Displaying 21 - 39 of 39 in total
#18 Talking about writing for radio with Sarah Wooley
In this episode I talk to Sarah Wooley about writing for radio. Sarah’s plays about real characters and moments in history are regulars on Radio 3 and Radio 4 on the B...
#17 Talking about writing crime with Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware is the author of several stand-alone crime novels. Her adult debut, In a Dark Dark Wood, was a Richard and Judy book club choice that went on to top the char...
#16 Talking about writing for different age groups with Adele Geras
(Apologies if you downloaded an earlier version.) Adele Geras has been published since 1976. Like me, she didn’t find it easy to get a publisher at first, but she’s lo...
#15 Talking about self editing with Emma Darwin
Emma Darwin is the author of two historical novels and a guide to writing historical fiction. Her latest book, intriguingly, is the story of not being able to write a ...
#14 Talking about getting the first deal with James Nicol
James took various writing courses while he honed his craft, and I wanted to discuss the value of these with him. Is it worth it? Should one do it? What do you get out...
A Safe Space to Fail - talking about writing groups with the Masterminds
The Masterminds were a writing group formed out of a course Sophia ran with Keren David at City Lit in 2016. They have been meeting ever since, occasionally mentored b...
Where Do You Belong? Talking about writing to be seen, with Catherine Johnson
Sophia talked to Catherine in Hastings via the Cleanfeed app. The topics ranged from Catherine's time as a screenwriting student at St Martin's art college in London, ...
It Takes a Lot of Knocks - talking about first novels with Jasbinder Bilan
Jasbinder and Sophia both got their publishing break by winning the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. Jasbinder went on to win the Costa Children’s B...
Funny and Dark - talking about being an agent with Stephanie Thwaites
Stephanie tells Sophia what she’s looking for in children’s fiction at the moment, and why the covering letter is so important. If you’ve ever wondered who is reading ...
The Bridget Jones Method - talking about writing YA fiction with Keren David
Keren and Sophia talk about writing fiction for the first time, what you can learn about structure from writing a musical, writing for dyslexic readers with publishers...
Writing the Book Teaches You How to Write It - talking about voice with Sara Collins
'The Confessions of Frannie Langton', winner of the 2019 Costa First Novel Award is a dark gothic mysery, set in Georgian London and the plantations of Jamaica. It has...
The Role of Luck - talking about writing for boys with Robert Muchamore
Robert calls his genre ‘attainable fantasy’. He talks about how quickly he writes, how important structure is, how he tries to make each chapter work as standalone exc...
There Are No Rules - talking about what publishers want with Annie Eaton
Annie Eaton disputes the label ‘legend’ – but she is one. Annie started her editorial career at Puffin in 1984. Since then she has worked as an editor and senior publi...
Allow The Magic To Disappear - talking about submitting with Candy Gourlay
Award-winning author Candy Gourlay talks about finding your place as a writer, her blog 'Notes from the Slushpile', and what it takes to get a manuscript ready to subm...
Start With The Beast - talking about series fiction with Karen Ball
Children's editor Karen Ball unwittingly gives Sophia the name for this podcast … and talks about her 25-year career, from launching the multi-million selling 'Beast Q...
Nancy Drew In Ancient Rome - talking about writing inspiration with Caroline Lawrence
Prolific children's author Caroline Lawrence tells Sophia about how John Truby helped her get off to a stellar start with her 'Roman Mysteries' series, and shares some...
You Can’t Make It Dark Enough - talking about character with Cliff McNish
International bestselling author Cliff McNish shares his thoughts about getting to the deep core of characters, and how to avoid cliché by ‘never accepting your first ...
And Then Is Not Good - talking about plotting with Caroline Green
Sophia disagrees with Young Adult and thriller writer Caroline Green about the usefulness of plotting formulas, and Caroline shares some great ideas from the creators ...
Introducing Prepublished, Series 1 - with Sophia Bennett
Children's and crime writer Sophia Bennett explains her long journey to publication, and why she wanted to make this podcast. She introduces some of the guests, who'll...
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