Not Too Busy To Write (Penny Wincer)
Explore every episode of Not Too Busy To Write
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08 Feb 2023 | Lucy Werner on how to promote your book | 01:00:52 | |
Lucy Werner is a PR expert and founder of The Wern, an agency specialising in PR and branding for creative small businesses. Lucy is not only an expert at book PR but also a published author herself and in this episode Lucy shares what she has learned about book PR and marketing from both sides. From building your authority and your brand before you publish, to promoting a book that already exists in the world, Lucy is a goldmine of information on how best to spread the word and get people buying your books. Her infectious enthusiasm and fun approach to an area that many writers find daunting, will have you dipping your toes in the PR waters. Links Hype Yourself: A no-nonsense PR toolkit for small businesses - Lucy Werner Lucy Werner on Instagram @lucywernerpr Penny on instagram @pennywincer Penny's weekly writing newsletter - pennywincerwrites.com | |||
| 18 Jan 2023 | Janice Hallett on turning crime fiction on it's head | 00:47:19 | |
After a varied writing career including speech writing, journalism and screen writing, Janice Hallett turned to crime fiction and became a best-selling author that completely turned the genre on its head. Using transcripts, messages, emails, letters and articles, Janice's novels weave intricate, humourous and clever tales of murder and mystery. It was such a delight to take a deep dive with her into her writing process and how her varied experience as a writer informs how she approaches novels. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is out January 19th Links The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels - Janice Hallett The Twyford Code - Janice Hallett You can find Janice Hallett on Twitter @JaniceHallett You can find Penny on Instagram @pennywincer You can sign up to Penny's weekly writing newsletter here - pennywincerwrites.com | |||
| 02 Jun 2021 | Episode 16 - Rebecca Schiller on memoir and making money as a writer | 00:40:05 | |
Rebecca Schiller is the author of four non-fiction books, a freelance journalist and the co-founder of the human rights charity Birth Rights. We take a dive into Rebecca's latest book Earthed - a memoir about returning to the land and how it refuses to follow the usual "good life" tropes and instead documents an unravelling of a woman whose problems follow her. Rebecca is also the founder of Mothers Who Write, which began life as in-person retreats for mothers who need to escape the everyday pressures of the domestic and get some clear headspace for writing. Rebecca talks a little about the future of Mothers Who Write which is now expanding into an online community that she hopes will not only support writers but help them earn an income too. We also go on quite important tangent on the difficulties writers face earning an income and how that can really impact on diversity in publishing. links You can sign up for Mothers Who Write Mailing List here Born Between Crosses - Natasha Carthew We Should All Be Millionaires - Rachel Rodgers You can find Rebecca Schiller on Instagram @rebecca.schiller Penny @pennywincer | |||
| 29 Nov 2023 | Katherine May on writer boundaries | 00:53:52 | |
Katherine May is the Sunday Times and New York Times best selling author of Enchantment. Today we talk about the challenges of writing a follow up to her phenomenal bestseller Wintering, the importance of writers being open about the constraints they face, especially successful authors and advocating for accessibility while promoting your work. We also do a deep dive into Substack and why Katherine loves it so much and the importance of writers getting paid for their work. links The Electricity of Every Living Thing - Katherine May The Clearing - Katherine's Substack Katherine May's Accessibility and Language Guide | |||
| 16 Mar 2022 | Lizzie Damilola Blackburn on romantic comedies and writing the character you couldn't find | 00:34:05 | |
Lizzie Damilola Blackburn's debut novel Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? tells the story of 31 yr old British-Nigerian Yinka, who is feeling the pressure to settle down. When she finds out her ex-boyfriend is bringing his new fiance to her cousins wedding, she decides to go on a mission to find herself a plus one for the big day. Lizzie and Penny chat about how Yinka started life in a short story and how Lizzie felt characters like Yinka were missing from mainstream women's fiction. After the story won a prize, Lizzie decided to write her into a novel. Lizzie is passionate about representation in fiction and about writing religion in a way that feels true to her. She also discusses the importance of writing about colourism and body image for dark skinned black women and creating nuance and humour these complex issues. Links Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? - Lizzie Damilola Blackburn Hope and Glory - Jendella Benson The Christie Affair - Nina De Gramont You can find Lizzie on twitter @DamilolaLizzie | |||
| 16 Aug 2023 | REPLAY: Beth Kempton on being a fearless writer | 01:04:14 | |
Summer REPLAY series Beth Kempton is a Japanologist, a best selling author and a writing mentor whose books have been translated into 24 languages. Her Latest book The Way of the Fearless Writer challenges the assumption that writing must be a struggle and filled with suffering. We talk about why it's important to know why we write, learning to let go in our writing, when to share our work (and when not to) and learning to trust in writing as a practice. Links The Way of the Fearless Writer - Beth Kempton Do What You Love For Life - Writing classes with Beth Kempton Instagram @bethkempton You can sign up to Penny's weekly newsletter about all things writing and finding time to write here Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 10 Mar 2021 | Episode 4 - Feeding our Creativity | 00:53:48 | |
Aside from sitting down to actually write, where else do we get our creative energy and ideas from? From solo afternoon trips to the cinema, visits to modern art installations and long drives alone, this episode is all about how we feed our creativity, spark new ideas and solve creative problems. Becoming aware of how we feed our creativity is one thing - but how do we then protect that creative time? Penny and Ali talk about how they prioritise those activities by treating it as part of the process and why they think we should all take it seriously. Links mentioned in the show Mr B's Emporium Book Subscription | |||
| 27 Oct 2021 | Evie Wyld - on awards, writing about male violence and how motherhood changes your writing | 00:39:10 | |
Evie Wyld is an award winning author of three novels, the latest of which, The Bass Rock, won the Stella Prize 2021. We discuss writing a novel about male violence against a backdrop of #MeToo, and speaking about the subjects in the book in a year of highly publicised violence against women. We also talk about how motherhood, and the nature of writing with young children, led to some of the structural elements of The Bass Rock and how an award like the Stella Prize can create change in a writing career. Links The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer You can find all the books recommended on Not Too Busy To Write at our bookshop.org shop - making it a great way to support both the podcast and independent bookshops | |||
| 09 Aug 2023 | REPLAY: Evie Wyld on writing about male violence | 00:38:07 | |
You can sign up to the waitlist for Penny's next Non-Fiction Book Proposal Group at pennywincerwrites.com Summer REPLAY series Evie Wyld is an award winning author of three novels, the latest of which, The Bass Rock, won the Stella Prize 2021. We discuss writing a novel about male violence against a backdrop of #MeToo, and speaking about the subjects in the book in a year of highly publicised violence against women. We also talk about how motherhood, and the nature of writing with young children, led to some of the structural elements of The Bass Rock and how an award like the Stella Prize can create change in a writing career. Links The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer You can sign up to Penny's weekly newsletter at pennywincerwrites.com Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 02 Nov 2022 | Shakaila Forbes-Bell on Big Dress Energy | 00:55:30 | |
Shakaila Forbes-Bell is a fashion psychologist and the author of Big Dress Energy: How fashion psychology can transform your wardrobe and your confidence. It's a book that is a pleasure to read, filled with insights and backed up by rigorous research. In this episode Shakaila talks dressing our different identities, the challenges of switching from academic writing to creative non-fiction, making academic research more widely available to the everyday reader and some of the difficult decisions she made around creating time to write this book, including being honest about her chronic pain condition and her role raising her sisters children. Big Dress Energy is out now. Links Big Dress Energy - Shakaila Forbes-Bell | |||
| 26 Feb 2025 | Grace Timothy on writing and ADHD | 00:56:56 | |
Grace Timothy is a journalist and author of Is It My ADHD? On the podcast today Grace talks about getting a late diagnosis of ADHD and how wading through the misinformation online drove her to write a book in order to understand her own brain better. Is It My ADHD? is out 27th February This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! You can purchase Is It My ADHD? on xigxag here Links Is It My ADHD? by Grace Timothy | |||
| 08 Mar 2023 | Nicola Washington on social media for writers | 01:05:32 | |
Are you tearing your hair out about social media? Do you want to use it to grow your profile as a writer or shout about your book but it makes you uncomfortable? Nicola Washington is a social media marketer and she is passionate about helping writers get their work out into the world. As she says in this episode, after the immense hard work of writing a book, what a huge waste if nobody hears about it! This is a hugely practical episode looking at strategy, building genuine relationships and creating community to help you spread your ideas, share your work and create meaningful change through the power of social media. Links Nicola on instagram @toomuch_social Nicola's personal account on instagram @toomuchmotheringinformation Instagram with Impact Workshop Instagram accounts mentioned Penny on Instagram @pennywincer Penny's weekly writing newsletter pennywincerwrites.com Non-fiction Retreat with Penny Wincer - easeretreats.com | |||
| 06 Apr 2022 | Maggie Gee on Empathy, language, and the non-human in fiction. | 00:44:02 | |
In this episode Maggie Gee reads extracts from her stunning new novel, The Red Children (Saqi Books). Set in the near future against a backdrop of increased migration pressure, climate change and increasing isolation, The Red Children explores themes of far right extremism and the aftermath of virus. Ali talks to Maggie about the enduring power of fable. How characters with radically different personalities to ours can foster a deeper empathy, and how to write the non-human successfully. | |||
| 18 Oct 2023 | Marchelle Farrell on memoir and belonging | 00:48:12 | |
Marchelle Farrell's debut memoir Uprooting is about a year of tremendous upheaval and Marchelle's attempt to find home in a garden. In this conversation, we talk about vulnerability in the garden and on the page, identity in medicine and as a writer and how Marchelle's garden gave her a new perspective on colonialism. Uprooting is out now. Links Marchelle on Instagram @afroliage Marchelle on Substack - Afroliage Penny on Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 21 Sep 2022 | REPLAY: Julia Silk - Literary Agent | 01:03:07 | |
Julia Silk is a an agent with Greyhound Literary. Julia spent many years as an editor before becoming an agent who represents a wide range of fiction and non-fiction authors. We talk about what exactly an agent does, how agents find and nurture authors as well as how agents deal with rejection (yes they get rejected too!). She also talks about the common problems that she sees in manuscripts, including really figuring out what the point of your book is and the importance story and how to write a captivating cover letter. It is a packed epsiode full of gold for submitting writers. Julia Silk is currently open for submissions You can find Julia on twitter @juliasreading Book Proposal Group Program with Penny Wincer Links Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriaty You can find all the books recommended on the podcast at our Bookshop.org shop - Not Too Busy To Write Recommends - buying through our bookshop supports independent booksellers as well as supporting the podcast | |||
| 14 Jul 2021 | 20. Claire Fuller on publishing fiction after 40 | 00:33:47 | |
Claire Fuller is the author of four novels, the latest of which Unsettled Ground is shortlisted for the Women's Prize. Claire started her career as a sculptor with a day job in marketing and we talk about her decision to start writing fiction, which began with short stories, how she uses music to short cut her way into writing mode, leaving the day job behind and novels as an object of creation. Unsettled Ground is the story of 51 yr old twins Jeanie and Julius living in poverty in rural Wiltshire. When their mother suddenly dies, the outside world starts to force it's way in to their isolated existence. It's a stunning portrait of love, resilience and survival. Links Polly Vaughn performed by Tia Blake Unsettled Ground - Claire Fuller Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid You can find Claire Fuller on Instagram - @writerclairefuller For a list of Claire's events and workshops visit www.clairefuller.co.uk | |||
| 04 Jan 2023 | Not Too Busy To Write - Series 6 coming soon | 00:01:44 | |
Not Too Busy To Write will be back for a new series on January 18th. Guests for series 6 include memoirists, debut novelists, non-fiction authors and much more. The series kicks off with best selling crime author Janice Hallett and oh my goodness is it a great episode about writing outside of the box. See you in two weeks for series 6! Want to write a non-fiction book proposal this year? Penny's first online workshop of the year is on January 11th at 7.30pm. Tickets are just £39 Write Your Book Proposal - eventbrite www.pennywincerwrites.com/workshops Penny on Instagram - @pennywincer | |||
| 23 Nov 2022 | Writing an illustrated interiors book with Emily Henson | 00:42:01 | |
Emily Henson is an art director and stylist and the author of five books. Her latest is Create: Inspiring homes that value creativity over consumption. In this episode Emily talks about her journey from stylist and blogger to author and the close collaborative, relationship she has with her publisher. It's a really fun and informative episode for all those who would love to know exactly what goes in to producing and writing gorgeous and thoughtful illustrated books. Links Emily Henson's Styling portfolio Penny Wincer's Newsletter - pennywincerwrites.com Penny of Instagram - @pennywincer | |||
| 29 Jun 2022 | Chloe Ashby on writing about art, grief and being seen | 00:41:25 | |
Chloe Ashby is an arts journalist and author based in London. Her debut novel Wet Paint is about a young woman struggling to move forward after the traumatic death of her best friend, who finds solace in a painting and a life of routine, until a sudden change of circumstances has her undressing for strangers as a life model. We talk about ways of finding your way in to a story as a writer, writing about visual art and exploring ideas of control in characters. We also talk about having an 'affair' with novel writing on the side of other paid writing work and Chloe's life as a freelance arts writer working on non-fiction art books and reviewing exhibitions. links Look at this if you love great art - Chloe Ashby Colours of Art: The story of art in 80 palletes - Chloe Ashby Instagram - @chloeashby Twitter - @chloeashby You can find us on instagram @pennywincer and @ali_millar_writes | |||
| 03 Nov 2021 | Claire Lynch - experimental memoir, perspective shifts and motherhoods | 00:52:54 | |
Claire Lynch is an author and academic whose first book Small: On Motherhoods is a memoir about her experience of becoming a parent and the tiny things that are really the biggest things in life. We talk about finding a structure that reflect what the book is about, perspectives in both life and the page and the joy of capturing those early childhood in writing. Claire also discusses the winding publishing process and the previous iterations that the memoir had before it took on this final form. Links Small: On Motherhoods - Claire Lynch Beautiful World, Where Are You? - Sally Rooney You can follow Claire Lynch on twitter @DrClaireLynch Don't forget to check out our Bookshop.org page where you can purchase any of the books mentioned on the podcast. Buying through bookshop.org helps support independent bookshops and the podcast | |||
| 13 Mar 2024 | Charlotte Wood on writing craft and Australian fiction | 00:42:27 | |
Charlotte Wood is an award winning Australian author of 10 books including the 2016 Stella Prize winner The Natural Way of Things and the 2020 international bestseller The Weekend. Her latest novel Stone Yard Devotional is about a woman who abandons her life, her marriage, her career and retreats to a religious community in a remote area of Australia, where she grew up. Charlotte and I talk about the themes that come up in her work, how her craft has changed over the course of her career, why it's so important to her to not over explain to the reader and of course, her favourite Australian fiction writers. Links Stone Yard Devotional - Charlotte Wood The Natural Way of Things - Charlotte Wood The Writers Room - Charlotte Wood The Good Parents - Joan London The Conversion - Amanda Lohrey Charlotte Wood's Substack - charlottewood.substack.com Not Too Busy To Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com | |||
| 07 Apr 2021 | Episode 8 - Writing in short bursts | 00:40:32 | |
When life is busy, we don't always get the long stretches of time we would ideally like to have to write. So how do you train yourself to write in tiny spaces of time? Ali and Penny discuss the techniques they have used over the past few years when time is short. From keeping up the frequency so your mind is never far from the project, to using mini rituals and music to short cut your way to writing mode, this is an episode which questions our default excuse to avoid writing because we only have tiny pockets available to us. Links mentioned Janet Murray Membership (virtual co-working) London Writers Salon (writers hour) Books Medical Muses: Hysteria in 19th century Paris by Asti Hustvedt Holy Anorexia by Rudolf M Bell You can find all of our book recommendations at | |||
| 17 Nov 2021 | Julia Silk - Literary agent on finding and supporting authors | 01:01:58 | |
Julia Silk is a an agent with Charlie Campbell Literary Agents. Julia spent many years as an editor before becoming an agent who represents a wide range of fiction and non-fiction authors. We talk about what exactly an agent does, how agents find and nurture authors as well as how agents deal with rejection (yes they get rejected too!). She also talks about the common problems that she sees in manuscripts, including really figuring out what the point of your book is and the importance story and how to write a captivating cover letter. It is a packed epsiode full of gold for submitting writers. Julia Silk is currently open for submissions You can find Julia on twitter @juliasreading Links Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriaty You can find all the books recommended on the podcast at our Bookshop.org shop - Not Too Busy To Write Recommends - buying through our bookshop supports independent booksellers as well as supporting the podcast | |||
| 22 Nov 2023 | Marisa Bate on writing the political and personal | 01:06:56 | |
Marisa Bate is a freelance journalist, women's rights advocate and author of Wild Hope. Part memoir, part reportage and part social history, Wild Hope tells the story of expanding and contracting women's rights in America through two bus journey's across the mid west - one by Marisa's mother in the 70s and the other, by Marisa in 2021. In this episode Marisa talks about finding hope in dark times, keeping faith in action and writing your own story when it so intertwined with the stories of others. Links Writing About Women - Marisa Bate's substack Not Too Busy To Write on Substack Non-fiction writing coaching with Penny - pennywincerwrites.com Penny on instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 19 May 2021 | Episode 14 - Novelist Olivia Sudjic | 01:08:47 | |
Olivia Sudjic is the author or two novels and a non-fiction long form essay. Her latest novel, Asylum Road, is a darkly unsettling story of a newly engaged couple unraveling. In this episode Olivia talks about the lure of control that drove her to novel writing as well as the risks involved when shouldering creative responsibility largely alone. The advantages of choosing a young, up and coming agent who is also your ideal reader as well as the the challenges of writing versus publishing and making the reader do a bit of work. And what happens when the siren song of writing becomes a day job? Links This is the Ritual - Rob Doyle In The Garden: Essays on Nature and Growing - Daunt Books The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym - Paula Byrne You can find Olivia Sudjic on instagram @olivia.sudjic | |||
| 30 Nov 2022 | Novelist and Discoveries Prize Judge Chibundu Onuzo | 00:37:51 | |
Chibundu Onuzo is a novelist whose first book was published when she was just 21 years old. Her third and latest novel Sankofa was short listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction Futures Prize, an Amazon book of the year and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick in 2021. We talk about the inspiration behind Sankofa, how Chibundu's writing process has changed over the past 10 years and her role as a judge of the Women's Prize Trust Discoveries 2023. Links Women's Prize Discoveries Prize 2023 The Spider King's Daughter - Chibundu Onuzo You can sign up for Penny's newsletter here Penny on Instagram - @pennywincer | |||
| 26 May 2021 | Episode 15 Author Jessica Hatcher-Moore - After Birth | 00:56:48 | |
Jessica Hatcher-Moore is an award winning foreign correspondent specialising in women's health in conflict zones. After moving back from East Africa to North Wales with her husband to have their first child, she was shocked to find a deep problem within her home country around silence after birth and a lack of care and support for women in the post natal period. After Birth is a pregnancy book all about the period after giving birth and how to recover your body and mind. As an investigative journalist Jessica challenges the given wisdom and found many apposing views and presents a wider view that women are rarely given. Jessica talks about the specific challenges of writing about pregnancy while being pregnant (she handed in her manuscript just before giving birth to her second child) and what she learned from her own research about seeking out help. Links After Birth - Jessica Hatcher-Moore Young Adam - Alexander Trocchi Everyone is Still Alive - Cathy Rentzenbrink
You can find Jessica on Instagram @jessicajanehatcher | |||
| 06 Mar 2024 | Tamu Thomas on women who work too much | 00:50:49 | |
Tamu Thomas is a transformational coach whose debut book Women Who Work Too Much helps over-achieving, over-functioning women set boundaries, find joy and flourish. In this conversation we talk about natural (rather than toxic) productivity, radical rest and why work (not over work) can be a positive thing. This is such an important conversation for those of us who are writers and have blurred boundaries between work, rest and play. Links Women Who Work Too Much - Tamu Thomas Tamu on Instagram @tamu.thomas Tamu on TikTok @tamu_thomas Book your place on the Non-fiction Book Proposal Workshop 27th March 2024 7pm Discount code for podcast listeners - TOOBUSY pennywincerwrites.com/workshops Not Too Busy to Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com | |||
| 02 Feb 2022 | Charmaine Wilkerson on her fiction debut Black Cake | 00:58:04 | |
Caribbean-American writer Charmaine Wilkerson's incredible fiction debut, Black Cake is a sweeping family tale about inheritance, memories and secrets. Charmaine discusses the layering of multiple timelines, much like the layering of a cake or the layering of conversation. She also talks about channeling the characters, allowing herself to follow them and see where they take her and having a quarter of the book written in various files before she was certain it was a story. Black Cake is out in the UK on 3rd February 2022 and in the US on 1st February Links Black Cake - Charmaine Wilkerson Beautiful Country - Qian Julie Wang Olga Dies Dreaming - Xochitl Gonzalez | |||
| 10 Nov 2021 | Huma Qureshi - on short stories and taking your fiction seriously | 00:53:23 | |
Huma Qureshi is a former Guardian and Observer journalist and is the author of the memoir How We Met and her latest book Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love, is a short story collection about the distance between people - between mothers and daughters and between lovers. It includes the "The Jam Maker" which won the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Prize 2020. We talk about what drove Huma to set herself the challenge of writing 10 short stories in a fairly short period of time, the importance of short story prizes as a way of setting yourself deadlines and challenges, and how motherhood both affected her confidence as a writer but also gave her an urgency to get the words on to the page. Links Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love - Huma Qureshi Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen A Ghost in the Throat - Doireann Ni Ghriofa You can find Huma Qureshi on instagram @humaqureshiwriter You can check out all the book recommendations from the podcast at our bookshop on bookshop.org which helps support independent booksellers | |||
| 12 Oct 2021 | Penny Batchelor - Domestic noir, disability in fiction and writing female friendships | 00:25:27 | |
Penny Batchelor is a thriller writer whose first novel My Perfect Sister was nominated for the Guardian "Not The Booker Prize" 2020. We discuss her latest novel Her New Best Friend, about an isolated mother of two young children whose new friend may not be all she seems. We talk about including disabled people in fiction, taking the plunge to write that first novel after turning 40, exploring female friendships on the page and jumping around genres. Penny is also the co-founder of Thriller Women with EC Scullion, where they share interviews with female thriller writers. Links Her New Best Fried - Penny Batchelor My Perfect Sister - Penny Batchelor Her Perfect Twin - Sarah Bonner The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi You can find Penny Batchelor via her website https://www.pennybatchelor.co.uk/ And on Twitter @penny_author | |||
| 21 Feb 2024 | Bijal Shah on the power of bibliotherapy | 00:57:14 | |
Author Bijal Shah is a trained Bibliotherapist who brings the power of reading into the therapy room. It's a technique that dates back to Ancient Greece and Bijal shares some of the tools and techniques she uses in todays episode. Certain that reading is a big part of your mental wellbeing? You will love this episode which does a deep dive into why books matter and how we can get the most out of our reading experience. Links | |||
| 02 Apr 2025 | Alice Kinsella on blending genre | 01:10:17 | |
Alice Kinsella is a poet based in the west of Ireland. She's the author of the poetry pamphlet Sexy Fruit, the prose poem memoir Milk: On motherhood and madness and the genre blending Wake of the Whale, co-authored with Daniel Wade, which was a Sunday Independent Book of the Year in 2024. This conversation covers so much - from unpaid work in publishing, to blending genres, to the creative energy and frustrations of early motherhood. We also talk about why Alice and Daniel chose their local independent publisher Mayo Books Press to publish their latest book. You can order Wake of the Whale directly from Mayo Books and use the code Whale25 to get free shipping. * Join The Fold writers membership * This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! * Links | |||
| 19 Feb 2025 | Tessa Hadley on the pleasures of fiction | 00:53:04 | |
Tessa Hadley is an award winning author of eight novels, many short story collections and one of my personal favourite writers. In this conversation Tessa talks with me about the pleasures and irresponsibility of the short story, her first novella The Party, writing as a performance and the benefits of publishing for the first time in mid life. This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! You can purchase The Party on xigxag here. Links The Best Intentions - Ingmar Bergman Parades End - Ford Maddox Ford Writing Literary Fiction with Tessa Hadley - Curtis Brown Creative | |||
| 17 Mar 2021 | Episode 5 - Perfectionism | 00:51:38 | |
How does perfectionism hold our writing back? From not sharing our work, to not getting started at all, Ali and Penny dig into how to manage our perfectionism as writers. Asking can perfectionism ever be a positive thing for our work? We look at avoiding comparison, when to ignore your inner critic (and when to listen) and allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Books mentioned: The See-Through House - Shelley Klein | |||
| 05 May 2021 | Episode 12 - Christina Sweeney-Baird - The End of Men | 00:49:51 | |
On the podcast today, Christina Sweeney-Baird, talks about her debut, The End of Men; a prescient debut about the effects of a virus that only kills males. Not only did Sweeney-Baird write her debut before the pandemic hit, she also balances writing life with the demands of being a full time Corporate Litigation Lawyer. Christina tells us how she manages her time, and how an earlier manuscripts can act as training for subsequent drafts. We also discuss the benefits of writing within a genre - how the specific rules of plot help as building blocks to a novel. It's a jam-packed episode and The End of Men looks set to be the runaway hit of the summer - enjoy! Due to wifi troubles, Christina's sound cuts out a couple of times, but it's so informative that it's 100% worth sticking with it. Links Letters To Camondo by Edmund De Waal Nothing But Blue Sky - Kathleen MacMahon The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V E Schwab The Handmaids Tale - Margaret Atwood You can find Christina Sweeney-Baird on Instagram @christinasweeneybaird | |||
| 06 Jul 2022 | Chloe Timms on dystopian fiction and writing about outsiders | 00:53:38 | |
Chloe Times is an author, podcaster and former teacher based in Kent. Her debut novel The Seawomen, a dystopian tale about a closed community and one young woman who gets a small taste of freedom, is out now. Chloe and I talk about how her disability naturally leads her to write about marginalised characters, building worlds and complex female friendships on the page. Chloe is a graduate of the Faber Academy and talks about how that experience changed her life as a writer. We also chat about the joys of writing podcasts and her wonderful podcast Confessions of a Debut Novelist. Links The Faber Academy - Scholarships Confessions of a Debut Novelist Podcast with Chloe Timms You can find Chloe on twitter @clotimms and instagram @clotimms You can find Penny on Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 05 Oct 2022 | REPLAY: Huma Qureshi on short stories and taking fiction seriously | 00:54:24 | |
Huma Qureshi is a former Guardian and Observer journalist and is the author of the memoir How We Met and her latest book Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love, is a short story collection about the distance between people - between mothers and daughters and between lovers. It includes the "The Jam Maker" which won the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Prize 2020. We talk about what drove Huma to set herself the challenge of writing 10 short stories in a fairly short period of time, the importance of short story prizes as a way of setting yourself deadlines and challenges, and how motherhood both affected her confidence as a writer but also gave her an urgency to get the words on to the page. Links Miniature Worlds: Writing short stories with Huma Qureshi Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love - Huma Qureshi Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen A Ghost in the Throat - Doireann Ni Ghriofa You can find Huma Qureshi on instagram @humaqureshiwriter Sign up for Penny's newsletter here You can check out all the book recommendations from the podcast at our bookshop on bookshop.org which helps support independent booksellers | |||
| 20 Apr 2022 | Sophie Howarth - on writing about art and the joy being an amateur | 00:40:28 | |
Sophie Howarth has a varied and unique career spanning art, entrepreneurship, teaching, activism and writing. She has been Curator of Public Programs at Tate Modern, co-founded The School Of Life and Department Store for The Mind, has written several books on photography. Her latest book The Mindful Photographer is about slowing down and paying attention to what we see. Sophie is a big believer in the joy of being an amateur and the book is for anyone, regardless of equipment or expertise, to find a fresh way of paying attention in the world. We talk about 'beginning in the middle' - how in middle age, with our awareness of impermanence, we are somehow freed from constraints by being more aware of death. We also talk about the process of writing a photography book, of approaching the artists she wanted to use to illustrate the ideas in the book and the range of work including diversity of gender, race and genre. Our conversation spans so many areas - inspiration (and too much inspiration/input), work freedom, following joy and the idea of practise as a way of living. Links The Mindful Photographer - Sophie Howarth Street Photography Now - Sophie Howarth | |||
| 15 Mar 2023 | Daisy Buchanan: from journalist to novelist | 01:13:49 | |
Daisy Buchanan is an award winning journalist, author and broadcaster who has had a varied writing career beginning in teen magazines, and now as a novelist. She's also the host of the chart topping podcast You're Booked - one of my favourite podcasts of all time. We talk about Daisy's move from journalist and non-fiction author to fiction, and how terrifying that was, the joys and challenges of writing about sex and the importance of reading for pleasure when you're a writer. Daisy is also very open about the highs and lows of her publishing career and how not everything has been smooth sailing. Links Limelight - Daisy Buchanan (pre-order) Peter Hujar's Day - Linda Rosenkrantz Kick The Latch - Kathryn Scanlan Daisy Buchanan on Instagram @thedaisybee Penny Wincer on Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 29 Jan 2025 | What's to come in series 10 | 00:02:32 | |
A little taster of what's to come in series 10 featuring Tessa Hadley, Daisy Buchanan and Grace Timothy. The new series begins 5th February You can subscribe to Not Too Busy To Write on Substack Penny on Instagram @pennywincer 4bf661332a54c42dda99f791c1378d9407200820 | |||
| 23 Feb 2022 | Writing the Literary Memoir with Lily Dunn | 00:55:54 | |
In this week's episode Ali talks to Lily Dunn, the author of Sins of my Father (W&N, 17th March) about the craft of memoir. Together they discuss how narrative techniques can be used to move the form past expected norms, taking the personal into the realms of the universal, how the 'I' on the page differs from the 'I' in every day life, and how at the heart of memoir lies a love of storytelling. They also consider where the writer sits - does the writer operate as observer or partaker, are they inside or outside, and how does the act of writing alter this position. | |||
| 01 Dec 2021 | Where do you get your ideas? | 00:42:02 | |
A bit of a tongue in cheek question this week... Where do ideas come from? Ali and Penny talk all about ideas, sniffing them out like a blood hound, scratching away at them to see if they are interesting and following our curiosity. For us both, it's all about interacting with the external world and creating a habit of looking for and developing ideas. We also talk about having fallow times and abundant times and how they are both important in a writers life. And of course, we talk an awful lot about reading...... Links | |||
| 09 Mar 2022 | Clover Stroud - Death, life and writing memoir in real time | 01:06:04 | |
Clover Stroud is a Sunday Times best selling author of a number of books including The Wild Other and My Wild and Sleepless Nights. Her latest book, The Red of My Blood, is the story of her sister Nell's death and the immediate aftermath. Clover talks about how her writing benefits from the immediacy of writing in real time and how it felt natural for her to write about the extremities of grief when she was deep in its throws. We also talk about taking yourself to the edge creatively and how it makes life more vivid and putting a magnifying glass up to human experience as well as some of the positive aspects of social media. Clover also has some excellent reading advice for writers. Links The Red of My Blood - Clover Stroud My Wild and Sleepless Nights - Clover Stroud The Stone Mason - Andrew Zeminski Devil in a Coma - Mark Lanegan Atlas of the Heart - Brene Brown You can find Clover on instagram @clover.stroud | |||
| 12 May 2021 | Episode 13 - Rest for Writers | 00:51:53 | |
We usually talk about getting the work done and being productive. Today is a counter episode - rest. Ali thinks she's bad at it, Penny feels she's pretty good at it. We talk about how it's easy to always measure your productivity but rest is needed is we are to keep going. When we're on deadlines or are afraid of losing momentum on a project, it can feel scary to slow down and take breaks. But taking a step back to rest can really pay off. We talk about the importance of self awareness and doing what works best for you. One way of really understanding where your time goes is time logging, an exercise which Ali and Penny both did for this episode. They talk about the interesting results of putting a magnifying glass to how they spend their time. Sign up to Penny's newsletter for updates on her upcoming course on creating time Links My Phantoms - Gwendoline Riley The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V E Schwab | |||
| 18 Sep 2024 | S9 Ep4. Alice Vincent on finding home in the garden | 00:48:52 | |
Alice Vincent is a writer and broadcaster, and the author of Rootbound: Rewilding a life and Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival, both of which were longlisted for the Wainwright Prize. In this conversation we talk about how books begin and evolve for Alice, how she structures her time between columns, book writing and her newsletter and finding home in a balcony garden. Links Why Women Grow - Alice Vincent Hark - Alice Vincent (pre-order) Savour Newsletter - savour.substack.com Not Too Busy To Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com The next Book Proposal Group Program begins Oct 1st. You can book your place at pennywincerwrites.com You can find all the books from Series 9 of Not To Busy To Write at Bookshop.org | |||
| 09 Feb 2022 | Different phases of writing and juggling multiple projects | 00:39:11 | |
Our writing lives don't always look the same. Depending on which phase you're in, drafting, editing, submitting, publishing or promoting - our rhythms and routines change according to what phase we are in. Ali and Penny are currently in different phases to each other and to where they each were a year ago. Today's episode is about where they are at and how that changes how they sit down and get the work done. They are both now juggling multiple projects at different stages and how that has necessarily changed their writing routines, in ways that are both good and a challenge. | |||
| 16 Nov 2022 | What is publishing a book really like? | 00:40:53 | |
Ali and Penny are back together talking about the experience of publication. It has been three months since Ali's book The Last Days came out and it seemed like a great time to have a debrief and discuss the highs and lows, the hard work and the realities of publishing. We talk about reviews, proofs, blurbs, news events that drown out book publicity and the things outside of our control when publishing. We also take a little look ahead to our next publications. Links Lipstick Traces - Greil Marcus An Angel at My Table - Janet Frame The Hours - Michael Cunningham Sign up to Penny's newsletter here - pennywincerwrites.com Ali Millar on Instagram @ali_millar_writes Penny Wincer on Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 22 Jun 2022 | Ilona Bannister on writing challenging women | 00:40:21 | |
Ilona Bannister's second novel Little Prisons, is set in one building, from four perspectives, each one a woman experiencing a kind of imprisonment. Emotional, mental and literal. Ilona is our first return guest on the podcast and we discuss the difference between the experience of writing book one and book two, the complex literary devices she uses in the novel to examine issues around human trafficking and how she challenges the reader and our expectations by writing characters that stretch our compassion and have us question how we see those who are the most invisible in our society. Links | |||
| 14 Feb 2024 | Amy Arthur on pacing yourself as a writer | 00:50:59 | |
Amy Arthur is an award winning writer and science journalist whose new book Pace Yourself is a practical guide to pacing - a tool developed to the manage symptoms of chronic illnesses like ME/CFS which Amy was diagnosed with as a teenager. This is such an important (and practical) conversation, not just for those who are managing chronic illnesses but for any writer juggling writing alongside many other responsibilities, who constantly feel like they never have quite enough energy. Links Amy Arthur on Instagram @a_e_arthur Not Too Busy To Write on Substack pennywincer.substack.com Penny on Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 25 Sep 2024 | S9 Ep5. Lucy Gough - from interior stylist to author | 00:45:53 | |
Lucy Gough has come to writing via her career as a stylist and art director. From working in house at magazines, to freelance art direction with John Lewis and Marks and Spencer, Lucy took a leap of faith in lockdown, when all her work disappeared, and wrote a course on Interiors Styling. That creative risk changed everything fo her. In this episode we talk about what the journey looked like and the practical and creative challenges of writing an illustrated book. Links The Home Style Handbook - Lucy Gough Lucy Gough's Online Interior Styling Courses - course.lucygoughstylist.com Lucy Gough on Instagram @style_by_lucy Penny's Book Proposal Group Program - pennywincerwrites.com Not Too Busy To Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com | |||
| 26 Mar 2025 | Sarra Manning on writing romantic fiction | 01:05:35 | |
Sarra Manning is the author of 8 adult novels, over 15 YA novels. She began her career on teen magazines and has been writing about love and sex ever since. Sarra talks about being a 'word count slut', writing books fast, how what she learned on magazines helps her pitch novels and the secret to writing about sex successfully. Sarra is also the literary editor of Red magazine and is my go to person for book reccos - this episode is chock full of amazing books!! The Last Days of Summer is out March 27th This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! You can listen to The Last Days of Summer on xigxag :) Links The Last Days of Summer - Sarra Manning London, With Love - Sarra Manning Rachel's Holiday - Marian Keyes A Sky Painted Gold - Laura Wood Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld The Wedding People - Alison Espach Maeve Kerrigan Series - Jane Casey | |||
| 25 Jan 2023 | Caro Giles on memoir, nature and putting yourself in the foreground | 00:40:39 | |
Caro Giles is a writer based in the north east of England, whose first book Twelve Moons tells the story, across a year, of raising her 4 daughters alone in a wild and isolated part of the country. It's an incredible memoir about caring, isolation, and joy found in tiny pockets of time. We talk about how the pandemic totally changed how she the structure of the book, the challenges of writing and caring and this beautiful idea of writing as a way to put yourself in the foreground, when you have been in the background for so long. Links An Evening with Caro Giles - Waterstones Newcastle 26th January Alnwick Story Festival 25th February Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub Caro Giles on instagram @carogileswrites Penny on instagram @pennywincer You can sign up to Penny's weekly newsletter about writing and making time for creativity here pennywincerwrites.com | |||
| 30 Jun 2021 | Episode 19. Clemmie Telford on writing honestly and why everyone has a story to tell | 00:40:11 | |
Clemmie Telford is a former creative director, a content creator and podcast host of "But Why?" and her first book also called But Why? is about the big tricky questions and having honest conversations with yourself. We dive into structuring a book with a lot of big topics, writing honestly and vulnerably and embracing dyslexia. Clemmie started a blog many years ago called the "Mother of All Lists" which has grown into a platform for others to share their stories in list form - a way of writing which is accessible to so many, even those who never thought of themselves as 'able to write'. *Apologies we had some technical issues while recording and there are a few dodgy sound moments - but please stick with it - it's such a great episode!* Links Conversations on Love - Natasha Lunn You can find Clemmie on Instagram @clemmie_telford All the book spoken about on Not Too Busy To Write can be found at our bookshop.org shop - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/not-too-busy-to-write-recommends | |||
| 07 Feb 2024 | Jessica Bull on blending fact and fiction | 00:47:53 | |
Jessica Bull's debut novel Miss Austen Investigates sets Jane Austen up as an amateur sleuth, when a dead woman is discovered at a ball and her beloved brother is arrested and facing the noose. I had so much fun talking to Jessica about the challenges of blending fact and fiction, her passion of Jane Austen (and the books and films that have been inspired by her) and the pleasures of researching late Georgian England. Miss Austen Investigates is a delight and is out now Links Miss Austen Investigates - Jessica Bull Jessica Bull on Instagram @jessicabullnovelist Jessica Bull on Twitter @NovelistJessica Not Too Bust To Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com Book coaching with Penny Wincer - pennywincerwrites.com | |||
| 31 Mar 2021 | Episode 7 - Author Tetyana Denford on Grief | 00:58:39 | |
In Episode 7 Penny is absent due to self-isolation, so Ali takes the helm. She introduces their slightly ambitious plan to read the Women's Prize longlist before the announcement of a winner in July. Ali talks to Tetyana Denford about the first in her new trilogy of books, Conversation with Grief. Conversation with Grief was born after the death of Tetyana's grandmother, when Tetyana was forced to sit with her grief in the vacuum of a pandemic. They talk about how grief changes shape, how it constantly surprises us and how sometimes, the only thing we can do is invite it in. They also talk about how motherhood is a form of grief and how the opposite of grief is love. All of Tetyana's books are self published. In the second half of the episode she shares insights into the process, and talks about the challenges and rewards of wearing so many hats simultaneously. She also talks about how self publishing isn't a less than option, but one that requires just as much work and dedication as a more traditional publishing route. Conversation with Grief is available to preorder. Tetyana's youtube series is here. Books mentioned in the episode are: Patricia Lockwood: No One is Talking About This A Little Life: Hanya Yanagihara. All Books mentioned on the podcast are now all in one spot on our very own Bookshop.org list https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/not-too-busy-to-write-recommends | |||
| 20 Oct 2021 | Writers Groups | 00:42:33 | |
Ali and Penny discuss the pros and cons (yes there are sometimes cons!) of being in a writers group. What are they best for? How do you find one? Or better yet, how do you put one together. A packed episode and we suspect, a topic we will come back to again. Links | |||
| 14 Apr 2021 | Episode 9 - Author Jodie Chapman - Another Life | 00:55:25 | |
In Episode 9 Ali and Penny talk to Jodie Chapman about her debut novel, Another Life, out now on Penguin Michael Joseph. Another Life tells the story of Nick and Anna, and the one seminal summer the pair spend together that marks each of them in its own way. Years later, tragedy brings the two back into each other's orbits, but is it too late? Jodie Chapman describes the book as a book about love in all its forms, and it's this idea that forms the backbone of her conversation with Ali and Penny. Anna is trapped by the expectations of the religion she's raised in, one where there are no birthday celebrations, or Easter or Christmas, and the end of days hangs heavily over her. We talk about using life to inform your writing, and the risks and opportunities this presents. Another Life is narrated by Nick, we talk about writing from the male perspective, about motherhood and the fear of toxic masculinity as well as the immense privilege and challenges of raising boys; and how life life is never black and white, only ever hues of something else. It's a packed episode - enjoy! Links Peel Me a Lotus - Charmian Clift Many Different Kinds of Love - Michael Rosen No One Is Talking About This - Patricia Lockwood You can shop all the podcast book recommendations on the Not To Busy To Write Recommends at Bookshop.org You can find Jodie Chapman in instragram @jodiechapman | |||
| 05 Mar 2025 | Alice Wilkinson on writing personal non-fiction | 00:59:33 | |
Alice Wilkinson is an award winning journalist and the author of How To Stay Sane in A House Share, her debut book about the joys and challenges of cohabiting. In this conversation we discuss some of the challenges of writing personal non-fiction, finding a gap in the current discourse and some of the differences she found in book writing and publishing, from her day to day life as a journalist and editor. We also talk a bit about her experience working with a book coach on the proposal - me! How To Stay Sane in A House Share is out March 6th This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! Links How to Stay Sane in a House Share by Alice Wilkinson | |||
| 05 Jan 2022 | Write It All Down - life writing with Cathy Rentzenbrink | 00:40:10 | |
Cathy Rentzenbrink is a Sunday Times best selling author of The Last Act of Love, A Manual for Heartache, Dear Reader and Everyone is Still Alive. Her latest book, Write It All Down, is all about writing from life. Cathy talks about how her first memoir started because she need to write it out of her, how she's learned to trust the process of writing, even though she's still filled with self doubt and learning that external validation of our writing doesn't magically fix that doubt. A wonderful episode filled with advice from the most generous of writers. Links Write It All Down - Cathy Rentzenbrink The Last Act of Love - Cathy Rentzenbrink Everyone Is Still Alive - Cathy Rentzenbrink The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides Without Warning And Only Sometimes - Kit De Waal You can follow Cathy on Instagram @catrentzenbrink and twitter @catrentzenbrink You can follow Penny on Instagram @pennywincer and twitter @pennywincer | |||
| 11 Sep 2024 | S9. E3. Clover Stroud on home and belonging | 00:52:52 | |
Sunday Times bestselling author Clover Stroud's latest book The Giant in the Skyline begins with a difficult decision about whether to uproot her family from their home in Oxfordshire in order to keep the family together, and leads to a pilgrimage of discovery about what it means to feel at home and belong. We talk about grief's affect on our feelings of belonging, how our experience of mothering is affected by our immediate environment and how her life has changed (and not changed) since her family's move from rural Oxfordshire to the suburbs of Washington DC. The next Non-Fiction Book Proposal Group Program begins Oct 1st. Visit pennywincerwrites.com/bookproposalgroup to grab your place. You'll also find information there for the Grant Place for writers on a low income. Links The Giant in the Skyline - Clover Stroud The Wild Other - Clover Stroud Clover Stroud on Substack - cloverstroud.substack.com Not Too Busy To Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com Non-Fiction Book Proposal Program - pennywincerwrites.com/bookproposalgroup | |||
| 08 Nov 2023 | Huma Qureshi on fiction and borrowing from life | 01:12:17 | |
Award winning writer Huma Qureshi returns to the podcast to discuss her debut novel Playing Games, a story about two sisters, their very different ways of processing grief and the question over whether it's ok for a writer to take from real life. We talk about the challenges of moving from short to long form fiction, the pluses (and minuses) of having a two book deal and the pleasures of writing about a writer. Huma is also a brilliant creative writing teacher and we discuss her style as a teacher and some of her favourite book recommendations for writers. Playing Games is out Nov 9th Links Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love - Huma Qureshi Huma's creative writing classes Sign Up to Dear Huma newsletter Huma Qureshi on Not Too Busy To Write in 2021 Recommended Books American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld Help Yourself - Curtis Sittenfeld Writers and Lovers - Lily King Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri | |||
| 24 Feb 2021 | Episode 2 - How to Dismiss Ideal Conditions | 00:48:08 | |
The myth of ideal conditions can discourage us from getting on with a project, it's tempting instead to wait until things get easier or better. Just how do we let go of this idea and get down to work? Ali and Penny talk about how they've learnt to dismiss ideal conditions, instead accepting where they are, even if it's a bit shit. They examine the upsides of time constraints and how it can be important to dismiss what other (often male) writers say about routines, as well as why why neither of them believe in the muse. Links mentioned in the episode: Why I won't try to be super-mum - by Penny Wincer for The Telegraph Mother for Dinner - Shalom Auslander Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 - Cho Nam-Joo | |||
| 04 Sep 2024 | S9 E2. Kerri ni Dochartaigh on finding home in the Irish landscape | 01:08:49 | |
Kerri ni Dochartaigh is the award winning author of Thin Places and Cacophany of Bone. Kerri's work delves deep into home and belonging, from her childhood in Derry during the troubles, where her family were forced to leave their home, to an adulthood of wrestlessness, unable to find a feeling of home, until she returned to the Irish landscape of her early years. We talk about intergenerational trauma, what it means to our sense of safety and belonging to have a home forcibly removed, as so many are facing in the world today, and finding home in the Irish landscape, in community, in our bodies and ritual. We also talk about creativity and caregiving, and the joys of teaching and mentoring other writers. Links Thin Places - Kerri ni Dochartaigh Cacophony of Bone - Kerri ni Dochartaigh In The Garden: Essays on Nature and Growing (Daunt Books) The Garden Against Time - Olivia Laing Kerri on Substack kerrindochartaigh.substack.com Penny on Substack pennywincer.substack.com | |||
| 26 Oct 2022 | Margaux Vialleron on writing about friendship and food | 00:39:18 | |
Margaux Vialleron is a French born, London based writer. Her debut novel The Yellow Kitchen centres around the friendship of three very different women over the course of a year, with a kitchen and the food prepared within it at its heart. Margaux speaks about why she is drawn to writing about friendship and food, how she uses her sense to dive into the English language and why she has chosen to write in her second language. We also talk a bit about her day job as a translation rights literary agent. Links The Yellow Kitchen - Margaux Vialleron The Salmon Pink Kitchen Podcast The Salmon Pink Kitchen Newsletter Penny's instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 14 Dec 2022 | Lindsey Kelk on writing Romantic Comedies | 01:00:50 | |
Lindsey Kelk is a Sunday Times bestselling author of over 20 novels. Her latest The Christmas Wish is a hilarious and delightful time loop story set during a family Christmas. Lindsey and I chat about subverting Hallmark movie tropes, being a full time novelist in a much maligned genre and the realities of being working class in the publishing industry. The Christmas Wish is a joy and is out now in hardback. Links The Christmas Wish - Lindsey Kelk Her Majesty's Royal Coven - Juno Dawson This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub Book Proposal Group January 2023 - pennywincerwrites.com/bookproposalgroup You can find Lindsey on instagram - @lindseykelk and on Twitter @LindseyKelk Penny on Instagram - @pennywincer | |||
| 14 Jul 2022 | Ali Millar on The Last Days and writing the truth | 00:45:11 | |
Our very own Ali Millar is on the podcast today talking about her debut book The Last Days. We talk about how writing this memoir was a necessity in truth telling, obsessing over structure, talking books into life and redrafting - lots of redrafting. We also talk about some of the challenges of writing a memoir both emotionally and legally and vulnerability of exposure. The Last Days is out now. Links Original Sins - Matt Rowland Hill The Year of Miracles - Ella Risbridger You can find Ali on instagram @ali_millar_writes and Penny @pennywincer | |||
| 16 Feb 2022 | Abigail Bergstrom - debut novelist and literary agent | 00:43:27 | |
Abigail Bergstrom is a literary agent and consultant, former editor, and now debut novelist. What A Shame is a darkly funny novel about grief, friendship and dabbling in the occult. Abigail talks about the challenges of having a lot of knowledge of the industry whilst writing and having to take her agent hat off in order to write, removing the constraints that made writing feel like 'work' and being conscious of the exchange that happens when we give up other things in order to write on the side of a demanding full time job. Bergstrom Studio is a 360 degree literary consultancy, offering editorial consultancy and representation. As an agent Abigail represents multiple best selling authors and has some excellent advice for those who are going out on submission. Links What A Shame - Abigail Bergstrom Beautiful Country - Xian Julie Wang You can find Abigail on Instagram @abigailbergstrom and @bergstrom.studio And Penny on instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 03 Mar 2021 | Episode 3 - Author Ilona Bannister - When I Ran Away | 01:00:22 | |
This week Ali and Penny are joined by debut author, Ilona Bannister, whose novel, When I Ran Away, is released in the UK on 4th March by Two Roads books and on 30th March in the US with Doubleday Books. When I Ran Away is a startling novel, funny and hard hitting, it tells the story of GiGi, an American mother of two living in London who just can't manage to do it all. In this fascinating and wide reaching episode, Ilona talks about how, after having children, she felt it was hugely important to write honestly about the effects of motherhood, trauma and grief, and in doing so breaking the narrative that we can have it all. Ilona tells Ali and Penny about her journey to publishing, how she set her own deadlines, treated the novel writing process like work before it was paid work, as well as what steps she took to maximise her changes of success. Books discussed When I Ran Away - Ilona Bannister Wow, No Thank You - Samantha Irby Mrs Death Misses Death - Salena Godden You can find Ilona Bannister on Instagram @ilona.bannister You can find Ali Millar of instagram @ali_millar_writes And Penny Wincer on instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 27 Mar 2024 | Stacey Heale on writing about death and life | 00:47:30 | |
Stacey Heale is a fashion academic and writer whose husband Greg was diagnosed with terminal cancer when their youngest daughter was just a baby. Greg died 5 years later. In her memoir Now Is Not The Time For Flowers, Stacey writes about the big conversations that arise from imminent death. In this epsiode Stacey and I talk about writing about the dead, abandoning the typical memoir structure and the very funny side of a very dark experience. Now Is Not The Time For Flowers is out March 28th Links Now Is Not The Time For Flowers - Stacey Heale Stacey Heale on Instagram @stacey_heale Not Too Busy To Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com | |||
| 09 Jun 2023 | Marina Benjamin and Caro Giles on writing and caring | 00:43:50 | |
It's Carers Week in the UK so I have recorded a bonus episode of teh podcast with two fellow writer carers. Marina Benjamin is the author of many books, the latest of which is A little Give: the unsung, unseen, undone work of women. She also cares for her elderly mother. Caro Giles is the author of Twelve Moons; A year under a share sky and is a single parent to four daughters, two of whom have complex needs. This is a slightly different format to usual, with the three of us discussing our caring roles, the challenges of writing about the topic and the time we 'steal' away from our caring responsibilities to write. This was such a wonderful and honest conversation and I'm so grateful for Marina and Caro for taking the time and being so open about the challenges. Links | |||
| 12 Feb 2025 | Daisy Buchanan on reading yourself happy | 01:01:15 | |
Daisy Buchanan is a bestselling author, journalist and broadcaster. Today we're talking about her latest book Read Yourself Happy and the unique power of books to make us feel better, as well as how reading makes us better writers. Read Yourself Happy is out now This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! You can purchase Read Yourself Happy on xigxag here Links You're Booked with Daisy Buchanan Creative Confidence Clinic with Daisy Buchanan Brigit Jones Diary - Helen Fielding Exit Interview - Kristi Coulter Can You Ever Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope So Thrilled For You - Holly Bourne This Is Not A Pity Memoir - Abi Morgan The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets - Eva Rice Happy All The Time - Laurie Colwin A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara The Great Believers - Rebecca Makkai Don't Look At Me Like That - Diana Athill | |||
| 01 Nov 2023 | Karen Haller on publishing non-fiction as an expert | 00:49:59 | |
What's it like to publish a book as an expert in your field? Karen Haller is a behavioural colour and design psychology expert and is the author of The Little Book of Colour. Karen and I talk about some of the highs and lows of traditional publishing, some of the particular challenges she faced, as well as the many opportunities it opened up for her when her book became a huge success and was published in 14 languages. We also dive into what colour psychology is and how the book fits into Karen's aim to help people be less afraid of using colour. Links The Little Book of Colour - Karen Haller Karen Haller's website and newsletter Download a free ebook on Colour Myths Karen Haller on Instagram @karen_haller_colour Penny's Cornish Writing Retreat Feb 2024 - pennywincerwrites.com/retreat You can sign up to Penny's Substack Not Too Busy To Write | |||
| 08 Dec 2021 | End of year writing round up | 00:41:28 | |
It's that time of the year and Ali and Penny have a chat about where they are at with their writing projects and if they are where they hoped they would be. They talk about some big successes and failures, places where the path diverged and where writing projects went off in a new direction. They talk about letting go of projects as well as taking on new projects you didn't imagine you would do. They also look ahead to some 2022 writing goals. Links | |||
| 16 Jun 2021 | Episode 18 - Kate Mosse on writing about caring and the stories hidden in plain sight | 00:52:25 | |
Kate Mosse is the international bestselling historical fiction author and the co-founder and chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction. Kate's latest book, An Extra Pair of Hands, is about her experience as an unpaid carer to both of her parents and now her mother in law. We talk about Kate's decision to write about such a personal topic, respecting other peoples stories and contributing to a conversation to shed light on a hidden group. Kate talks about her writing routine and how caring has influence it in recent years. We also take a dive into the Women's Prize, why it was set up and the incredible work it has done to put wonderful books into the hands of readers. From it's inception the prize was designed to look outwards, to include the reader and to support, invest in and value the work of women writers. We also talk about the snobbery around women's fiction and certain genres of fiction. Kate tells us about her standout winners from the past 25 years. Links An Extra Pair of Hands - Kate Mosse The City of Tears - Kate Mosse Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver The Book About Getting Older - Dr Lucy Pollock To The Ends of The Earth - William Golding A Line To Kill - Anthony Horowitz | |||
| 22 Feb 2023 | Joanna Wolfarth on non-fiction and writing intimate cultural history | 00:46:00 | |
Joanna Wolfarth is a cultural historian with a PhD in Southeast Asian art history. Her first book Milk: An intimate history of breastfeeding is a fascinating look at the social, historical and cultural contexts for this very personal of experiences, through art, philosophy, folk wisdom and interviews. Joanna talks about how needing to make sense of the experience of new motherhood, led to a furious dive into the research between feeds and in tiny snatches of time when her baby slept, how motherhood made her fearless when it came to writing and non-fiction that seeks to ask questions, rather than provide all of the answers. Links Milk: An intimate history of breastfeeding Joanna Wolfarth on Instagram @joanna_wolfarth Penny on Instagram @pennywincer Sign up for Penny's weekly writing newsletter here pennywincerwrites.com | |||
| 01 Feb 2023 | Catherine Newman on laughter, death and embracing your voice | 00:49:18 | |
Catherine Newman is a writer with a varied career including two parenting memoirs and a middle grade novel. She had written for the New York Times, O Magazine, The Boston Globe and was a columnist for Real Simple Magazine. Her debut novel We All Want Impossible Things is the story of Ash, whose best friend Edi is dying of cancer. Set over a few weeks in a hospice, this book is filled with laughter and heartbreak. Catherine and I talk about the relief of laughing in the face of death, learning to embrace your natural writing voice and the how years of having to make a living from writing has had a positive impact on Catherine's daily writing habit. We All Want Impossible Things is out now. Ease Retreat - Non-fiction with Penny Wincer, Wales, April 20-23 2023 We All Want Impossible Things - Catherine Newman Catherine Newman on instagram - @catherinenewman Catherine's website - catherinenewmanwriter.com Penny on instagram - @pennywincer | |||
| 09 Nov 2022 | Winnie M Li on complicity and power in fiction | 00:36:56 | |
Winnie M Li is a Taiwanese-American author and activist originally from New Jersey. Her second novel Complicit is about a film lecturer in an obscure American college who once was on the cusp of a major film career. When she is approached by an investigative journalist about an alleged incident that occurred 10 years earlier, memories of youthful ambition and guilt arise. Winnie talks in this episode about how the lure of writing about film was what compelled her to write a second (very different) novel about sexual assault. About how using the framework of the protagonist telling her story to someone else from the distance of 10 years, gave her an interesting perspective to play with. We also talk about the arts grants that have allowed her to pursue her writing. Links Arts Council England Grants https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ProjectGrants https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/dycp Instagram - @winniemli You can sign up to Penny's newsletter here Penny on Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 01 Mar 2023 | Suzy Reading on rest | 00:46:14 | |
Suzy Reading is a chartered psychologist, yoga teacher and coach whose work all centres around giving people the skills to nourish themselves. Her latest book is Rest to Reset: The busy persons guide to pausing with purpose. As well as talking about Suzy's journey from expert to author of 8 books, we talk about what rest actually looks like, the problem with the current conversations around burnout and moving towards the idea of rest as rebalancing, and that is going to look different for everyone. We also talk about relationship building in publishing, saying yes to opportunities and growing your authority as an expert in your field. Links: Self-care Revolution - Suzy Reading This Book Will (Help) Make You Happy - Suzy Reading You can find Suzy on Instagram @suzyreading You can find Penny on Instagram @pennywincer Sign up to penny's newsletter here - pennywincerwrites.com | |||
| 19 Mar 2025 | Grants for Writers with The Society of Authors | 00:46:06 | |
Want to know how to get funding to write? Today I'm speaking to Robyn Law, head of Fundraising, Grants and Prizes at The Society of Authors, a UK trade union for writers, illustrators and literary translators. As well as looking at everything the SoA can do for all of us, we do a deep dive into how to apply for grants to help support you while you write, including my own experience as an SoA grant recipient. This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! Links The Society of Authors - How to join | |||
| 28 Sep 2022 | REPLAY: Cathy Rentzenbrink on life writing | 00:41:02 | |
Cathy Rentzenbrink is a Sunday Times best selling author of The Last Act of Love, A Manual for Heartache, Dear Reader and Everyone is Still Alive. Her latest book, Write It All Down, is all about writing from life. Cathy talks about how her first memoir started because she need to write it out of her, how she's learned to trust the process of writing, even though she's still filled with self doubt and learning that external validation of our writing doesn't magically fix that doubt. Links Write It All Down - Cathy Rentzenbrink The Last Act of Love - Cathy Rentzenbrink Everyone Is Still Alive - Cathy Rentzenbrink The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides Without Warning And Only Sometimes - Kit De Waal You can follow Cathy on Instagram @catrentzenbrink and twitter @catrentzenbrink You can follow Penny on Instagram @pennywincer and sign up for her newsletter here. | |||
| 14 Sep 2022 | REPLAY: Sophie Howarth on the joy of being an amateur | 00:42:05 | |
REPLAY: This episode was originally released in April 2022 Sophie Howarth has a varied and unique career spanning art, entrepreneurship, teaching, activism and writing. She has been Curator of Public Programs at Tate Modern, co-founded The School Of Life and Department Store for The Mind, has written several books on photography. Her latest book The Mindful Photographer is about slowing down and paying attention to what we see. Sophie is a big believer in the joy of being an amateur and the book is for anyone, regardless of equipment or expertise, to find a fresh way of paying attention in the world. We talk about 'beginning in the middle' - how in middle age, with our awareness of impermanence, we are somehow freed from constraints by being more aware of death. We also talk about the process of writing a photography book, of approaching the artists she wanted to use to illustrate the ideas in the book and the range of work including diversity of gender, race and genre. Our conversation spans so many areas - inspiration (and too much inspiration/input), work freedom, following joy and the idea of practise as a way of living. Links Book Proposal Group Program with Penny Wincer The Mindful Photographer - Sophie Howarth Street Photography Now - Sophie Howarth Family Photography Now - Sophie Howarth You can find Penny on Instagram @pennywincer and you can sign up for her newsletter here | |||
| 13 Apr 2022 | Sian Meades-Williams on freelancing writing, making money and newsletter love | 00:58:48 | |
Sian Meades-Williams is the brains (and muscle) behind the hugely popular Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter and co-founder of the award winning lifestyle newsletter Tigers Are Better Looking (formerly Domestic Sluttery). In today's episode we discuss Sian's new book The Pyjama Myth: The Freelance Writer's Survival Guide - an indispensable guide for writers from pitching to getting paid. Sian is full of fantastic advice for earning a living from the craft of writing, including pitching. We also do a deep dive into newsletters and the freedom and joy they bring to her work. A must listen for anyone experiencing the highs and lows of freelance writing life. Links The Pyjama Myth - Sian Meades-Williams Freelance Writing Jobs Newsletter Sign up Tigers Are better looking Newsletter Sign Up The Feminist Quiz Book - Sian Meades-Williams and Laura Brown You can find Sian on Twitter @SianySianySiany and sianmeadeswilliams.com | |||
| 08 Jun 2021 | Episode 17: The Cure for Sleep, in Conversation with Tanya Shadrick | 01:11:31 | |
Ali talks to Tanya Shadrick about her forthcoming book, The Cure for Sleep: A Late Waking Life. Described as an electrifying voice, The Cure for Sleep details Tanya's transformative near death encounter after the birth of her first child, and how this became the catalyst to transforming her life. In this intriguing conversation Ali and Tanya talk about the need to be selfish as mothers, how class has impacted on their writing and the importance of not always reading to see their own reflections but instead to broaden the world, while simultaneously understanding that as writers with unusual backgrounds, they have stories that deserve to be told. Read more about Tanya's work and the book here: www.thecureforsleep.com You can follow Tanya here: Twitter: @tanyashadrick Instagram: @tanyashadrickwriter | |||
| 26 Jul 2023 | REPLAY: Chloe Ashby on writing art in fiction | 00:41:34 | |
Summer Replay Series Chloe Ashby is an arts journalist and author based in London. Her debut novel Wet Paint is about a young woman struggling to move forward after the traumatic death of her best friend, who finds solace in a painting and a life of routine, until a sudden change of circumstances has her undressing for strangers as a life model. We talk about ways of finding your way in to a story as a writer, writing about visual art and exploring ideas of control in characters. We also talk about having an 'affair' with novel writing on the side of other paid writing work and Chloe's life as a freelance arts writer working on non-fiction art books and reviewing exhibitions. links Look at this if you love great art - Chloe Ashby Colours of Art: The story of art in 80 palletes - Chloe Ashby You can find Chloe Ashby at chloeashby.com Instagram - @chloeashby Twitter - @chloeashby You can find sign up to Penny's Newsletter at pennywincerwrites.com Instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 21 Jul 2021 | 21. Bringing other skills to your writing career | 00:50:39 | |
Ali and Penny are back together for a final episode before their summer break. This week they discuss why there are many positives of professional writing being a second or third career for most people. This week is all about mining your previous work for skills that really come in handy for both writing and publishing. From being able to treat your book as a product, to being able to work ahead in "seasons" - whatever your background, there are skills that you will be bringing to the table. Links We Need To Talk About Money - Otegha Uwagba How Much Of These Hills Is Gold? - C. Pam Zhang Things Are Against Us - Lucy Ellmann Don't forget you can check out Not Too Busy To Write on Bookshop.Org to see a full list (and purchase!) all books mentioned in the current series. We'll be back in the Autumn but in the mean time you can find Ali on Instagram @ali_millar_writes and Penny @pennywincer | |||
| 28 Aug 2024 | S9. E1. Penny Wincer on why Home Matters | 00:51:29 | |
The tables are turned for the first episode of series 9 - host Penny Wincer is being interviewed by author Caro Giles about her new book Home Matters. We talk about what draws Penny to write about home, digging beneath the surface of homes to find meaning behind the choices we make and how objects become portraits and tell stories about our lives and identities. We also talk about weaving memoir and non-fiction together, making choices about the personal and political aspects of the book and the challenges of writing and publishing a book that doesn't fit neatly into categories. Links All The Houses I've Ever Lived In - Kieran Yates The Lonely City - Olivia Laing Penny on Substack pennywincer.substack.com Caro on Substack carogiles.substack.com | |||
| 20 Mar 2024 | Jesse Sutanto on writing a best selling series | 00:33:52 | |
Jesse Sutanto is the best selling author of Dial A for Aunties and Vera Wang's Unsolicited Advise for Murders and the winner of the Comic Writer in Print Award 2021. Jesse and I chat about her latest book in her very funny Aunties crime series The Good, The Bad and The Auntie, about her journey from Oxford MFA in Creative Writing, to leaning into her irreverent funny side and the success it led to. We also talk about writing drafts in 5 weeks (yes 5 weeks!!), the joy of sharing her Indo-Chinese culture with the rest fo the world and her favourite funny authors. Links The Good, The Bad and The Aunties - Jesse Sutanto Dial A For Aunties - Jesse Sutanto Vera Wang's Unsolicited Advice for Murders - Jesse Sutanto Jesse Sutanto on Instagram @jesseqsutanto Not Too Busy To Write on Substack pennywincer.substack.com Write Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal with Penny Wincer is at 7pm March 27th Book you place here - pennywincerwrites.com/workshops Podcast listeners can use the code TOOBUSY at checkout to receive £5 off | |||
| 19 Oct 2022 | Beth Kempton on how to write fearlessly | 01:04:44 | |
Beth Kempton is a Japanologist, a best selling author and a writing mentor whose books have been translated into 24 languages. Her Latest book The Way of the Fearless Writer challenges the assumption that writing must be a struggle and filled with suffering. We talk about why it's important to know why we write, learning to let go in our writing, when to share our work (and when not to) and learning to trust in writing as a practice. Links The Way of the Fearless Writer - Beth Kempton Do What You Love For Life - Writing classes with Beth Kempton You can sign up to Penny's weekly newsletter about all things writing and finding time to write here | |||
| 24 Nov 2021 | Different Approaches to Life Writing | 00:52:00 | |
Ali and Penny come together to discuss life writing this week. They have both used different approaches to life writing and they discuss why they made the choices they did and how they might do it differently in the future. It's also an episode in which Ali reveals she doesn't really like memoirs (even though she just wrote one) and Penny that she hopes her life is going to be boring enough in the future that she never feels compelled to write one (although she's very partial to the essay). Links Swimming In Hampstead ladies pond - Daunt Books Upon This Rock - Essay by John Jeramiah Sullivan Constellations - Sinead Gleeson I am I am I am - Maggie O'Farrell The English Heretic Collection: Ritual Histories, Magickal Geography - Andy Sharp My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh You can find all the books mentioned on the podcast at Bookshop.org | |||
| 03 Aug 2022 | Lulah Ellender on the personal and the universal in life writing | 00:38:31 | |
Lulah Ellender is an author, creative non-fiction writing teacher and writing coach based in Sussex. Her latest book Grounding: Finding home in a garden is about a single growing year in her garden after her mother died and her family was in danger of losing the home that they had lived in for 10 years. We talk about how Lulah weaves together the stories of many other gardens and the artists who created them into her own personal narrative alongside non-fiction elements of plant and garden history. She sees her role as taking the reader by the hand and leading them through, rather than memoir being particularly about her. Lulah also tells me about her flexible online courses in Life Writing, her favourite books about writing, the importance of close reading your favourite books and reading widely around your topics of interest. Links Elizabeth's Lists - Lulah Ellender The Artists Way - Julia Cameron | |||
| 02 Mar 2022 | Doreen Cunningham on nature, climate change and motherhood | 00:36:22 | |
Doreen Cunningham began her a career as a climate science researcher and has spent the last 20 years as a journalist. Her memoir, Soundings: Journeys in the company of whales, is the story of her experiences follow the grey whale migration from Mexico to Alaska as a newly single parent with her very young son in tow. Woven into the book is the story of her time spent with an Inupiaq family in Northern Alaska, where she joined a traditional whale hunt and learnt about how climate change was already affecting artic communities. It's a memoir about love, wrestlessness, colonialism, motherhood and climate change. Doreen talks about the challenges and responsibility of writing about her experiences as a white person within an indigenous community, the urgent drive to write about climate change in a way that would resonate with readers and writing about science in an accessible, story driven way. Links Soundings: Journeys in the company of whales Society of Authors - Grants for work in progress | |||
| 28 Apr 2021 | Episode 11 - Author Annie Ridout on Shyness | 00:51:07 | |
Annie Ridout writes in multiple genres including non-fiction, poetry, journalism and now fiction. Her latest non-fiction book Shy: How being quiet can lead to success explores the positive aspects of shyness as well as how to manage some of the more challenging sides of it. We talk about embracing our natural personalities, expanding our comfort zones and dealing with rejection as a writer. We also dive in to the topic of platform building as a writer, Annie's slightly unusual route to publishing and juggling running a business with writing books and raising kids. It's a chock a block episode! Links Shy: How being quiet can lead to success - Annie Ridout Freelance Mum - Annie Ridout Redhead By The Side of The Road - Anne Tyler Confusion - Elizabeth Jane Howard You can find Annie Ridout on Instagram @annieridout You can see all the podcast reading recommendations at Bookshop.org | |||
| 21 Apr 2021 | Episode 10 - Reading to Write | 00:58:54 | |
Reading and writing go hand in hand. In their most conversational episode yet, Ali and Penny talk about what they read to inform their writing practice; and Ali discovers she owes Agatha Christie an apology. Some books act as guide books, others as inspiration, others as companions to the writing process, all are vital ways to breathe life and depth into writing, Ali and Penny unpick just how they use their reading to do this. Be warned, they talk about a lot of books, but you'll leave the episode feeling inspired and ready to tackle your current or next project. | |||
| 17 Feb 2021 | Episode 1 - Who are we and how on earth are we managing to write at the moment | 01:07:02 | |
In the first episode of Not Too Busy To Write, Ali and Penny introduce themselves and how they came to writing and ask the big question - how the hell are they managing to write at the moment? This episode was recorded in London in January 2021 during lockdown (not, as Penny accidentally says, January 2001!!!) and between them Ali and Penny have a whole lot of kids and complications. Books mentioned The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp The Rules Do Not Apply - Ariel Levy Other links Maggie O'Farrell interviewed by Stuart Kelly for EIBF Ali can be found on Instagram @ali_millar_writes and via her website alimillar.com Penny can be found on Instagram @pennywincer and via her website pennywincerwrites.com | |||
| 02 Aug 2023 | REPLAY: Abigail Bergstrom - literary agent and novelist | 00:43:11 | |
To sign up to the waitlist for Penny's next Non-Fiction Book Proposal Group Program visit pennywincerwrites.com Summer REPLAY series Abigail Bergstrom is a literary agent and consultant, former editor, and now debut novelist. What A Shame is a darkly funny novel about grief, friendship and dabbling in the occult. Abigail talks about the challenges of having a lot of knowledge of the industry whilst writing and having to take her agent hat off in order to write, removing the constraints that made writing feel like 'work' and being conscious of the exchange that happens when we give up other things in order to write on the side of a demanding full time job. Bergstrom Studio is a 360 degree literary consultancy, offering editorial consultancy and representation. As an agent Abigail represents multiple best selling authors and has some excellent advice for those who are going out on submission. Links What A Shame - Abigail Bergstrom Beautiful Country - Xian Julie Wang You can find Abigail on Instagram @abigailbergstrom and @bergstrom.studio You can sign up to Penny's newsletter at pennywincerwrites.com instagram @pennywincer | |||
| 20 Jul 2022 | Michelle Gallen on writing about community trauma with dark humour | 00:46:55 | |
Michelle Gallen is an Irish author raised in a border town in the north and now based in Dublin. Her first novel Big Girl, Small Town was short listed for the Costa First Novel Award, The Comedy Women in Print Award and An Irish Book Award. Her second novel Factory Girls, set in the summer of 1994 in a small town in Northern Ireland, as a group of friends await their A level results, wondering if they'll ever escape the deprived community they were born into. It's dark and incredibly funny. We talk about how growing up in a divided community where violence was normal and was dealt with by turning to dark humour and the differences between writing her first and second novel. We also talk about her recovery from a brain injury, the bursaries that allowed her to quit her day job in order to write and the importance of having people to champion and encourage your work. Links Factory Girls - Michell Gallen Big Girl, Small Town - Michelle Gallen Irish Arts Council Literature Project Award | |||
| 12 Mar 2025 | Aime McNee on why we need your art | 00:50:25 | |
Aime McNee is a writer and creativity coach and author of We Need Your Art - a look at the power and essential nature of creativity and how to kick start and maintain your own creative habits. From perfectionism to permission and the difficulty in finishing work, Aime talks about some of the big challenges and joys we experience as artists, and why it's worth spending our precious time on the process of creating. We Need Your Art is out 13th March This series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxag Listeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code’ button and add your voucher code NTBTW to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free! Links The Rules Upheld By No One - Aime McNee | |||
| 25 Oct 2023 | Kate Sawyer on second novels and career changes | 00:43:42 | |
Kate Sawyer is novelist and podcaster with a background in theatre producing and acting. Her first novel The Stranding was shortlisted for the Costa first novel award in 2021 and today we are talking about her second novel This Family. We talk about how her career in theatre has fed into her work as a novelist, genre expectations and how being a solo mother by choice made her rethink how she was going to earn a living and flex her creative muscles. Kate is the host of the wonderful podcast Novel Experience - if you are a fan of Not Too Busy To Write, then this is right up your street. Available on all your favourite podcast feeds. links Novel Experience podcast with Kate Sawyer Follow Kate on Instagram - @mskatesawyer Follow Penny on Instagram - @pennywincer | |||
| 15 Nov 2023 | Laura Bates on the power of storytelling in activism | 00:41:04 | |
Laura Bates is a Sunday Times Bestselling author, an activist and speaker. Laura founded the Everyday Sexism Project in 2012 and has gone on to write multiple best selling non-fiction books about gender equality. She has spoken in the United Nations, the Houses of Parliament, is regularly called on to provide evidence for parliamentary reports and has been awarded a British Empire Medal for her work on gender equality. Laura also writes Young Adult fiction and today we are discussing her latest novel Sisters of Sword and Shadow and why she's so passionate about writing for young people, the incredible power of storytelling and why activism needs fiction as well as non-fiction. Links Sisters of Sword and Shadow - Laura Bates Fix the System, Not the Women - Laura Bates Men Who Hate Women - Laura Bates Glitch Charity - Promoting Online Safety for women and girls
Not Too Busy To Write on Substack Penny on Instagram @pennywincer | |||