Death Of 1000 Cuts

This episode features me chatting to writer, performer, poet, podcast presenter, film-maker, playwright and educator Ross Sutherland about his work experimenting on words to make them do cool stuff. His podcast Imaginary Advice recently won Best Fiction Podcast at the British Podcasting Awards, he's produced work for radio and TV, he's a legend of the UK poetry scene and his critically-acclaimed solo show Standby For Tape Backup stormed the Edinburgh Fringe and has toured the world. His work is funny, dark, emotive and brain-melting. He's really cool, you guys. He's also my mate. We talk about how he got into writing, his early experiences learning from his grandma and punk poet John Cooper Clarke, how he uses repetition to induce trance states in audiences and get past his own internal censor, and his advice as an experienced creative writing teacher for finding the 'game' of a piece of writing. He explains how the work of French experimental literature group the Oulipo inspired him to rip Little Red Riding Hood apart noun by noun, and how he helps teach writers to hack language to create weird, vivid effects. We also talk about what it's like when you or your work don't quite fit anywhere, and how to make a virtue out of writing work that's 'hard to explain'. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - how do I find ideas? - what should I write about? - what if my work doesn't fit into an existing genre? - what are some warm-up exercises I can do to kickstart my imagination? You would be foolish indeed not to sample an episode of Ross's award-winning podcast Imaginary Advice. Here's the episode he talks about writing towards the end of our chat: https://soundcloud.com/ross-sutherland/52-the-man-who-saw-tomorrow-4th-birthday-episode If you like it, please do Ross a big favour and subscribe to it on Soundcloud or iTunes, leave a little review so other folk can find it, share it on your Twitter or Facebook. All that stuff helps so much, and you're helping someone else stumble across it and have some of the same happiness you did. If you haven't read my novel, THE HONOURS, and you like secret tunnels, conspiracies and a 13-year-old girl in the 1930s trying to piece it all together, give your life a massive shot of the good stuff and treat yourself to a glorious copy: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 And if you'd like to support the podcast, I appreciate any contributions towards hosting costs. You can drop me something in two clicks here: www.ko-fi.com/timclare

In this episode I chat to writer Melissa Harrison about becoming a writer, the pressures of writing, and the process of bringing the past and the natural world to life. We chat about her new novel ALL AMONG THE BARLEY, how she struggled to admit to herself that she wanted to write, research, farming, fascism, and why we write when, at times, it can be difficult and painful. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - how should I research my novel? - should I keep writing if I'm not enjoying myself? - how can I find the story amongst the scenes in my head? If you enjoyed this chat and want more, please support Melissa Harrison by grabbing a copy of her latest novel, ALL AMONG THE BARLEY: https://wordery.com/all-among-the-barley-melissa-harrison-9781408897997#oid=1908_1 Here's her Costa-shortlisted novel AT HAWTHORN TIME: https://wordery.com/at-hawthorn-time-melissa-harrison-9781408859070#oid=1908_1 And her first, CLAY: https://wordery.com/clay-melissa-harrison-9781408842553#oid=1908_1 I really appreciate it when you support authors who give their time to come on the show. Thank you. If you're interested in something historical set in the 1930s in England, you might also like my novel THE HONOURS: https://mrbsemporium.com/shop/books/the-honours/ And, if you like, you can help me cover the cost of running and recording the podcast by dropping me something here: www.ko-fi.com/timclare

This episode I chat to debut Fantasy novelist Micah Yongo about his novel of warring assassins and clashing ideologies, LOST GODS. We get into everything, from working with an editor to researching crossbow physics, to how you go from big ideas and sprawling, complex imaginary worlds down to a story, and the character who's going to propel you through it. Micah also talks about what it's like to be published for the first time, building a writing routine, and representation in SFF and beyond. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - how can I turn my ideas for a setting into a story? - what's the best sort of character for a Fantasy story? - how can I research my Fantasy world when it doesn't exist? - what it like working with an editor? - who has the right to write what stories? I know you are awesome and I can rely on you to treat yourself and support Micah Yongo by ordering LOST GODS right now - do it, it's ace! https://wordery.com/lost-gods-micah-yongo-9780857667373#oid=1908_1 If you'd like to read my work, please order my novel THE HONOURS - you can get it here (shipped anywhere in the world) via awesome indie bookshop Mr B's Emporium: https://mrbsemporium.com/shop/books/the-honours/ And if you want to support the podcast and help me pay for hosting costs and website fees, you can click here and drop me a little something in a couple o' clicks. Thanks: www.ko-fi.com/timclare

This episode I chat to debut author Temi Oh about her upcoming novel DO YOU DREAM OF TERRA-TWO? We talk research, handling big casts, giving characters motivation, & novels of ideas. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - how can I research my story if some aspects (like space travel) aren't accessible to me? - how can I make sure my characters are well-differentiated? - how can I handle a big cast in my novel? - how does Science Fiction deal with big themes? - how does Science Fiction deal with autobiographical elements? If you like today's episode and want to read Temi's upcoming novel, DO YOU DREAM OF TERRA-TWO? you can pre-order it here. Pre-ordering makes a huge difference to authors, so I encourage, beseech and coax you towards doing so in this instance, right now: https://wordery.com/do-you-dream-of-terra-two-temi-oh-9781471171246#oid=1908_1 You can also support me by ordering my novel, THE HONOURS: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 And if you'd like to toss a few quid into the podcast's coffers to help me pay for hosting costs and overheads, you can do so here: www.ko-fi.com/timclare Thank you very much. Your patronage is not just appreciated but essential, and I doff my cloth cap to you.

In this episode I talk about some things I've learned from the 4 year process of writing my 2nd novel, THE ICE HOUSE (out May 2019). This is an unscripted episode where I talk through some of my first thoughts about the process, which at times was not easy, to put it mildly. Like anything difficult, doing this novel and seeing it through to completion has taught me a great deal, and so I break down some key principles which I'm going to be taking with me into future writing projects. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - what's it like writing a novel? - why are second novels harder than first ones? - how can I be prolific? - what are some specific strategies for overcoming blocks and procrastination? - how should I approach my first draft? - how should I approach redrafting? If you like this episode and you'd like to support my writing, please click this link and order yourself a copy of my first novel, THE HONOURS. It will be good prep for reading THE ICE HOUSE: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 And if you'd like to support the podcast, please drop me a buck or two via my Ko-fi page: www.ko-fi.com/timclare Thank you. Have a great time writing.

In this episode I chat with Lauren Groff, bestselling author of FATES & FURIES, about her latest short story collection, FLORIDA. We chat about her writing career spanning 6 books thus far, how she moves from short stories to novels, her ways of working, and how she gets her language and characters to sing. (spoiler: I *love* her work - she is really good) This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - how can I improve the language that I use in my stories? - how can I learn to see the world around me more clearly? - what are some unusual techniques I can bring to my writing? - how can poetry help my prose? - how can I sustain and develop my voice over several projects? This episode is supported in part by Mslexia Magazine, the UK’s best-selling magazine for women who write. To subscribe, or check out their competitions and submission opportunities, visit: https://Mslexia.co.uk You can pick up an issue here: https://mslexia.co.uk/product-category/single-issues/ And subscribe here: https://mslexia.co.uk/why-subscribe/ Here's Lauren Groff's brilliant latest story collection, FLORIDA - get it now with free worldwide shipping: https://wordery.com/florida-lauren-groff-9781785151880#oid=1908_1 And here's her New York Times bestselling novel FATES AND FURIES: https://wordery.com/fates-and-furies-lauren-groff-9780099592532#oid=1908_1 And hey, you know you've been putting it off for ages. Buy my novel, THE HONOURS, and be done with it: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 If you'd like to show your support for the show and what I do, I have a Ko-fi page where you can bung me a few sweet beans as a gesture of appreciation: https://ko-fi.com/timclare Thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm. You're awesome.

This episode is a chat with author Mark Stay. He's an indie author, he's worked in traditional publishing, he's co-authored a novel and a screenplay, and he's crowd-funded a novel. Not only that, but he's a presenter of the podcast for writers, THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - what are my options for getting my book published? - how can I promote my work? - what are the secrets of writing a bestseller? Hope you enjoy it. Here's Mark Stay's website, with a link to his new novel, THE END OF MAGIC, which you can - and should - back on Unbound: https://markstaywrites.com/the-end-of-magic/ Here's Mark's novel, BACK TO REALITY, which he co-wrote with Mark Oliver: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Reality-feel-good-novel-year-ebook/dp/B076GD5F6H/?tag=bxp05-21 You can check out Mark's fantastic podcast THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT here: http://bestsellerexperiment.com/podcasts/ Here's the Ben Aaronovitch episode we talk about: http://bestsellerexperiment.com/ep22-ben-aaronovitch-great-bollocking/ Oh go on, then - here's my novel, THE HONOURS: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 And the Ko-fi page through which you can show your support for this podcast: https://ko-fi.com/timclare

In today's episode I look at the first page of a listener's story and suggest ways of making it better. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - how can I get some tips for editing my novel? - how can I write a great first line? - how should I describe my characters? - what makes good dialogue? - how can I think about the flow of a sentence? If you'd like to submit your work for a future show, you can do so via my website, here: http://www.timclarepoet.co.uk/ If you'd like to support me, please buy my novel, THE HONOURS. It's temporarily unavailable on Wordery, so here's a link to wonderful UK indie bookshop, Mr B's Emporium, who ship worldwide: https://mrbsemporium.com/shop/books/the-honours/ Finally, you can support the running of the show directly via my Ko-fi page: http://ko-fi.com/B0B17913 And here's today's extract (PS - I realise now 'against' is a two-syllable word - oops!): THE DENTIST (by Morgan) Joy wore a short, black, cotton dress, her hair tied back in a blond ponytail. Around her neck was a thin, golden chain with her star sign, a ram’s head. I had given it to her when we first met. I wore an open-necked, pale blue shirt under a dark-blue suit. It brought out the color of my eyes. We were celebrating my first proper television role. The restaurant terrace shimmered gold, the candle flames restless in the breeze from the ocean. The crashing waves drowned out the piano tinkling through the speakers. "I'm proud of you, honey," said Joy. “A speaking role.” "Let’s hope I don’t develop a stutter.” "Aw, that would be adorable!" said Joy, pinching my cheek. "Ow!" "Oh, sorry, honey, is that the bad side?" "It's okay," I said, "I'm just minding it, so it'll go away sooner." "You know..." started Joy. Our starters arrived, ending the conversation. I had curried oysters, Joy had asparagus salad. My mouth throbbed. I’d almost gotten used to it. I was pretty sure the tooth was rotten, that the cure would be worse than the disease. Lost in these thoughts I bit down on a mouthful and a sharp pain jolted my head. There was a hard lump in my mouth. I held my cheek and went to the bathroom. At the mirror I picked a cracked and rotten piece of tooth from my mouth. It was laced with blood and the smell of seafood.

This episode I chat to multi-award-winning writer Helen MacDonald, author of H IS FOR HAWK, about finding the right words, finding your voice, and pushing through in the face of self-doubt. We discuss her poetic influences, Top Gun, madness, painting and masculine crisis in interbellum England. We really dig down into how you might go about turning your experiences, traumas and big questions into meaningful writing that connects with others. And, as well as talking about how to deal with setbacks and doubt, we cover that so rarely discussed of topics: how to cope with success. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - how can I find my voice as a writer? - what sort of writing routine should I establish? - how can writing poetry help with my prose? - what's it like when your book does really well? - what are some techniques for overcoming low self-confidence? If you enjoy this episode and you haven't yet read H IS FOR HAWK, I suggest you click here to get it delivered (with free P&P) to your door. It really is as good as the reviews and awards say - I found it magnetically compelling: https://wordery.com/h-is-for-hawk-helen-macdonald-9780099575450#oid=1908_1 Oh, and I did a novel! If you like me and want to do me a solid, chuck me a few pence by buying my book, THE HONOURS, please: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 And you can support the podcast directly via my Ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/timclare Thank you so much for continuing to listen and share Death Of 1000 Cuts.

In this episode I chat with social psychologist James W Pennebaker about his research into expressive writing, and the tiny words we use each day but don't notice. We talk about a specific way of writing that can improve your mood, sleep, immune system function and even help your body heal faster. We discuss computer analyses of language, from old diaries to emails to poems, and how a particular category of words that accounts for less than one-tenth of 1 percent of your vocabulary makes up almost 60 percent of the words you use. And we find out how your output of these almost subliminal words can predict everything from status, age and gender to the likelihood the writer will take their own life. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - can writing make me feel better, and if so, how? - what are some different categories of language? - how is language processed in the brain? - how can I make my characters' dialogue more genuine, and representative of their backgrounds? - what does my writing say about me? This is a very different show to our usual style, but it's truly fascinating. I really recommend you check out THE SECRET LIFE OF PRONOUNS, which our discussion only scrapes the surface of. There's a huge wealth of knowledge in there for writers: https://wordery.com/the-secret-life-of-pronouns-james-w-pennebaker-9781608194964#oid=1908_1 You might also like James W Pennebaker's OPENING UP BY WRITING IT DOWN, a book about his research into the benefits of expressive writing, which includes exercises to try it out for yourself: https://wordery.com/opening-up-by-writing-it-down-third-edition-james-w-pennebaker-9781462524921#oid=1908_1 And of course if you haven't treated yourself to it yet, there really is no better tonic for the troubled heart than my novel, THE HONOURS. Buy it here, with free shipping - it will come to your door, it looks beautiful, and you'll be helping me out: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 Finally, you can always support the podcast directly by dropping a few beans into the upturned guitar case that is my ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/timclare Thank you so much, and I hope you find this episode enlightening.