The Writing Life

• The power of language: Eimear McBride on The City Changes Its Face

  In this episode of The Writing Life, novelist and screenwriter Eimear McBride on the power of language, and the ways literary fiction can evoke emotion and connection.   Eimear McBride is the award-winning author of four novels: A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, The Lesser Bohemians, Strange Hotel and The City Changes Its Face. Her debut novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing won the inaugural Goldsmiths Prize, Irish Novel of the Year, the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction, The Desmond Elliott Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award. The City Changes Its Face is a continuation of this novel, and follows an intense story of passion, jealousy and family.   She sits down with NCW's former Chief Executive and lover of books Chris Gribble to discuss the recently published The City Changes its Face, a continuation of her debut novel A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing. Together, they discuss the process of returning to characters and storylines previously written, her experience adapting her novel into a screenplay, and the machine of writing and publishing; going from the solitary task of writing to the hustle and bustle of book tours and literary events.

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• Writing strong female characters: Joanna Miller on The Eights

  In this episode of The Writing Life, writer Joanna Miller shares her insights into writing strong female characters in historical fiction.   Joanna Miller studied English at Exeter College, Oxford and later returned to the University to train as a teacher. After ten years in education, she set up an award-winning poetry gift business. She is an alum of our Escalator New Writing Fellowships, which helped her to transform her debut novel, The Eights, from a first draft to its final form. The Eights tells the story of Oxford University’s first admitted female students, and the unlikely, life-affirming friendship they form in their time there.   Joanna sits down with NCW Learning & Participation Producer Katie to discuss her debut novel, and the importance of exploring women's voices and experiences in historical fiction. They also touch on her research process, writing about friendship and found family, and the inspiration behind the characters and plot in The Eights.

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• The rise of romantasy with Sangu Mandanna

  This week on The Writing Life, we’re diving into the world of romantasy — a genre that blends the best of romance and fantasy. Romantasy novels have taken the publishing world by storm in recent years, with sales expected to hit a staggering $610 million in 2024. And on TikTok, the #Romantasy tag has amassed over 800 million views. What is it about these stories that captivate readers? And what makes romantasy such a rewarding genre to write? To help answer these questions, we’re thrilled to welcome novelist Sangu Mandanna to the podcast. Sangu is the author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom, and several other enchanting novels filled with magic, monsters, and myth. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a heartwarming and uplifting fantasy about an isolated witch who finds the chance to build a new family — and maybe even a new love. Her upcoming romantasy novel, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, will be published in July 2025.

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• Writing about sports and masculinity with George Harrison, Alex Allison, and Ashley Hickson-Lovence

  In this episode of The Writing Life, writers Alex Allison, George Harrison, and Ashley Hickson-Lovence share their insights into writing about sport and modern masculinity.   Alex Allison is a writer from London. He is the author of two novels, published by Dialogue. His second novel, Greatest of All Time, was released on 30th January 2025. With humour, heart and a touch of rebellion, Greatest of All Time explores queer love and the trials of growing up in the hyper-masculine world of sport.   George Harrison is a writer based in Norwich. His debut novel, Season, is published by Eye Books. Set on the terraces of a fictionalised football club and old through thirty-eight chapters – one for each game of the Premier League campaign – Season is a lyrical, hypnotic and gently uplifting study of loneliness and modern masculinity. He wrote Season while participating in our Escalator New Writing Fellowships.   Ashley Hickson-Lovence is a novelist, poet, literary critic and Lecturer of Creative Writing. His second novel Your Show, published by Faber in 2022, was shortlisted for the East Anglian Book Awards. Your Show is the thrilling story of one man’s pioneering efforts to make it, against the odds, to the very top of his profession as a football referee and beyond.   Together, they discuss their novels Greatest of All Time and Season, and how they capture the unifying role of football. They also touch on the framework of their novels, the importance of writing a novel that you would want to read, and the challenge of balancing modern masculinity with intimacy and vulnerability in their writing.

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• Developing your creative practice with Julia Bird

  In this episode of The Writing Life, writer, poetry programmer, and NCW Academy mentor Julia Bird shares her insights into developing your creative practice.   Julia Bird is a highly experienced poetry programmer who has worked for organisations including the Poetry School and The Poetry Society. As a freelancer, she’s worked for literary development agencies, festivals, publishers and magazines, and in arts, university and healthcare settings. Through her company Jaybird Live Literature she has produced eight Arts Council England-funded touring poetry shows; and she is the author or co-author of six poetry collections.   She sits down with NCW Programme Officer Ellie to discuss practical advice for those looking to pursue a creative career. Together, they explore how structured mentoring can help writers to develop their practice, guidance for bringing out the vibrancy of your ideas in funding applications, and the barriers writers and creatives may face along the way.   If you're interested in learning more from Julia, go to nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/mentoring/ to book a mentoring session with her now.

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