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
Phoebe Locke, author of summer hit 'The July Girls' - Thriller writer talks strict timing, getting to know your killer, and pseudonyms
After achieving great success with her debut novel, 'The Tall Man', Phoebe Locke is back with a new summer-hit, 'The July Girls'. It tells the story of murders that happen every year on exactly the s…
Stuart MacBride, Crime and Thriller author - Writer of the 'Logan McRae' series talks new book 'All That's Dead', work ethics, and switching up the process.
Stuart MacBride pretty much hasn't had a day off for 16 years. Every chance he gets he'll find a little space and place to write in. It's made him a very successful crime author. His newest novel is …
Lara Prior-Palmer, author of 'Rough Magic' - Memoir writer talks winning the Mongol Derby, always fixing sentences and free-flowing words.
At age 19, unsure about what to do before starting university, Lara Prior-Palmer absent-mindedly applied for the Mongol Derby, a multi-horse race that rides 1,000 km through Mongolian grassland. She …
Louise Candlish, British Book Award Winner - 'Our House' author talks having an unusual hook, following up on success and almost giving up.
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 won 'Best Crime and Thriller Fiction' at the 'British Book Awa…
Abi Elphinstone, author of 'Rumblestar' - Children's author talks finding the right audience, believable characters and thorough research.
Abi Elphinstone has just started the brand new kids' series 'The Unmapped Chronicles'. The first of which, 'Rumblestar', sees Casper Tock stumbling across a hidden world which magically controls the …
Ahmad Danny Ramadan, writer of 'The Clothesline Swing' - LGBTQ and refugee campaigner, writer and speaker talks storytelling with friends, multiple outlines and deliberate confusion.
Ahmad Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author, storyteller and LGBTQ-refugee activist. He was forced to flee his home of Syria, and his debut novel 'The Clothesline Swing' is a sprawling, twisting …
Mel Sherratt - Crime and Thriller author talks moving through genres, letting characters dictate plot, and the Kindle revolution that helped her success.
Mel Sherratt has published 12 books, and written many, many more, across a wide range of genres. She loves writing so much that even now, in the middle of a proper book deal, she's writing other book…
Trent Dalton - 'Boy Swallows Universe' talks debut success, being named 'Australian Book of the Year' and writing snappily.
Not many authors have debut success like Trent Dalton. His book 'Boy Swallows Universe' won the 'Debut Fiction Prize' and 'Book of the Year' at the Australian Indie Awards, and went straight into the…
Jeffery Deaver - Global bestselling thriller author talks about research, writing puzzles and working anywhere.
Jeffery Deaver has published over 40 novels. He's a globally renowned author, writing crime and thrillers. To him, they're not lauded works of art, they're intricate puzzles, fun and games for the re…
Lucie Whitehouse - 'Critical Incidents' author talks procedural crime novels, switching genres and ideas from thin air.
'Critical Incidents' is Lucie Whitehouse's 5th book, and it marks something of a departure for her. Her previous novels are mainly focused on psychological thriller, whereas the new one is procedural…
Mhairi McFarlane - Rom-com author talks contrivances, not letting mistakes go, and 'chick-lit'.
Mhairi McFarlane has published 5 novels, her new first 'You Had Me At Hello' was a huge bestseller, and her new one 'Don't You Forget About Me' looks set to do the same. It tells the story of Georgin…
Namwali Serpell - Hay Festival award winning author talks strict structure, women-only workspaces and the birth of a new nation.
Namwali Serpell had been named one of the best African writers under 40 before she'd even published a novel. She's a student of the craft, and now a teacher of it at the University of Berkeley. Final…
Val McDermid - Bestselling author talks changing process, creating characters and listening to readers
Val McDermid is one of the most successful crime authors in the world. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages, they've sold over 15 million copies and show no sign of letting up. She has w…
C.L. Taylor - Psychological Thriller author talks writing across genres, unreliable narrators and new novel 'Sleep'
C.L. Taylor has just released her 6th thriller 'Sleep', after having much success in psychological thriller over the last 10 years, even writing YA fiction too. We talk about how she works her story-…
Sarah Pinborough - 'Cross Her Heart' author talks characters, moving through genres and being a workaholic.
Although she's not a fan of the word, Sarah Pinborough is a prolific author. She's written over 20 books across a wide range of genres, always looking to keep interesting and varied. Her new book, 'C…
Adam Foulds - Booker Prize shortlisted author talks new novel 'Dream Sequence', plotting through character and writing poetry.
This week Adam Foulds shares his writer's routine. He's a Booker Prize nominee, being shortlisted for 'The Quickening Maze', and is now publishing his fifth novel, 'Dream Sequence' about an actor who…
Frank Cottrell-Boyce - Award winning Children's author talks scriptwriting, having ideas on the road, and the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a Carnegie Medal Award winning author - his 2004 novel 'Millions' is incredibly successful, and was turned into a film by Danny Boyle, for which Frank wrote the script. It was…
Harriet Tyce - Debut novelist talks learning to write, being inspired by work, and genre-fiction.
After working for years as a criminal barrister, Harriet Tyce gave up work when she had children and decided to write. A few attempts at getting novels published later, she realised she may need a li…
WORLD BOOK DAY SPECIAL - Routines and advice from some of the best crime, thriller, romance, fantasy and non-fiction authors around.
HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY.
To celebrate one of the top 3 days of the year, here's a little treat. A mash-up of some of the best authors we've had on the podcast this last year.
You'll hear the writing routi…
Nuala Ellwood - Critically-acclaimed author talks the difficult second novel, creativity in motherhood and Virginia Woolf.
In 2017, Nuala Ellwood's debut thriller 'My Sister's Bones' received rave reviews and was hailed as the new 'The Girl on the Train'. It propelled her onto The Observer's list of 'New Faces in Fiction…