Episodes – Diving into Writing

May 15, 2020

#37 – Sex Talk

In this week’s episode, Anna and I talk about our experience of writing sex scenes. What works and what doesn’t. What makes a good sex scene? We share our opinion on how to write a believable and intriguing sex scene that people want to read. I talk about the importance of detail and seeing the …

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May 15, 2020

May 1, 2020

#36 – Talking Business

Interview with Mariëlle Smith who gave up her university job and life in the Netherlands to move to Cyprus over a year ago. The country called to her creative side. Along with caring for the stray cats on the beach, she set up her own business. Listen to how she did it and how she …

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May 1, 2020

April 17, 2020

#35 – Conflict in Stories

What is conflict in a story? Conflict is any obstacle or person that prevents a character from getting what they want. It can be an opposing force in the form of an antagonist or a construct, such as society or religion. It might even be an internal belief or blind spot that prevents a protagonist …

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April 17, 2020

April 3, 2020

#34 – Love, Love, Love

When we talk about love in writing, you might think of romance novels, but there are romantic elements in many genres as a secondary plot or interest. In Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid, he talks about the need for obligatory scenes, which are those scenes that are necessary if a love story is going to be …

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April 3, 2020

March 20, 2020

#33 – Breaking the Writing Rules

What is the possible reason for breaking writing rules? It depends on who makes the rules. Some writers make their own rules that work for them, and while these can be tested, they almost certainly are made to be broken. Then there are well-established rules, such as grammar, which if broken, would put off an …

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March 20, 2020

March 6, 2020

#32 – Genre

What is Genre? Genre is one of those words that can mean different things to different people. From a marketing point of view, it allows authors and publishers to categorise their books in a way that let people know what to expect from the content. Story Grid Shaun Coyne, the founder of Story Grid, says …

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March 6, 2020

February 14, 2020

Interview with Lucinda part 1

An extra episode where Anna interviews me about the release of my first novel.

February 14, 2020

February 7, 2020

#30 – Journal and Planner

Thank you to Mariëlle S Smith for sending us a copy of her beautiful journal and planner 52 Weeks of Writing and giving us this opportunity. In this week’s podcast, Anna and I go through the planner for the first week. My goal for the following week was to complete half of the first round …

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February 7, 2020

January 24, 2020

#29 – Write the Truth

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the truth. There is fact, and then there is a perception of that fact. How do you separate the two? The writer rarely recounts events without embellishing them on paper or electronically. After all, a writer’s job is to make facts interesting — their goal to draw readers into their …

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January 24, 2020

January 10, 2020

#28 – Giving Feedback

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 have experienced imposter …

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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

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 crisis when it …

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December 13, 2019

November 29, 2019

#25 – Writing Through a Crisis

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, at any time and can derail life. …

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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

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, check …

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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

Anna and I discuss goal setting and revisit my goals from 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 waste of our …

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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

Anna and I 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 Compass, where the …

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July 12, 2019

June 28, 2019

#14 – Goals

Anna and I talk about our favourite subject – goal setting. We discuss why it is okay not to achieve all 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. My goals changed when I discovered Story Grid. I needed to …

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June 28, 2019

June 14, 2019

#13 – Conflict

In today’s episode, Anna and I talk about how conflict and motivation adds tension to a novel. Almost every important character 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, which is one …

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June 14, 2019

May 31, 2019

#12 – Standing at the Sky’s Edge

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

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May 31, 2019

May 17, 2019

#11 – Process and Goal Setting

In this episode, we talk about process and Anna helps me 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 …

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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, Anna and I talk about barriers – internal and external. We 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

Anna and I talk about our different perspectives on publishing. Anna would be keen to go down the traditional publishing route while I am a committed indie. There are pros and cons to both – have a listen. What do you think? Would you prefer the freedom and control of being an indie author or …

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March 22, 2019

March 10, 2019

#6 – Creative Writing

Anna and I talk about a local creative writing class where we met for the first time. We discuss the benefits of attending a physical class and stepping outside our comfort zone. What is your experience of attending writing classes? If you have never been, why not?

March 10, 2019

February 21, 2019

#5 – Theme

Anna and I talk about how having a theme adds to the depth of a novel. We go on to discuss how to develop a theme. What is your experience of developing themes in a novel?

February 21, 2019

February 7, 2019

#4 – Setting

Anna and I 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. How have you used setting in your writing?

February 7, 2019

January 31, 2019

#3 – Character

Anna and I talk about character. We draw ideas from old favourites, such as, Anne Elliot in Persuasion. We discuss ways of developing ideas to create unique characters. What is unique about your protagonist?