London Writers' Salon | Podcast on Podbay

London Writers' Salon

Parul Bavishi, Matthew Trinetti

A deep dive into the habits, mindsets, tools, craft secrets and creative practices bestselling writers use to write novels, plays, poetry, and articles. Hosted by the co-founders of the London Writers' Salon, Matt & Parul.

#200: Louise Dean — How to Finish a Novel, Why Most Writers Stall at 30,000 Words, and Why Storytelling Beats Beautiful Sentences, plus founding Novelry

Award-winning novelist and founder of The Novelry Louise Dean on what separates storytelling from beautiful prose, planning a novel without killing the joy, and how to edit your own first draft.

Jun 28

39 min

#199: Katie da Cunha Lewin — How Space Shapes Creative Work, the Myth of the Perfect Writing Room, Building Creative Rituals, and Writing in Imperfect Conditions

Writer Katie da Cunha Lewin on how physical spaces shape creative work, why the perfect writing room is a myth, and the rituals and routines that sustain a writing life.

Jun 20

1 hr 4 min

#198: Mastering Young Adult Fiction — Krystal Sutherland (House of Hollow), Joanna Nadin (90+ Books for Kids & Teens), Moira Buffini (Songlight) on Finding Your Writing Home, Knowing Your Audience, Why Stories Matter to the Young | Compilation

YA masters Krystal Sutherland (The Invocations), Joanna Nadin (author of 90+ books for children and adults) and Moira Buffini (Songlight) on hooking teen readers from the very first page, plotting methods that tame a whole novel, and why stories matter so much to young people.

Jun 13

48 min

#197: Chris Pavone — Writing the Modern Thriller, Sustaining Tension Over Action, and Defining Success on Your Own Terms

Edgar Award–winning novelist Chris Pavone on creating tension that never lets up, editing a book to make it bigger rather than just better, and turning a single apartment building into a portrait of a whole city.

Jun 7

1 hr 8 min

#196: Missouri Williams — Writing Strange and Ambitious Fiction, Doubt as a Generative Force, and Why Idleness Is Essential to Creativity

Award-winning novelist Missouri Williams on writing strange and ambitious fiction, treating doubt as a generative force, and why idleness is essential to creative work.

May 30

51 min

#195: Holly Ringland — The Pain of Not Writing, Breaking Through Decades of Self-Doubt, Meeting the Inner Critic with the Inner Fan, and Building a Toolkit for the Creative Life

Bestselling novelist Holly Ringland on writing from joy instead of fear, the toolkit she built to meet the inner critic with self-compassion, and finding the first true sentence of her debut after decades of silence.

May 23

1 hr 7 min

#194: Finding Peak Writing Flow & Focus — Dr Gloria Mark, Oliver Burkeman & Charlie Hoehn on Designing Your Day Around Peak Attention, Embracing Imperfection, and the Power of Play (Compilation)

Attention researcher Dr Gloria Mark (Attention Span), bestselling author Oliver Burkeman (Meditations for Mortals) and book strategist Charlie Hoehn (Play It Away) on designing your day around peak focus, embracing imperfection in creative work and bringing play back to the page.

May 16

46 min

#193: Rebecca Fallon — Juggling Motherhood and Creative Ambition, Crafting Dual Timelines, Inhabiting Multiple Points of View

Debut novelist Rebecca Fallon on ambition, motherhood, crafting dual timelines, and writing a novel built around the person who isn't there.

May 8

55 min

#192: Steven Pressfield — The War of Art, Battling Resistance, Hearing the Call of the Muse, Writing Memoir (From The Vault)

Bestselling author Steven Pressfield on what it means to have a creative calling, battling resistance, the role of faith in writing, and his memoir Govt Cheese. A remastered version of episode #058.

May 2

58 min

#191: Debra Curtis — Becoming a Novelist After Sixty, Surviving Hundreds of Rejections, Radical Forgiveness, and Not Giving Up as a Writer

Debut novelist Debra Curtis on teaching herself to write by copying poems by hand as a dyslexic child, using contemporary novels as craft manuals to learn structure, meeting the Dalai Lama, the importance of radical forgiveness & publishing her first novel in her sixties after years of rejection.

Apr 25

58 min