The Writing Life

From Teacher To Writer: Ashley Hickson-Lovence

"If you write, you're a writer." This week we talk to Ashley Hickson-Lovence about the creation of his debut novel The 392, and how he had to fit writing time in and around his job of being a teacher. Ashley shares his journey from poet to teacher to novelist and talks about his next project. Interview by Florence Reynolds. Meanwhile, Simon and Steph introduce the Norfolk & Norwich Festival's City of Literature strand which was announced last week. Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones. More about our work: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ City of Literature events: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/city-of-literature-at-norfolk-norwich-festival/ NNF: https://nnfestival.org.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples.

Taking Yourself Seriously - with Cat Woodward

Poet Cat Woodward talks to Flo about taking her writing seriously and why she publishes with small presses. Plus a reading of one of the poems from her recent anthology 'Blood. Flower. Joy!' (apologies for audio quality at some points: every plane, truck and marching band decided to go past during the recording of this episode) Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna Cat's website: https://www.catwoodward.com/ Flo's website: https://floreynolds.com/ The Language of Food with Cara Marks: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/the-language-of-food-with-cara-marks/ What we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Music by Bennet Maples.

Leaving Your Job To Become A Writer - with Nuril Basri

"Do not be limited by the things that surround you." That's the advice from Nuril Basri, who joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his journey from a rural village in Indonesia to leaving his job to become a writer. Nuril is talking with Kate Griffin. Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones, who also talk about the newly announced Early Career Awards judges and other exciting upcoming events. Nuril Basri was born in a village in West Java, Indonesia, and raised in a staunchly Islamic community. Nuril has worked in a variety of positions—cashier, tutor, accounts manager, waiter, etc.—the combined experience of which has served to enrich his characters and settings. Nuril is the author of six novels. Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Music by Bennet Maples.

How To Pitch To An Agent - Ed Wilson

Agent Ed Wilson joins the pod today to discuss what an agent does, why - and when - writers need them and also how to *become* an agent. If you're about to pitch to an agent, this is essential listening! Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Find out more about our work: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Johnson & Alcock Agency: http://www.johnsonandalcock.co.uk/ Ed on Twitter: https://twitter.com/literarywhore Music by Bennet Maples.

How To Work With An Editor - Ashley Stokes

Writer and editor Ashley Stokes joins us on the podcast to talk about the editing process, how it is essential to the writing process and the best way for writers to approach working with an editor. Meanwhile, Simon and Steph are joined by Lillie Coles, Programme Assistant, to discuss the upcoming Writer's Toolkit events and Japan Now. More about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk TLC: https://literaryconsultancy.co.uk/ Ashley's website: https://ashleystokes.net/ Imaginary Worlds podcast on Fantastical Food: https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/fantastical-feasts.html Our interview with Moto from the archives: https://soundcloud.com/wcncast/moto Music by Bennet Maples.

Six Top Tips For Writing Crime Fiction - Julia Crouch Part 2!

Julia Crouch returns to the pod to share her six top tips for writing crime fiction. Most of this applies to ALL fiction, and as a concentrated burst of writing advice it's hard to beat. If you missed part 1, make sure you go back and listen to episode #75! Take a look at our Start Writing Crime Fiction course, led by Nicola Upson and originally created by Julia! https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/introduction-to-crime-fiction/ Eimear McBride launch event: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/eimear-mcbride-strange-hotel-launch/ Jenny Offil launch event: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/jenny-offill-weather/ More on the work we do with writers: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Find out more about our crime writing festival at https://noirwich.co.uk Julia's website: http://juliacrouch.co.uk/ Norfolk & Norwich Festival: https://nnfestival.org.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples.

Anyone can be a writer - with Julia Crouch Part One!

Julia Crouch is the Queen of Domestic Noir, writer of Her Husband's Lover and The Long Fall, designer of our Start Writing Crime Fiction course and regular attendee of the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival. In today's episode she joins us to discuss her twisty-turny career and how becoming a writer doesn't always happen in the most obvious of ways. It's a great listen for anybody starting out, or wondering how to take their next step. Today's episode is brought to you by the Early Career Awards, supported by Arts Council England. The Early Career Awards are a new form of literary prize run by the National Centre for Writing, accompanied by resources, professional development and industry advice for new writers. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Find more early career writer resources: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/1-beginnings/ Noirwich: https://noirwich.co.uk More on what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Music by Bennet Maples.

How Mentoring Can Help Your Writing

Special guest Katri Skala joins us on the pod to talk about her work mentoring writers, and how mentoring can help writers identify their goals. Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones. Find out about our work at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk About our mentoring services: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/mentoring/ Katri's website: https://katherineskala.co.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples.

Structuring non-fiction with Ed Parnell

Ed Parnell is on the pod to talk about his first non-fiction book, Ghostland. He discusses his obsession with structure, how to pitch a non-fiction book and how he switched from fiction to non-fiction. Simon and Steph also dive into the pod archive to pick out their favourite episodes of the year: Outer Wilds with Kelsey Beachum: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/the-writing-challenges-of-outer-wilds/ Jon Ingold from Inkle Studios: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/how-to-write-interactive-narratives-for-games/ Elif Shafak & Bidisha: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/elif-shafak-talks-metoo-identity-politics-libraries-and-inequality/ Life of Bookseller with Joe Hedinger: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/life-of-a-bookseller/ Val McDermid & Sian Cain: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/val-mcdermid-sian-cain-on-the-publishing-landscape-for-lgbtqi-writers/ Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones. Find out about our work: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples.

Making a living as a literary translator with Ekaterina Petrova

On the pod today we have literary translator and non-fiction writer Ekaterina Petrova. Ekaterina is from Bulgaria, and was our visiting resident for 10 days thanks to support from the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation. A big part of the conversation is about the challenge of making a living from being a literary translator - which, as you can imagine, is even harder than making a living from being a writer. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Find out more about our work: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Read a translated extract by Ekaterina: http://www.eurolitnetwork.com/from-traveling-in-the-direction-of-the-shadow-by-iana-boukova-translated-by-ekaterina-petrova/ Don't miss Ekaterina's contribution to the Walking Norwich collection: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/walking-norwich/stranger-on-a-walk/ Music by Bennet Maples.