The Writing Life

National Centre for Writing
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We’re a podcast for anyone who writes. Every week we talk to writers about their writing journeys and techniques, from early career debuts to self-publishers and narrative designers. We’ve featured Margaret Atwood, Jackie Kay, Sara Collins, Antti Tuomainen, Val McDermid, Sarah Perry, Elif Shafak and many more! The Writing Life is produced by the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich.

  1. -4 J

    Writing dystopian fiction: Matt Greene on The Definitions

    In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, novelist and essayist Matt Greene shares the process of writing his latest novel, The Definitions – a work of dystopian fiction which interrogates and plays with the relationship between language, memory and the self.   Matt is a novelist and essayist. His first novel, Ostrich, published in 2013, won a Betty Trask Award and was a Daily Telegraph book of the year. His memoir, Jew(ish) was published in 2020. His latest novel, The Definitions, was published in October 2025. He lives in London with his partner and two sons.   The Definitions is an elegant and haunting dystopian novel about a group of individuals gathered to relearn how to navigate the world after a mysterious illness strips them of their memories.    He sat down with NCW’s Steph McKenna to discuss the genesis of the novel, which began as a philosophical experiment, and how working within the dystopian genre allowed him to explore how language shapes identity. They also touch on his approach to writing characters who lack memory or a sense of self, and how their gradual understanding of the world was conveyed through a playful, vivid use of simile and metaphor.

    53 min

  2. 26 JANV.

    Writing speculative fiction: Choo Yi Feng on ecology, world building, and creating mysterious characters

    In this episode of The Writing Life, Singapore-based writer Choo Yi Feng shares his approach to writing speculative fiction.   Choo Yi Feng is an intertidal explorer, climate activist, ecologist and fiction writer. The Waiting Room is his debut short story collection. Elsewhere, his short stories have previously been published in Foglifter Journal, Anathema: Spec from the Margins, Queer Southeast Asia and Alluvium, the journal of Literary Shanghai. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2022. His residency in the Dragon Hall Cottage was supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore.   He sat down with writer and mentor Simon K Jones to discuss world building in speculative fiction, and how his work blends elements of science-fiction, horror, mythology, and more. Together, they touch on his month-long residency in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature, his method for developing mysterious, compelling characters, and how his interest in the sea and sea animals translates in his stories.

    44 min

  3. 12 JANV.

    Poets in conversation: John Osborne & Lewis Buxton on performance, humour, and place

    In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, writers and performers John Osborne and Lewis Buxton share insights on writing poetry for page and performance, and reflect on their lives as poets living and working in Norwich City of Literature.   John Osborne is a poet, scriptwriter, broadcaster and theatre-maker. He began writing whilst studying at the University of East Anglia and has never stopped, producing an eclectic mix of poetry, storytelling theatre shows, non-fictional explorations of everything from radio to the charms of the seaside and even a Sky One sitcom, After Hours. His latest collection of poems To Make People Happy was published in June 2025, and looks at happiness.   Lewis Buxton is a writer and theatre maker. His work has appeared in The Independent, Poetry Review, The Rialto, Ambit and Magma amongst others. He has won the Winchester Poetry Prize, received the UEA Literary Festival Bursary and is the Co-Director of TOAST. His first collection Boy in Various Poses was published by Nine Arches Press in 2021. His second collection Mate Arias was published in July 2025, and is a unique celebration of the tenderness and love that can be communicated by men.   Together, they discuss their poetry collections To Make People Happy and Mate Arias, and their themes of happiness, connection, and communication. Touching on everything from Norwich’s influence on their writing to how their performances subvert and expand expectations of what poetry is, this is an open conversation about finding inspiration, writing the absurd and surreal, and experimenting with form, rhythm, and structure.

    55 min

  4. 29/12/2025

    New year, new writing goals: Julia Crouch on getting started, finding inspiration, and writing what excites

    In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, crime writer and NCW tutor Julia Crouch welcomes the New Year with us and shares her advice and encouragement for the writing year ahead.   Julia is the author of ten internationally published crime novels, including Cuckoo, Tarnished, The Long Fall, and Her Husband’s Lover. Unable to find a sub-genre of crime writing that neatly described her work, she came up with the term Domestic Noir, which is now widely accepted as the label for one of the most popular crime genres today.   Julia has been a Visiting Fellow on the UEA MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction and teaches online for Faber Academy and the National Centre for Writing. She co-runs the Brighton Crime Wave, a bi-monthly crime fiction night.   She sat down with NCW’s Holly Ainley to discuss the different ways to be a writer, and to share her advice for getting started and staying motivated. Together, they discuss the benefits of cultivating a daily writing habit, finding inspiration in unexpected places, and being kind to yourself in the pursuit of your goals.   Get a head start on your writing goals with NCW Academy, the home for creative writers. You can find out more about our workshops, courses, free resources, and more at nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/academy.

    43 min

  5. 15/12/2025

    Writing festive thrillers: Nicola Upson on The Christmas Clue

    In this festive episode of The Writing Life Podcast, crime writer Nicola Upson delves into the themes and appeal of crime novels set at Christmas.   Nicola Upson’s debut, An Expert in Murder, was the first in a series of crime novels to feature Josephine Tey — one of Britain’s finest Golden Age crime writers – and was dramatised for BBC Radio 4. Several of Nicola’s novels have been listed for the CWA Gold and Historical Daggers, and Sorry for the Dead was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. Praised as a ‘perfect Christmas crime story’ by Elly Griffiths, her latest novel The Christmas Clue was published in September 2025.   She sat down with NCW’s Caitlin Evans to discuss The Christmas Clue, and how she tackled balancing festive cheer with page-turning twists and deceptive characters. Together, they touch on writing fiction inspired by real people, what drew her to writing a Christmas crime novel, and how to develop the ideal festive setting for a murder mystery.

    42 min

  6. 17/11/2025

    What is ‘experimental fiction’?: Clara Chow on travelling, writing about taboo subjects, and having fun

    In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Singapore-based writer Clara Chow delves into the world of 'experimental fiction' and why she takes on projects that push against the grain.   Clara Chow works across genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her strange experiments under Hermit Press include obscure prose chapbooks such as The Melancholy of Broken Bollards. She has been a resident at the University of Iowa, Toji Cultural Center, Asean Literary Festival and Shanghai Writers’ Programme. Her residency in the Dragon Hall Cottage was supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore.   She sits down with writer and mentor Megan Bradbury to discuss how she defines ‘experimental fiction’, and the importance of prioritising fun with your creative writing. Together, they touch on her month-long residency in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature, writing as a collaborative project, and the role bilingualism plays in her creative work.

    56 min

  7. 03/11/2025

    Writing grief and the body: Lisabelle Tay & Heather Parry in conversation with Yan Ge

    In this Halloween-flavoured episode of The Writing Life Podcast, we’re resharing an illuminating discussion between writers Lisabelle Tay and Heather Parry on writing grief and the monstrous body.   Heather Parry is a Glasgow-based writer and editor, originally from South Yorkshire. Her debut novel, Orpheus Builds a Girl, was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award and longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. She is also the author of a short story collection, This Is My Body, Given For You, and her first nonfiction book, Electric Dreams: On Sex Robots and the Failed Promises of Capitalism, was released in 2024 as part of 404 Ink’s Inklings series.   Lisabelle Tay is the author of Pilgrim (The Emma Press, 2021). She writes poetry, fiction, and screenplays. Her work appears in Bad Lilies, Sine Theta Magazine, and elsewhere, and she was part of the 2023 Black List Feature Lab.   They sit down with Yan Ge, author of Strange Beasts of China, to explore how the body and the bodily serve as powerful lenses for examining trauma, grief, and the experience of inhabiting perspectives and bodies beyond our own.   This event, supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore, was recorded in May 2025 for The Global Page. The Global Page is a unique series of online global conversations featuring internationally acclaimed and emerging writers and translators. You can find more conversations like this on our website at nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk

    54 min

  8. 20/10/2025

    Writing flawed characters: Sarah Moss on Ripeness

    In this episode of The Writing Life, acclaimed British author and academic Sarah Moss (known for Ghost Wall and Summerwater) joins us to discuss her latest novel, Ripeness, ‘a breathtaking story of love and the search for belonging, from 1960s Italy to present-day Ireland.’ Sarah reflects on the novel’s dual structure, which follows Edith both as a young girl and as an older woman, and explores how dance, movement, and the body shape the story’s emotional core. She also talks about her fascination with flawed characters and considers what it means (or doesn’t mean!) to be a ‘political’ writer. Sarah Moss has written several novels including the Sunday Times top ten bestseller Summerwater (being adapted for television by Channel 4) and Ghost Wall, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize. She has also written two works of memoir, Names for the Sea, an account of her year living in Iceland, and My Good Bright Wolf which will also be published in Spring 2025. Sarah Moss was born in Glasgow and grew up in the north of England. After moving between Oxford, Canterbury, Reykjavik, west Cornwall and the Midlands, she now lives in Dublin.

    42 min
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À propos

We’re a podcast for anyone who writes. Every week we talk to writers about their writing journeys and techniques, from early career debuts to self-publishers and narrative designers. We’ve featured Margaret Atwood, Jackie Kay, Sara Collins, Antti Tuomainen, Val McDermid, Sarah Perry, Elif Shafak and many more! The Writing Life is produced by the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich.

Informations

  • Création
    National Centre for Writing
  • Années d’activité
    2011 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    200
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
  • Site web de l’émission
    The Writing Life

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