

Not Too Busy To Write
Penny Wincer
Penny Wincer is not too busy to write. Except of course, sometimes she is too busy to write as much as she would like. Join Penny as she has conversations with other writers about writing, publishing and creativity whilst juggling all the demands on them such as motherhood, caring and other paid work.
Penny Wincer is the author of two narrative non-fiction books, Tender and Home Matters and a non-fiction writing coach. She's an Australian and long-term resident of London, a mother of two teenagers, an unpaid carer and always attempting to get just a little more writing done.
Penny Wincer is the author of two narrative non-fiction books, Tender and Home Matters and a non-fiction writing coach. She's an Australian and long-term resident of London, a mother of two teenagers, an unpaid carer and always attempting to get just a little more writing done.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 19, 2021 • 1h 9min
Episode 14 - Novelist Olivia Sudjic
Olivia Sudjic is the author or two novels and a non-fiction long form essay. Her latest novel, Asylum Road, is a darkly unsettling story of a newly engaged couple unraveling.In this episode Olivia talks about the lure of control that drove her to novel writing as well as the risks involved when shouldering creative responsibility largely alone. The advantages of choosing a young, up and coming agent who is also your ideal reader as well as the the challenges of writing versus publishing and making the reader do a bit of work. And what happens when the siren song of writing becomes a day job?LinksAsylum Road - Olivia SudjicSympathy - Olivia SudjicExposure - Olivia SudjicIll Feelings - Alice HattrickThis is the Ritual - Rob DoyleIn The Garden: Essays on Nature and Growing - Daunt BooksThe Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym - Paula ByrneYou can find Olivia Sudjic on instagram @olivia.sudjic

May 12, 2021 • 52min
Episode 13 - Rest for Writers
We usually talk about getting the work done and being productive. Today is a counter episode - rest. Ali thinks she's bad at it, Penny feels she's pretty good at it. We talk about how it's easy to always measure your productivity but rest is needed is we are to keep going. When we're on deadlines or are afraid of losing momentum on a project, it can feel scary to slow down and take breaks. But taking a step back to rest can really pay off. We talk about the importance of self awareness and doing what works best for you. One way of really understanding where your time goes is time logging, an exercise which Ali and Penny both did for this episode. They talk about the interesting results of putting a magnifying glass to how they spend their time.Sign up to Penny's newsletter for updates on her upcoming course on creating time LinksMy Phantoms - Gwendoline RileyThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V E SchwabEffortless - Greg McKeown

May 5, 2021 • 50min
Episode 12 - Christina Sweeney-Baird - The End of Men
On the podcast today, Christina Sweeney-Baird, talks about her debut, The End of Men; a prescient debut about the effects of a virus that only kills males. Not only did Sweeney-Baird write her debut before the pandemic hit, she also balances writing life with the demands of being a full time Corporate Litigation Lawyer. Christina tells us how she manages her time, and how an earlier manuscripts can act as training for subsequent drafts. We also discuss the benefits of writing within a genre - how the specific rules of plot help as building blocks to a novel. It's a jam-packed episode and The End of Men looks set to be the runaway hit of the summer - enjoy! Due to wifi troubles, Christina's sound cuts out a couple of times, but it's so informative that it's 100% worth sticking with it.Links Letters To Camondo by Edmund De Waal Nothing But Blue Sky - Kathleen MacMahonThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V E SchwabThe Handmaids Tale - Margaret AtwoodYou can find Christina Sweeney-Baird on Instagram @christinasweeneybairdNot Too Busy To Write at Bookshop.org

Apr 28, 2021 • 51min
Episode 11 - Author Annie Ridout on Shyness
Annie Ridout writes in multiple genres including non-fiction, poetry, journalism and now fiction. Her latest non-fiction book Shy: How being quiet can lead to success explores the positive aspects of shyness as well as how to manage some of the more challenging sides of it. We talk about embracing our natural personalities, expanding our comfort zones and dealing with rejection as a writer. We also dive in to the topic of platform building as a writer, Annie's slightly unusual route to publishing and juggling running a business with writing books and raising kids. It's a chock a block episode!LinksShy: How being quiet can lead to success - Annie RidoutFreelance Mum - Annie RidoutRedhead By The Side of The Road - Anne TylerConfusion - Elizabeth Jane HowardYou can find Annie Ridout on Instagram @annieridoutYou can see all the podcast reading recommendations at Bookshop.org

Apr 21, 2021 • 59min
Episode 10 - Reading to Write
Reading and writing go hand in hand. In their most conversational episode yet, Ali and Penny talk about what they read to inform their writing practice; and Ali discovers she owes Agatha Christie an apology. Some books act as guide books, others as inspiration, others as companions to the writing process, all are vital ways to breathe life and depth into writing, Ali and Penny unpick just how they use their reading to do this. Be warned, they talk about a lot of books, but you'll leave the episode feeling inspired and ready to tackle your current or next project.

Apr 14, 2021 • 55min
Episode 9 - Author Jodie Chapman - Another Life
In Episode 9 Ali and Penny talk to Jodie Chapman about her debut novel, Another Life, out now on Penguin Michael Joseph. Another Life tells the story of Nick and Anna, and the one seminal summer the pair spend together that marks each of them in its own way. Years later, tragedy brings the two back into each other's orbits, but is it too late? Jodie Chapman describes the book as a book about love in all its forms, and it's this idea that forms the backbone of her conversation with Ali and Penny. Anna is trapped by the expectations of the religion she's raised in, one where there are no birthday celebrations, or Easter or Christmas, and the end of days hangs heavily over her. We talk about using life to inform your writing, and the risks and opportunities this presents. Another Life is narrated by Nick, we talk about writing from the male perspective, about motherhood and the fear of toxic masculinity as well as the immense privilege and challenges of raising boys; and how life life is never black and white, only ever hues of something else. It's a packed episode - enjoy! Links Another life - Jodie ChapmanSorrow and Bliss - Meg MasonPeel Me a Lotus - Charmian CliftMany Different Kinds of Love - Michael RosenNo One Is Talking About This - Patricia LockwoodYou can shop all the podcast book recommendations on the Not To Busy To Write Recommends at Bookshop.org You can find Jodie Chapman in instragram @jodiechapman

Apr 7, 2021 • 41min
Episode 8 - Writing in short bursts
When life is busy, we don't always get the long stretches of time we would ideally like to have to write. So how do you train yourself to write in tiny spaces of time? Ali and Penny discuss the techniques they have used over the past few years when time is short. From keeping up the frequency so your mind is never far from the project, to using mini rituals and music to short cut your way to writing mode, this is an episode which questions our default excuse to avoid writing because we only have tiny pockets available to us.Links mentionedJanet Murray Membership (virtual co-working)London Writers Salon (writers hour)BooksMedical Muses: Hysteria in 19th century Paris by Asti HustvedtHoly Anorexia by Rudolf M BellSummerwater by Sarah MossYou can find all of our book recommendations at Not Too Busy To Write - Bookshop.org

Mar 31, 2021 • 59min
Episode 7 - Author Tetyana Denford on Grief
In Episode 7 Penny is absent due to self-isolation, so Ali takes the helm. She introduces their slightly ambitious plan to read the Women's Prize longlist before the announcement of a winner in July.Ali talks to Tetyana Denford about the first in her new trilogy of books, Conversation with Grief. Conversation with Grief was born after the death of Tetyana's grandmother, when Tetyana was forced to sit with her grief in the vacuum of a pandemic. They talk about how grief changes shape, how it constantly surprises us and how sometimes, the only thing we can do is invite it in. They also talk about how motherhood is a form of grief and how the opposite of grief is love. All of Tetyana's books are self published. In the second half of the episode she shares insights into the process, and talks about the challenges and rewards of wearing so many hats simultaneously. She also talks about how self publishing isn't a less than option, but one that requires just as much work and dedication as a more traditional publishing route. Conversation with Grief is available to preorder. Motherland by Tetyana DenfordTetyana's youtube series is here.Books mentioned in the episode are: Patricia Lockwood: No One is Talking About ThisGlennon Doyle: UntamedSarah Moss: Ghost WallA Little Life: Hanya Yanagihara. All Books mentioned on the podcast are now all in one spot on our very own Bookshop.org listhttps://uk.bookshop.org/lists/not-too-busy-to-write-recommends

Mar 24, 2021 • 56min
Episode 6- Getting Started!
The blank page can be terrifying, paralysing even. How do you overcome the fear of starting something new?In Episode 6 Ali and Penny - both at the start of new projects - talk about the different tools they use to make a strong start on something new. They examine artistic considerations as well as more practical techniques including: goal setting, spreadsheets, progress checkers, and the all important writing community. They also talk about ways of reframing the idea of 'dreams'. Is it a dream to write a book, or an ambition?Links mentionedPacemaker - online wordcount appClare Seal's (My Frugal Year) progress gridStory Genius - Lisa CronHeavy Light - Horatio ClareMrs Death Misses Death - Salena GoddenWomen's Prize for fiction 2021 long list

Mar 17, 2021 • 52min
Episode 5 - Perfectionism
How does perfectionism hold our writing back? From not sharing our work, to not getting started at all, Ali and Penny dig into how to manage our perfectionism as writers. Asking can perfectionism ever be a positive thing for our work? We look at avoiding comparison, when to ignore your inner critic (and when to listen) and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.Books mentioned:White Feminism - Koa BeckThe See-Through House - Shelley KleinA Slice of the Moon - Sandi ToksvigThe End of the Sky - Sandi Toksvig