The Writing Life

#24 Margaret Atwood's Top 5 Writing Tips

It's a very special episode this week, as we present the full, extended interview with Margaret Atwood conducted by our Young Ambassadors Emily Webb and Grace Murray earlier in the year. The interview covers everything from how Margaret started writing, why her novels tackle such challenging subjects and her top 5 tips for new writers. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. You can watch a video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fDkbyyPRKFY Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Young Ambassador scheme: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/young-ambassadors/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#23 Designing dual narratives with Winnie M Lee

This week we have an interview with author Winnie M Li, writer of the novel Dark Chapter which was described by the Guardian as "a defiant retelling of personal trauma". Please note that this episode discusses assault, which some listeners may find distressing. Asking the questions this week is Elspeth Latimer, a UEA postgraduate researcher in crime fiction who worked on the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival with us, courtesy of a CHASE (Consortium of the Humanities and Arts South-East England)placement. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Noirwich: https://noirwich.co.uk Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#22 The Value of Editing With Georgia De Chamberet

This week we're talking with Georgia de Chamberet, founder-director of BookBlast. Georgia has had a long and varied career as an editor, translator and agent, including being a senior editor at Quartet Books and commissioning editor at Robin Clark before setting up BookBlast in the late '90s. Georgia was in town with the BookBlast 10x10 Tour, which is described as "a carnival of authors, poets, translators and publishers." In association with Waterstones, the tour involved nine publishers in nine cities across England, with Galley Beggar Press featuring at the Norwich stop. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Christmas Open House: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/christmas-open-house-at-dragon-hall/ Dragon Hall Christmas Salon: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/dragon-hall-salon-the-christmas-edition/ BookBlast: https://www.bookblast.com/ NanoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#21 NaNoWriMo Progress Report

This week we're checking in with a selection of NaNoWriMo writers to find out how close they are to hitting 50,000 words and hear their tips for surviving the month. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Christmas Open House: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/christmas-open-house-at-dragon-hall/ NanoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/ The Thirst podcast: https://twitter.com/thethirst Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#20 How to put podcasts into your novel with Matt Wesolowski

Matt Wesolowski is the author behind Six Stories and Hydra. In today's episode we talk to him about the notion of 'hybrid writing' - incorporating other forms such as podcasts, emails, Reddit threads into novels. Also discussed: pink glue sticks. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Mentioned events: Matt's blog post about 'hybrid writing': https://noirwich.co.uk/2018/09/06/what-is-a-hybrid-writer/ Noirwich Crime Writing Event: https://noirwich.co.uk/ Links: NaNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#19 NaNoWriMo 101 with Elizabeth Haynes

National Novel Writing Month is upon us! We speak to crime fiction writer Elizabeth Haynes about how NaNoWriMo kickstarted her career and helped in the creation of several of her bestselling novels. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Mentioned events: Who Are We Now? https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/life-writing-in-a-post-brexit-world/ Lamanby: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/jacob-polley-lamanby/ Dragon Hall Salon: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/dragon-hall-salon-2/ UEA Live: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/uea-live-patrick-langley/ Links: NaNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#18 Writing historical crime fiction with Nicola Upson

Crime writer Nicola Upson discusses the history of crime fiction and writing a historical detective series without it being old fashioned. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Mentioned events: Noirwich: https://noirwich.co.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#17 Translation and censorship with Sara Khalili

In the third part of our Found in Translation series Kate Griffin talks to Sara Khalili about translation and censorship. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#16 Translation in action: Gerbrand Bakker, David Colmer and Andrew Burton

Continuing our series focusing on translation, we talk to with author Gerbrand Bakker, translator David Colmer and scriptwriter Andrew Burton about how they are linked through Gerbrand's award-winning novel The Twin. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Mentioned events: Dragon Hall Salon: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/dragon-hall-salon-2/ Life & Times of Michael K: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/life-times-of-michael-k/ Interview with Sam Ruddock of Story Machine Productions: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/exploring-live-literature-with-story-machine-productions/ Portrait image (c) Gunter Gluecklich Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#15 Found in Translation

In the first in a new series focusing on translation, we talk to Susan Harris and Samantha Schnee from magazine Words Without Borders about the how translation works, why it's important and how it has the potential to bring the world together. These interviews were recorded at London Book Fair - apologies for the background noise of intense hubbub. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Useful links: Words Without Borders: https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/