Episodes – Diving into Writing

January 10, 2020

#28 – Giving Feedback

In episode 28, Anna and I talk about our experience of giving and receiving feedback. Here are some recommendations: Create a safe environment to give feedback. Bear in mind that some people’s history won’t allow them to feel safe, no matter how sensitively you approach a subject. If you are a writer, no doubt you’ll …

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January 10, 2020

December 27, 2019

#27 – Why Keep a Journal?

There are lots of reasons that you might want to keep a journal. For instance, it’s a record of your work or life or it could be a cathartic release. There is evidence that regular writing can help with the stress within daily life. Regular writing makes you feel good and can help you re-live …

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December 27, 2019

December 13, 2019

#26 – The Crisis Point in a Novel

In Episode 26, Anna and I talk about how to identify the crisis point in a story. The crisis point of a novel often happens towards the end, after the protagonist has either failed previous tests or overcome trials. In either situation, they have developed their skills and experience to allow them to tackle the …

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December 13, 2019

November 29, 2019

#25 – Writing Through a Crisis

In Episode 25 of Diving into Writing, Anna and I talk about the impact of crisis on our writing. What is a crisis? It can be an illness or the death of a family member, or it can be smaller, such as a broken-down car or a cancelled appointment. A crisis can happen to anyone, …

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November 29, 2019

November 15, 2019

#24 – Why Write?

Anna and I talk about our reasons for wanting to write and what we hope to achieve with our writing. Get in touch and tell us why you started writing. We’d love to hear from you.

November 15, 2019

November 1, 2019

#23 – Scenes

Scenes When I heard that each scene needs to move a story forward, I didn’t know how to do it. To me, it’s clear that the story should progress but what about downtime, having some relief from the tension or action? Story Grid helped me to understand scene structure. If you’ve never heard of it, …

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November 1, 2019

October 18, 2019

#22 – Short Story Competition

Episode 22 is a short episode. Anna and I talk about a short story competition that we entered together. Below you will find an early effort, followed by the finished story. Wish us luck. Early Effort – Dina and the Ducks Dina winced at the rattle of the doctor’s stethoscope as it landed in the …

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October 18, 2019

October 4, 2019

#21 – Author Voice

This week’s episode has Anna and I entering a short story competition. It’s the first project that we have worked on together. See how we get on as we document our process. We go on to talk about the author voice and how some writers achieve such a distinctive voice that it makes them easily …

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October 4, 2019

September 20, 2019

#20 – Marketing Your Author Business Through Newsletters

The experts tell us that one of the essential aspects of marketing your books is putting out a regular newsletter. Why put out a newsletter? · Build your brand. · Build a relationship with your audience. · Keep people interested between books so that they haven’t forgotten about you by the time you put out …

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September 20, 2019

September 6, 2019

#19 – Revisiting Goal Setting

In episode 19, Anna and Lucinda discuss goal setting and revisit Lucinda’s goals set earlier in the year. Why is it good to set Goals? It is motivating. – Goal setting is a way of monitoring our achievements. It helps us to use our time better by identifying activities that aren’t valuable or are a …

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September 6, 2019

August 23, 2019

#18 – Collaborating on a Writing Project

In this episode Anna asks me some questions about my experience collaborating on a series of novels in someone else’s universe. We talk about the challenges and practicalities of collaborating on a project.

August 23, 2019

August 9, 2019

#17 – Writing Conferences and Events

Anna and I have a conversation about the benefits and struggles of attending writing conferences. We talk in some depth about the 20Books conference that happened at the end of July in Edinburgh. We agree that there are many benefits to attending events. They can provide the motivation to be more productive, to share and …

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August 9, 2019

July 26, 2019

#16 – Secondary Characters

A secondary character should help reveal the details of the plot and progress the story in some way. They can either inspire the protagonist or oppose the protagonist. Do: Attach them to a place so that the reader can remember who they are. Go shallow, go deep to make a rounded character. As an author …

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July 26, 2019

July 12, 2019

#15 – Six Senses

In episode 15, Anna and Lucinda talk about incorporating six senses into writing and give some tips on how to achieve this. Anna talks about her experience of NPL (Neuro Linguistic Programming) to determine how people learn in different ways, and with a primary sense. Anna reads an extract from Philip Pullman’s novel, The Golden …

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July 12, 2019

June 28, 2019

#14 – Goals

In this episode, Anna and Lucinda revisit goal setting and discuss why it is okay not to achieve those goals. Goals aren’t meant to constrain us. They are tool, like many others, that’s help us to get where we need to go. Lucinda’s goals changed when she discovered Story Grid. Lucinda talks about the need …

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June 28, 2019

June 14, 2019

#13 – Conflict

In today’s episode, Lucinda and Anna talk about how conflict and motivation add tension in a novel. Almost every important character in a novel needs two types of conflict. External conflict: Character vs another character/nature/technology. Internal conflict. Character vs self. Inner conflict is a vital aspect of storytelling because it creates empathy in the reader, …

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June 14, 2019

May 31, 2019

#12 – Standing at the Sky’s Edge

Introduction Anna and Lucinda share their joy at going to see a play called Standing at the Sky’s Edge, written by Chris Bush about Parkhill flats in Sheffield. They go on to talk about character and character development. Standing at the Skye’s Edge Standing at the Sky’s Edge cleverly weaves together the stories of three …

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May 31, 2019

May 17, 2019

#11 – Process and Goal Setting

In this episode, we talk about process and help Lucinda set goals with the aim of becoming a full-time writer in 5 years. Each author develops their own process over time, but that process does not necessarily remain static. As knowledge and understanding grow so an author’s process might change. Consider your own process and …

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May 17, 2019

May 3, 2019

#10 – Mental Health and Wellbeing

Episode 10 is about creativity and mental health. On examining the evidence, few scientific studies support the widely held assumption that there’s a link between creativity and mental health. While the research says that exercise helps mild to moderate depression, there is no clear evidence that creativity is linked to mood disorder. Despite this, many …

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May 3, 2019

April 19, 2019

#9 – Barriers to Writing

In this episode, Lucinda and Anna talk about barriers – internal and external. They discuss trying to find a way through, from family issues to imposter syndrome. Signs of being stuck: While deep down we might know that we should be writing, it is not always apparent to the conscious mind that we are struggling …

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April 19, 2019

April 5, 2019

#8 – Writing Education

In this week’s podcast we discuss the benefits and pitfalls of writing groups and give listeners some ideas of the options available (see below). The links included are local to Sheffield but you will find similar classes near to you unless you are in a remote area, in which case you can check out online …

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April 5, 2019

March 22, 2019

#7 – Indie versus Traditional

In this episode Lucinda and Anna talk about the pros and cons of indie versus traditional publishing.

March 22, 2019

March 10, 2019

#6 – Creative Writing

In episode 6, Anna and Lucinda talk about a local creative writing class that Anna attended and her process in completing the exercises.

March 10, 2019

February 21, 2019

#5 – Theme

In this episode Lucinda and Anna talk about what having a theme adds to a novel and how to develop one.

February 21, 2019

February 7, 2019

#4 – Setting

In this episode, Anna and Lucinda consider the importance and function of setting in a novel. When it comes to your settings, never forget emotion, The Urban Setting Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

February 7, 2019

January 31, 2019

#3 – Character

In this episode Lucinda and Anna talk about character drawing ideas from old favourites like Anne Elliot in persuasion and newer novels they develop ideas on how to come up with a character.

January 31, 2019

January 17, 2019

#2 – Inspiration

This is episode 2 of diving into writing where Lucinda and Anna talk about what inspires them as writers. How real life can inspire your writing and other inspirational sources and their individual paths into writing.

January 17, 2019

December 31, 2018

#1 – Beginnings

This episode introduces Anna and Lucinda’s writing ambitions and intentions for their podcast in 2019. They speak about personal goals for the next three months and discuss tips for increasing focus. There are quotes from the beginnings of Charles Dicken’s Tale of Two Cities and Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. They emphasise avoiding trying to be …

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