The Joy of Writing

Jun 29 2021 2
The Joy of Writing Podcast artwork

A podcast that ran from April 2020 to July 2021 featuring: 
1) In-depth conversations with fellow writers about their work (mostly their novels, which I read cover to cover!)
2) Discussions of the nitty-gritty of writing - is it really a joy?
3) Advice for new and aspiring writers - as in how to write a novel

New episodes due in 2024!  Let me know what you would like to hear on my new blog at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18857302.Mark_Carew

@Mark__Carew

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Episode 33: Sally O'Reilly, creative writing lecturer, on how to write a book

Jun 29 2021 40 mins  
Excellent advice, from a senior lecturer in creative writing at the Open University, on all stages of writing a novel. How to start, keep going, and produce a draft ready for submission to an agent.Please leave feedback at https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/24385928-restarting-the-podcast

Episode 32: Sally O'Reilly on the natural history of a writing career

Jun 28 2021 36 mins  
What can a writer expect from a "writing career"? Ups and downs, highs and lows, of course! With experience comes wisdom. Learning about writing, books, readers, and the publishing industry never stops.

Episode 31: Dark Aemilia by Sally O'Reilly

Jun 18 2021 37 mins  
My guest is Sally O'Reilly, author of Dark Aemilia, published by Myriad in 2014. Aemilia Lanyer meets William Shakespeare in the time of the plague, witchcraft, and a dying Queen Elizabeth, in this vividly imagined novel, rich in historical detail and speculation on who really wrote Macbeth.Publisher: https://myriadeditions.com/books/dark-aemilia/ Dark Aemilia is available in

Episode 30: Fiona Melrose on how to write a book

Apr 30 2021 28 mins  
We discuss several topics in this episode. How the act and art of writing books is central to Fiona's life. How her intuitive approach to writing translates into advice for her creative writing students. And how receiving fancy stationery as a present when young was an inspiration to write stories in the first place.

Episode 29: Fiona Melrose on Midwinter

Apr 29 2021 26 mins  
My guest is Fiona Melrose, author of Midwinter, published by Corsair in 2016. We discuss the book, its themes of coming to terms with grief and a fractured family, and how living in Suffolk informed the story.Publisher: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/fiona-melrose/midwinter/9781472151780/Midwinter is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook.

Episode 28: All about NaNoWriMo and why you should give it a go, with Elizabeth Haynes

Oct 29 2020 25 mins  
Elizabeth Haynes is a best selling crime author - seven of her published novels started life in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a community-supported writing event where writers try and write a novel of 50,000 words in the month of November. Learn about how NaNoWriMo works and why it's a good idea for writers to give it a go.

Episode 27: Online book launches and the impact of Covid-19 on the creative spark, with Tyler Keevil

Oct 04 2020 26 mins  
Covid-19 has forced book launches, readings and festivals online to give a different experience for authors interacting with an audience. The current situation, however, has not always been so kind on the creative process, and has dampened many efforts to write and even to know what would be worth writing.

Episode 26: Tyler Keevil on how to write a book

Oct 03 2020 30 mins  
We discuss the creative writing courses Tyler teaches on, and how visiting authors are generous with their time and advice to students. Tyler's inspirational book is The Collector of Hearts: New Tales of the Grotesque, by Joyce Carol Oates.

Episode 25: Your Still Beating Heart, by Tyler Keevil

Sep 09 2020 21 mins  
My guest is Tyler Keevil, author of Your Still Beating Heart, to be published on 10 September, 2020. We discuss the book, its themes, and its compelling narrative voice.Publisher: https://myriadeditions.com/books/your-still-beating-heart/Your Still Beating Heart is out in e-book and hardback.

Episode 24: Lizzie Enfield on success, and an influential book and author (Charles Dickens' Great Expectations)

Sep 01 2020 30 mins  
What is success to writers? Getting published? Making money? Fame? Lizzie and I discuss what counts as success and what writers might like to realistically aim for.