Writer's Routine
How do the best writers get to work?
In every episode, we'll chat to an author about what they do through a day. Where do they work? What time do they start? How do they plan their time and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller?
Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of bed into their desks, and a few lock themselves away in the woods - but none have a regular 9 to 5, and we'll find out how they've managed it.
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- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 43 minutes
- Episodes
- 371
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
Random Routine - Why worldwide bestseller Jeffery Deaver plans for 8 months
This week's bonus bite comes from crime writing behemoth Jeffery Deaver!
Jeffery Deaver has published over 40 novels. He's a globally renowned author, writing crime and thrillers. To him, they're not …
Alexis Landau, author of 'Those Who Are Saved' - Historical writer talks about mother/daughter stories, research and the opening flurry.
Alexis Landau's new book 'Those Who Are Saved' builds on the true story of Los Angeles during World War II. It was a safe haven for artists, and was home to many exiled Europeans. It tells the tale o…
Random Routine - 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid talks about how writing life has changed over more than 30 books.
This week's Random Routine comes from the 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid. She appeared on the show back in April 2019 to run us through her working day.
Val McDermid is one of the most successful crime…
Nigel Farndale, author of 'The Dictator's Muse' - Award-winning journalist and author discusses getting on with it, finding the balance between work and fun, and writing real life.
Nigel Farndale is an award-winning journalist whose interviewing prowess has seen him chat to the Dalai Lama, Prince Charles, Henry Kissenger, Hilary Clinton, and many more. He's written for The Obse…
Random Routine - Ian Rankin talks a day in the life of a crime writing phenomenon.
Ian Rankin came on the show in 2018 to discuss his 22nd Detective John Rebus book, 'In a House of Lies'. Since then he's published the 23rd, 'A Song for the Dark Times'.
Here is just his routine, it's…
Janet Skeslien-Charles, author of 'The Paris Library' - Writer discusses dual time-frames, research and why thorough plotting doesn't mean complete understanding.
Janet Skeslien-Charles new novel is 'The Paris Library', inspired by the true stories of the librarians who risked their lives during the Nazi's war on words. We talk about when she heard that tale, …
Random Routine - Bestselling thriller writer Shari Lapena discusses writing years, quiet houses and 1500 words.
Shari Lapena shared her writer's routine with us back in 2019, when she came on to chat about her 4th novel 'Someone We Know'.
Shari's first book, 'The Couple Next Door', was the number 1 adult fictio…
Greg Buchanan, author of 'Sixteen Horses' - Debut crime author discusses bending genre, plot functions, and being kind to yourself.
Greg Buchanan's debut 'Sixteen Horses' has been lauded as one of the best books of the year, and there's already a major TV series of it in the works. However, the stunning hook of the plot only came…
Random Routine - Louise Candlish takes us through a year in the life of an award-winning author.
Louise Candlish shared her writer's routine with us in 2019.
Louise Candlish's 'Our House' was one of the biggest books of 2018, it's sold more than 200,000 copies, been read all over the world and wo…
Niamh Campbell, author of 'This Happy' - Award-winning writer discusses literary fiction, being purposeful with language, and extroverted work.
Niamh Campbell has always been around words, studying them, teaching them, constantly writing them. Her short story 'Love Many' won an Irish Times writing prize, and from that success she's published…
Random Routine - Anthony Horowitz discusses why he wants to make every day different.
BONUS EPISODE!
Here's something new I'm trying, hopefully every week. Taking a look back at some fantastic authors from our archive, and remembering just the routine, hopefully injecting a bitesize ch…
Lesley Kara, author of 'The Dare' - Crime writer talks about the process of discovery, themes, and TV adaptations
Lesley Kara's debut, 'The Rumour', was the bestselling crime thriller debut of 2019. She's back with her third novel, 'The Dare', it tells the story of Lizzie, who is suspected of being involved in t…
Tim Adler, author of 'Dead Already' - Thriller writer talks about thorough plotting, irony, and always being a student.
Tim Adler has always been around words. He's a journalist who has written for The Times and the FT, been a commissioning editor at The Daily Telegraph, and edited magazines. His fourth novel is 'Dead…
Rosie Wilby, author of 'The Breakup Monologues' - Comic talks about pets, podcasting and peripatetic writing.
Rosie Wilby is a comedian, writer and podcaster. Her new book, 'The Breakup Monologues', is based on the podcast of the same name. It's non-fiction and looks at sexuality, stories, dating....breaking…
Bryan Christy, author of 'In the Company of Killers' - Thriller writer talks masterplans and diagrams, writing dreams, and discovering your characters.
Bryan Christy was the Head of Special Operations for National Geographic. He'd travel around the world uncovering crimes and reporting on the underworld. He's now an author.
They say write what you kn…
Bethany Clift, author of 'Last One at the Party' - Dystopian debut author talks stealing time to write, learning from films, why editing saves the day.
Bethany Clift's debut has come out at JUST the write time. 'Last One at the Party' tells the story of a woman alone on Earth, after humanity has been wiped out by a virus. We talk about how the idea …
Lisa Gardner, author of 'Before She Disappeared' - New York Times bestseller discusses the perils of pantsing, getting it done early, and her first standalone in 20 years.
Lisa Gardner is a prolific author. She's published 11 'DD Warren' novels, 2 'Tessa Leoni' books, and is back with her first standalone in 20 years. 'Before She Disappeared' tells the story of Frankie…
Ericka Waller, author of 'Dog Days' - Debut author discusses the balance between light and shade, learning from loss, and keeping family time.
Ericka Waller's published debut is 'Dog Days', which tells the story of George, Dan, Lizzie and the dogs that bind their lives and emotions together. The word-play in the title gets to the heart of t…
Abigail Mann, author of 'The Sister Surprise' - Uplit and comedy writer talks about accountability, switching softwares, and writing funny.
Abigail Mann has just released her second novel, very quickly after publishing her first. 'The Sister Surprise' tells us the story of Ava who discovers she has an unknown sister, and decides to pay h…
Chloe James, author of 'Love in Lockdown' - Debut uplit author discusses working to time, pseudonyms and making writing a priority.
Chloe James debut novel is so perfectly timed it must have been expertly planned. It was. Chloe James is also Fiona Woodifield, author of 'The Jane Austen Dating Agency' which received critical accla…