Charlotte Wood talks about the writing craft and process behind her novel Stone Yard Devotional. Writing topics include creative process and inspiration, first drafts, novel structure, writing in fragments, point of view, narrative momentum, voice, description and writing at sentence level.  Charlotte is such a beautiful writer but also a seasoned writer - she’s been to all the places you, as a writer, have been or are heading towards - and she generously shares all that wisdom.  One of the things I love about Charlotte is her curiosity. She’s constantly exploring and expanding upon ..read more

Hannah Richell talks about the writing craft and process behind her novel The Search Party. Writing topics include structure, point of view, character development, dual timelines, backstory, reveals, editing, and writer’s retreats.  Have you ever read a novel and thought to yourself ‘how on earth did the author pull it off?’  That’s exactly what crossed my mind when I read The Search Party by Hannah Richell. Hannah is a beautiful writer and her talent is on display again with this novel, her fifth. The Search Party is bit of a departure for her. Hannah’s novels always have a mystery ..read more

Suzanne Leal discusses the craft and process behind her novel The Watchful Wife.  Suzanne talks about balancing external and internal dialogue and how you can create a really vivid scene in the mind of the reader without too much description, literally just with what the characters are saying, plus dialogue tags and actions. Suzanne reads a section of the novel that perfectly demonstrates this technique so listen out for that. We discussed how she balances difficult content and serious subject matter with humour. Suzanne also talked about the importance of rhythm and pacing in her work, a ..read more

Laurie Steed discusses his craft and process for writing his short story collection Greater City Shadows. He discusses the formation of his characters and how he chooses point of view (or it chooses him!) Laurie emphasises the need for writers to take risks with their characters, and explores how both dialogue and subtext can be used to develop character.  Laurie is a master of specificity, writes beautiful, evocative description and loves a good edit so we talk about all that and more. You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of Greater City Shadows by Laurie Steed here ..read more

In this final episode for 2023, I’m bringing you a deliciously long chat about writing craft and process with the author of five novels, Joanna Nell.  Jo joins me in a deep dive into her novel writing practice, sharing her techniques for creating dynamic characters, sustaining story momentum, managing dialogue, and outlining scenes. She also takes us through her entire editing process, how she weaves in backstory, the importance of the opening line and she shares some terrific tips for what to do when she’s feeling stuck. I asked Jo to read several excerpts from her novels to illustrate t ..read more

A deep dive with Jo Riccioni into the writing process and craft behind her fantasy novels The Branded and The Rising. We talked about Jo's writing process, how she carves out writing space, her experiences with writing different genres and recent successes in her career such as signing an international deal for her fantasy book series. Jo also spoke about the importance of character development, ideas for world-building, lessons she’s learned from writing in different genres, interactions with her readers and her role as a writing teacher. We also got a very special reading from Jo’s latest fa ..read more

Sally Hepworth talks about the writing process for her novel Darling Girls. We discussed writing craft aspects including inspiration, research, character development, description, typical writing schedule, editing, backstory, pacing, seeding in twists and balancing darker themes with humour. You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of Darling Girls here. ABOUT SALLY HEPWORTH Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, most recently Darling Girls. Her novel, The Mother-In-Law (2019), has been optioned for a TV series by Hollywood actress and produce ..read more

Kate Mildenhall talks about the writing process for her novel The Hummingbird Effect.  We discussed writing craft aspects including structure, voice, setting, editing, sentence work, inspiration, multiple timelines, journalling and the power of prompts. You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Hummingbird Effect here. ABOUT KATE MILDENHALL Kate Mildenhall is a writer and teacher. Her debut novel, Skylarking, was named in Readings Top Ten Fiction Books of 2016 and her bestselling The Mother Fault was longlisted for the 2021 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year and ..read more

Allison Tait talks about the writing process for her middle-grade novel The First Summer of Callie McGee.  We discussed writing craft aspects including: - what you need to include (or exclude!) to make the novel age appropriate - how to balance character arcs with the external plot - the difference between a child-led versus a parent-led purchase - how to find your ‘writing age’ - pacing the novel at scene level - what a novel opening needs to include - the hallmarks of good middle-grade fiction - writing a mystery story for children aged 8-12 (including the necessity of red herrings ..read more

Brendan Cowell talks about the writing process for his novel Plum.  We discussed writing craft aspects including: - how the main theme of the novel ripples through every character - why structure is where the magic lies - why Brendan decided to plot this particular novel - how he broke the novel into micro-beats - the influence his publisher Catherine Milne had on the work - how he writes authentic dialogue - what his experience as a playwright and screenwriter brings to his novel writing You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of Plum here. ABOUT BRENDAN COWELL Brendan ..read more