamentations' by Deborah Crombie. Thanks to Andrea, Kate and Cynthia for sending those over.You can support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alison Stockham's new book is 'The Cuckoo Sister'. It tells the story of Maggie, who has a seemingly perfect life, only... she's cracking under the strain of it all. One day, when Maggie walks out on everything, her sister Rose is all too willing to step into her life.We talk about why she's half and half between planning and pantsing, also how she overcomes the doubt of good it is, and why every book is brilliant and awful at the same time.Alison works for the Cambridge Literary Festival, and has worked in documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, and we discuss how much this experience set her up for writing novels. You can hear why reading aloud to her kids helped her understand pacing and structure, also what questions she asks herself to begin, and what to do when the computer screen stares back at you.We also run through your best books of the year so far.@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.