World building in horror fiction: Julia Armfield on Private Rites
In this episode of The Writing Life, prize-winning writer Julia Armfield shares insights on world building in horror fiction, and writing catastrophic and intense circumstances.
Julia Armfield's work has been published in Granta, The White Review and Best British Short Stories 2019 and 2021. In 2019, she was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award. She is the author of salt slow, a collection of short stories, which was longlisted for the Polari Prize 2020 and the Edge Hill Prize 2020. Her debut novel, Our Wives Under The Sea, won the Polari Prize 2023 and was shortlisted for the Foyles Fiction Book of the Year Award 2022. She lives and works in London.
She sits down with NCW’s Steph McKenna to discuss her second novel Private Rites, a stunning, unsettling novel following three sisters navigating queer love and faith at the end of the world. Together, they discuss her use of imagery in her fiction, the influence of horror cinema on her writing, and how she maintains a blanketing sense of dread throughout her novels.
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39:35
The world of Substack: Eleanor Anstruther & Simon K Jones on serial fiction
In this episode of The Writing Life, writers Eleanor Anstruther and Simon K Jones discuss the world of Substack, and how they use the platform to publish and share their work.
Eleanor Anstruther is the author of A Perfect Explanation, and A Memoir In 65 Postcards & The Recovery Diaries. Her new novel, In Judgement of Others, is out now. You can find her on Substack at The Literary Obsessive.
Long time listeners of The Writing Life will remember Simon K Jones, as he used to host and produce the podcast when he worked with us at NCW. He writes science fiction and fantasy, much of it released in serialised form online. You can find him on Substack at Write More with Simon K Jones.
They sit down to discuss Eleanor’s latest witty satirical novel In Judgement of Others, which she released both in serialised form online and in paperback. They also take a deep dive into the benefits of Substack as a means to connect with a community of writers, and how the platform can be used to share work, live stream, and build a readership.
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57:36
Writing love stories: André Aciman on Room on the Sea
In this episode of The Writing Life, bestselling author André Aciman shares the intricacies of writing romance, from the magic of first meetings to the nuances of portraying older characters falling in love.
André is the New York Times bestselling author of Call Me By Your Name, Find Me, The Gentleman From Peru, Out of Egypt, Eight White Knights, False Papers, Alibis, Harvard Square, Enigma Variations, and the essay collection Homo Irrealis. He’s the editor of the Proust Project and teaches comparative literature at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
He joins NCW’s Steph McKenna from his home in Manhattan to talk about his latest novella Room on the Sea, a tender love story set in the sweltering heat of New York City. Together, they discuss his writing routines, the process of writing for an audio-first format, and his approach to dialogue, narration, and the art of leaving things between the lines.
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34:28
The power of language: Eimear McBride on The City Changes Its Face
In this episode of The Writing Life, novelist and screenwriter Eimear McBride on the power of language, and the ways literary fiction can evoke emotion and connection.
Eimear McBride is the award-winning author of four novels: A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, The Lesser Bohemians, Strange Hotel and The City Changes Its Face. Her debut novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing won the inaugural Goldsmiths Prize, Irish Novel of the Year, the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction, The Desmond Elliott Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award. The City Changes Its Face is a continuation of this novel, and follows an intense story of passion, jealousy and family.
She sits down with NCW's former Chief Executive and lover of books Chris Gribble to discuss the recently published The City Changes its Face, a continuation of her debut novel A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing. Together, they discuss the process of returning to characters and storylines previously written, her experience adapting her novel into a screenplay, and the machine of writing and publishing; going from the solitary task of writing to the hustle and bustle of book tours and literary events.
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34:37
Writing strong female characters: Joanna Miller on The Eights
In this episode of The Writing Life, writer Joanna Miller shares her insights into writing strong female characters in historical fiction.
Joanna Miller studied English at Exeter College, Oxford and later returned to the University to train as a teacher. After ten years in education, she set up an award-winning poetry gift business. She is an alum of our Escalator New Writing Fellowships, which helped her to transform her debut novel, The Eights, from a first draft to its final form. The Eights tells the story of Oxford University’s first admitted female students, and the unlikely, life-affirming friendship they form in their time there.
Joanna sits down with NCW Learning & Participation Producer Katie to discuss her debut novel, and the importance of exploring women's voices and experiences in historical fiction. They also touch on her research process, writing about friendship and found family, and the inspiration behind the characters and plot in The Eights.
We’re a podcast for anyone who writes. Every week we talk to writers about their writing journeys and techniques, from early career debuts to self-publishers and narrative designers. We’ve featured Margaret Atwood, Jackie Kay, Sara Collins, Antti Tuomainen, Val McDermid, Sarah Perry, Elif Shafak and many more!
The Writing Life is produced by the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich.
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