The Writing Life

Interviewing difficult subjects with Richard Balls

On this episode of The Writing Life, we speak to news journalist turned non-fiction writer and biographer Richard Balls about interviewing difficult subjects.

Richard is the author of three books: A Furious Devotion: The Life of Shane MacGowan; Be Stiff: The Stiff Records Story, and Sex & Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll: The Life of Ian Dury. In this conversation with Steph McKenna, he talks about using the experience and techniques acquired through a 20-year journalism career to inform the way he approaches, interviews, and writes about high-profile figures such as Shane MacGowan, whose life story is as much fiction as fact!

How do you secure an interview with a reluctant subject? What do you do when an interview isn’t going to plan? And what ethics or responsibilities are involved when writing about someone’s complex, contradictory, or unacceptable behaviour? Richard covers all this and more on the podcast.

In Conversation with British-Nepali Writer and Translator Rabi Thapa

A conversation from the archive! National Centre for Writing’s Kate Griffin talks to writer, translator and editor Rabi Thapa. Kate is our Associate Head of Programmes and Rabi stayed in the Dragon Hall cottage as part of our Visible Communities programme in June 2021.

Rabi is a British-born Nepali writer and translator. He is also the Editor of La.Lit, the literary magazine from Nepal, and the author of Nothing to Declare and Thamel, Dark Star of Kathmandu. From 2010 to 2011, he was the Editor of the weekly paper, Nepali Times.

Kate and Rabi discuss a number of topics including his background - spending the first six years of his life in Plymouth - his relationship to the UK and Nepal, the Katmaundu literary scene, bridge languages and the 123 languages used in Nepal.

The Martineau Lecture with Kit De Waal

As part of the annual Norfolk and Norwich Festival we run a series of events called City of Literature. A central part of our programme is the Harriett Martineau Lecture which celebrates the legacy of a remarkable, world-changing woman by inviting globally-renowned radical speakers to respond to her life and work.

In 2022, we were excited to welcome bestselling novelist, memoirist and literary activist Kit de Waal - presenting the lecture in the beautiful environs of the Spiegeltent. Kit gave a thought-provoking lecture covering a range of topics, including human rights, equality, hunger and, as she calls it, ‘compassion without judgement’.

Kit is a fantastic writer and speaker, and, in the course of the lecture, talks about social mobility and what it really takes; how smartphones are essential for some of the most marginalised people in society; as well as quoting Terry Pratchett as she explains what keeps the poorest in our society poor.

This episode is that lecture - recorded at the event back in May - more relevant now than ever with inflation rampant, the cost of living impacting everyone in society, and the energy crisis hitting those with the least worst of all.

How to Develop Compelling Characters in Your Fiction - with Okechukwu Nzelu

We speak to writer and teacher Okechukwu Nzelu. Why? To discuss that greatest pillar of creative writing - character.

Gill and Okechukwu discuss many aspects of character development, including those in his latest novel Here Again Now. Based in Manchecter, Okechukwu Nzelu was the recipient of a Northern Writers' Award from New Writing North in 2015. His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney won a Betty Trask Award. It was also shortlisted for our very own Desmond Elliott Prize among others. In 2021, it was selected for the Kingston University Big Read. 

His second novel, Here Again Now was published by Dialogue Books in March 2022. He is also a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University so he is perfectly positioned to help us understand how we can write compelling characters.

Writer Insights with James Kinsley

Earlier in the year, our very own Ellie Reeves spoke to local writer James Kinsley. James’s first novella, Playtime’s Over, was published by Propolis in 2021 - a love letter to his native Norwich.

James Kinsley’s new book, Greyskin, will be published by Deixis Press on 27^th April. Greyskin is a stylish collection of interconnected fantasy stories, inspired by the cinematic mythology of the Old West. On its first day of pre-order, the book topped the Amazon chart for Western Science Fiction.

Ellie sat down with James following the publication of Playtime's Over. They discuss his journey from self-publishing to traditional publishing, and offers an insight into the challenges of drawing personal experiences into fiction. They also discuss genre, mental health, and the ability of writing to move beyond the writer's intentions.

Common ground: writing, culture and community in Singapore

Norwich-based poet and writer Shannon Clinton-Copeland speaks to our virtual residents Akshita Nanda, Crispin Rodrigues and Daryl Qilin Yam about writing and literary life in Singapore. Their residencies are supported by Singapore’s National Arts Council. 

Akshita, Crispin and Daryl touch on everything from the relationship between writing and culture, to writing as a method for finding common experiences. They also discuss understanding across social, cultural and linguistic borders. 

Virtual residencies for writers and translators can bring national and international voices and ideas to places like Norwich. Through commissions, online events and podcasts like this one, those voices can also reach a global audience. 

You can find out more about our virtual and in-person residences on our website: nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk.

How to write humour - with Caimh McDonnell

We speak to Caimh McDonnell about humour. Caimh is a comedian and writer. He’s written for TV shows such as Mock The Week and Have I Got News for You. He was also a professional stand-up comedian and has written a dozen books under the names Caimh and CK McDonnell. 

Being funny in fiction is hard, so we wanted to ask the Manchester-based Irishman how to do it - or at least, how he does it. The cover of The Stranger Times says: What if the weird news was the real news? An apt way to describe the premise. 

The book is the first in a series of novels set in Manchester in which the weird phenomena of the Fortean Times is alive and well - from mythical beasts to UFOs. We get to explore this weird world through the staff of the namessake newspaper and the result is a Pratchett-esque treatment of the supernatural thriller/mystery genre. And it is funny.

Some things are easier to teach than others. You might argue that being funny is the hardest thing of all. Nonetheless, the conversation will hopefully give you some insights into how to bring humour to your writing. The conversation covers characters, dialogue, conflict, genre and the inversion of expectation.

Find out more about Caimh at whitehairedirishman.shop

From writing craft to witchcraft with Kirsty Logan

For this episode, we speak to the wonderful Kirsty Logan. Kirsty is completely devoted to books: she is the award-winning author of several novels, including The Gloaming and The Gracekeepers, and short story collections including A Portable Shelter and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales. She recently wrote the Audible Original The Sound at the End, an Arctic ghost story. She’s also a book reviewer, editor and mentor.

Kirsty’s new novel, Now She is Witch, came out this month. It is a medieval witch revenge story unlike any other. We discuss the book as well as aspects of craft, including character, theme, structure, research, routine and inspiration.

We talk about how to build complex characters within fairy tales, the difference between historical fiction and Medievalism and how witch stories reflect our feelings of being under threat in our world.

We talk about identity, revenge and research beyond the internet. Kirsty also starts our conversation with a reading - a poem she wrote during a writing residency.

Literary Translation and Neurodivergence - with Clare Richards

National Centre for Writing’s Rebecca DeWald talks to translator Clare Richards. Rebecca is our Emerging Translator Mentorships Programme Manager and Clare is a previous mentee, who was mentored by Anton Hur.

Clare is a translator of Korean, but has a passion for the more challenging scripts such as Japanese, as she explains in their conversation. As a neurodivergent person, Clare is perfectly placed to reflect on our ablist workplaces and the male-skewed view of autism - and she also describes how learning new languages can help change the way we think and communicate.

Clare really found her calling in literary translation allowing her to build a way of working that suits her skills and preferences. She has also set up a Discord channel for D-deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people and you can find her on Twitter @clarehannahmary

Clare is just one of our Emerging Translator mentees. The scheme itself matches experienced translators with emerging translators for a six-month period. During this time they work on practical translation projects together and learn about the ins and outs of professionalizing as a literary translator. You can find out more about the scheme on our website.

How To Build Your Writing Routine - with Megan Bradbury

In this episode, we speak to novelist and NCW tutor Megan Bradbury, who gives us a wealth of great advice to help you build your writing routine. We cover a lot of ground in this discussion, the focus of which is removing mental, physical and even temporal blocks to get you writing - from tackling your own avoidance excuses to noise-cancelling headphones.

Many of you will already know Megan from the podcast, and it was a pleasure to welcome her back. Megan is a long-time friend of the writing centre having won a place on Escalator - our talent development programme. Megan also won a ‘Grant for the Arts’ to help fund the completion of her first novel, Everyone is Watching.

Megan is also one of our online course tutors. What online courses, I hear you say? Well, the National Centre for Writing has a variety of online learning activities from courses to mentorship sessions. Head to our website to browse free short courses, in-person classes and workshops, and our much-loved 12 and 18-week tutored online courses. These courses have been designed specifically to get you writing.

https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/support-for-writers/