Podcast: The Writing Life

We’re a weekly podcast for anyone who writes. 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!Brought to you by the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich.

Writing non-linear narratives with Outer Wilds’ Kelsey Beachum

Indie game Outer Wilds has been rapturously received and we were very excited to talk with Kelsey Beachum, writer on the project. We discuss writing non-linear stories, how to handle player agency and interactions, mixing game mechanics with storytelling…

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#50 Chris Gribble on year one of the National Centre for Writing

“Books are the closest thing to magic.” Chief Exec of the National Centre for Writing Chris Gribble is back on the podcast for episode #50, celebrating not only a year of the podcast but also the first full year of the Centre re-opening after the refurbi…

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#49 Sarah Perry gives the Harriet Martineau Lecture

Author of The Essex Serpent and Melmoth, Sarah Perry, delivered this year’s Harriet Martineau Lecture at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Sarah explores the notion of the ‘Essex girl’, invoking unexpected moments from history and popular culture.This ye…

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#48 Ivanka Mogilska on finding time to write as a new parent

Today we’ve got an interview with Bulgarian writer Ivanka Mogilska, who stayed with us back in 2018. In the interview she discusses the writing of a new short story, ‘The Miracle of St Peter Mancroft’, which we’re excited to also include in this very epi…

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#47 Writing about grief and hope with Carl Gorham

Today we’ve got an interview with the lovely Carl Gorham about his 2017 book The Owl at the Window: A Memoir of Loss and Hope. In it Carl writes about the loss of his wife and his attempts to rebuild his life with their six year old daughter. You have pr…

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#46 Reda Gaudiamo In Conversation

In March this year, we were joined by Indonesian writer Reda Gaudiamo. Her residency was in partnership with the British Council as part of the Indonesia Market Focus at The London Book Fair 2019. In today’s podcast Kate Griffin sits down for a chat.Re…

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#45 The 10 year road to publication with Kelleigh Greenberg Jephcott

Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott, writer of the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlisted book Swan Song, joins us on the podcast to discuss her debut novel and it’s 10-year road to publication.Also on the pod today: We talk about the Nottwich gathering of deleg…

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#44 Walking Norwich and Kathleen Vereecken

It’s a bumper episode this week, featuring an in-depth conversation between Sarah Bower and Belgian writer Kathleen Vereecken in which they discuss writing historical novels, the relationship between facts and storytelling and finding time to write in an…

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#43 Literature at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival

The Norfolk & Norwich Festival is upon us! Simon, Steph and Peggy get over-excited about our line-up for the City of Literature weekend and the festival programme as a whole. If you’re looking for tips on which events to go to (spoiler: all of them) give…

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#42 Developing a new project with Hannah Jane Walker

In today’s ep Seren Saunders talks with Hannah Jane Walker about developing a new show, and the inspiration behind her latest project Highly Sensitive.Meanwhile, Simon and Steph are joined by Programme Assistant Vicki Maitland to find out everything a…

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