The Writing Life

Substack, the creator economy & serialised storytelling with Elle Griffin

"Books are dead," so declares Elle Griffin, a journalist and debut writer who is preparing to serialise her first novel via a Substack newsletter. Not sure what Substack is, or why you'd publish a book via a newsletter? Disagree (or agree!) about the fate of books? Curious about whether serialised storytelling and publishing might be for you? Simon chats with Elle about emerging new (and returning!) forms and how they relate to traditional and self-publishing.

Meanwhile, Steph and Simon discuss the new Creative Writing Online courses and the revealed 2021 line-up for the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival.

Lots of useful links this week:

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW 

Noirwich Crime Writing Festival: https://noirwich.co.uk/ 

Creative Writing Online courses: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/creative-writing-online/ 

Check out Elle's newsletter: https://ellegriffin.substack.com/

Simon's newsletter: https://simonkjones.substack.com/ 

This is Buttondown: https://buttondown.email/ 

Music by Bennet Maples.

Tommy Sissons on writing a prose polemic

Tommy Sissons chats to Sam Ruddock on the podcast about his book A Small Man's England, a prose-polemic exploration of white, working class masculinity. Under discussion are the techniques Tommy uses to explore his argument as well as the core themes at the heart of the book.

Meanwhile Simon and Steph talk about the newly announced Escalator talent development scheme for emerging writers, now open for applications to under-represented writers in the East of England: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/escalator/

Continue the conversation on Discord: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW

Sign up to our newsletter: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/newsletters/ 

Music by Bennet Maples.

How to become a literary translator: deep dive

This week we have a special episode for anyone considering or embarking on a career as a literary translator. Sarah Ardizzone, translator and mentor, guides us through a detailed, nuts-and-bolts exploration of what it takes to be a literary translator. Sarah is joined by Rosie Eyre, a recent mentee on our Emerging Translator Mentorships programme, and Jamie Lee Searle, who was a mentee ten years ago. Together they explore the challenges of the industry and share tips on how to break in.

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna, who talk abut the upcoming Time To Write workshops for young writers. Find out more here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/working-with-schools/workshops-for-young-people/

Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW

Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ 

Music by Bennet Maples.

Tsitsi Dangarembga on representation, feminism and Zimbabwean literature

Tsitsi Dangarembga is a novelist, playwright and filmmaker who joins us on the pod today to discuss her groundbreaking work and its influence on readers. Tsitsi is the author of Nervous Conditions, which in 1988 was the first book to be published in English by a black woman from Zimbabwe and won the Commonwealth Writers Prize, and its sequels The Book of Not (2006) and This Mournable Body (2018). She was shortlisted in 2020 for the Booker Prize. Tsitsi lives in Harare and is the director of the Institute of Creatve Arts for Progress in Africa Trust.

Asking the questions is Molly-Rose Medhurst, student writer and activist who worked with us as an intern earlier in 2021. Take a look at an article she wrote: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/must-reads-for-lgbt-history-month/

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

Join our Discord community! https://discord.gg/3G39dRW 

Music by Bennet Maples.

William Ryan's Guide to How to Write

William Ryan is the author of historical crime fiction novels, including the Captain Korolev series. William joins us on the pod to talk about his latest project, the Writers' & Artists' Guide To How To Write. It's a nuts-and-bolts framework for writing a book, avoiding common mistakes and asking yourself the right questions up front.

Meanwhile we talk about the Early Career Awards winner announcements. Find out about the winners of the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize, UEA New Forms Award and Laura Kinsella Fellowship here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/early-career-awards/

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW 

Music by Bennet Maples.