The Writing Life

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 very excited) to his surviving manuscripts and why he was often dismissed in his time. Whether you're a fan of Dickens or not, this episode (and John's book!) will make you think again about one of Britain's best-loved authors. And, yes, we do discuss Muppet's Christmas Carol. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Find out more about our Creative Writing Courses: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/creative-writing-online/  More info on why we're asking for donations to Escalator: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/escalator-donations-2020/ Music by Bennet Maples.

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 talks to Peggy Hughes about Open Doors, the new fund of exciting commissions from the National Centre for Writing. Hosted by Simon Jones. Join our free Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW Full details about the Open Doors commissions: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/open-doors/  And to save you the need to manually search, a link to the astonishing true story of the Batavia shipwreck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia_(1628_ship) Check out what we do: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/  Music by Bennet Maples.

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 the literary ecology and early career writers. Asking the questions is Sarah Bower. For more information on the Escalator talent development scheme: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/escalator/ Can you donate to Escalator? http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/escalator-donations-2020/ Listen to Michael Donkor on the pod: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/creating-characters-with-michael-donkor/ Join our Discord community! https://discord.gg/3G39dRW  Sign up to our newsletter: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/  Hosted by Simon Jones and Vicki 'Rock DJ' Maitland. Music by Bennet Maples.

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 Simon are joined by Flo to introduce the latest NCW Book Club book: Our Place by Mark Cocker. Find out more here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/the-ncw-book-club/ You can watch the video version of Oyinkan's event here: https://youtu.be/aQx3AcmpW6Q Catch up on Noirwich 2020 here: https://noirwich.co.uk/   Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Music by Bennet Maples. Oyinkan photo by Amaal Said.

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 on the pod to talk about the challenges and difficulties of the year, but The Wolf Road has, at last, been released into the wild. We talk about why the book had to be delayed, what Richard's publisher did about it and how he coped with the turbulent year. You can listen to the 2019 podcast with Richard here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/preparing-for-publication/  Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones. Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Information on the Escalator Talent Development programme: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/escalator/  Music by Bennet Maples.

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 Hitler and looming war. Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones. Find out more about what we do: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW Join the Book Club: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/the-ncw-book-club/ Music by  Bennet Maples.

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 agenting more transparent and representative of the population. We discuss the challenges of representation, the lack of childcare support for writers, how and when to contact an agent and lots more - including the two prizes being run by Laxfield Literary Associates which you can find out about on their website: https://laxfieldliterary.com/ Hosted by Simon Jones & Steph McKenna. Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Check out our workshops and Agent Insights sessions: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/courses/ Join our (free!) Discord community and say hi: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW Music by Bennet Maples.

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 The Organised Writer, a manual for professional writers based on Antony's own experiences and techniques. If you've struggled to stick to deadlines and carve out time for your writing, Antony is someone you need to pay attention to. The Organised Writer is published by Bloomsbury and is available from all good bookshops! Meanwhile Vicki jumps on the pod to discuss the challenges of our school work in Covid-19 times and our continuing efforts to keep delivering workshops to young people. Hosted by Simon Jones and Vicki Maitland. Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW FREE course: Supercharge your productivity: https://courses.nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/p/supercharge-your-productivity How to write more and stay happy: https://courses.nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/p/how-to-write-more Find out more about what we do: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Check out Antony's website: https://antonyjohnston.com/ Watch Antony's film debut Crossover Point: https://bit.ly/crossoverpoint Music by Bennet Maples.

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 worked extensively with Marvel on X-Men, Thor, Iron Man and with LucasFilm on Darth Vader and Star Wars books. In the interview we explore the different challenges and opportunities of writing for established franchises compared to your own work, and how he approaches research and making things feel 'real' in fantasy stories. We spoke to Kieron just as he had been revealed as the writer on The Eternals, the return of a long-running series from Marvel. This episode is part of our Early Career Writers' Resource Pack on World Building, which also features insight and tips from Abi Daré, Farhana Shaikh and Ian Nettleton. These packs are made possible by support from Arts Council England. See the rest of the pack here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/5-world-building/  Hosted by Stephanie McKenna and Simon Jones, who is barely able to contain his excitement. More info on the Desmond Elliot Prize: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/desmond-elliott-prize/  Find out about what we do: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Kieron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kierongillen  Music by Bennet Maples.

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-crafted thriller mystery, but also a sharp examination of ‘Trump-era’ America and issues of race, power, prejudice and white supremacy which still exist today. Her recent work as a television writer and producer includes When They See Us (Netflix); a portrayal of the 1990 wrongful conviction of five teenage boys from Harlem for a brutal attack in Central Park; and Little Fires Everywhere (Amazon Prime). You can watch the live Q&A that followed Attica's lecture over on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/bA2R3FRTBR8  Meanwhile, Steph and Simon talk about free resources to help you keep writing through the latest Covid-19 lockdown rules and regs, what they're currently reading and the upcoming 'World Building' resource pack! Noirwich is a co-production from the National Centre for Writing and the University of East Anglia. Find out more here: http://noirwich.co.uk/  Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Sign up to our newsletter and find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Lewis Buxton on poetry in lockdown: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/poetry-in-lockdown-with-lewis-buxton/ Jenny Offill and Joe Dunthorne about catastrophising: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/jenny-offill-talks-to-joe-dunthorne/ Mark Stay on finding your new normal: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/finding-your-new-normal/ Ben Johncock's free productivity course: https://courses.nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/p/supercharge-your-productivity End music by Bennet Maples. Intro music from YouTube audio library. Portrait by Jenny Walters.