London Writers' Salon

Parul Bavishi, Matthew Trinetti
  • 4.9 (67)
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A deep dive into the habits, mindsets, tools, craft secrets and creative practices bestselling writers use to write novels, plays, poetry, and articles. Hosted by the co-founders of the London Writers' Salon, Matt & Parul.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

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

    Debut novelist Rebecca Fallon on ambition, motherhood, crafting dual timelines, and writing a novel built around the person who isn't there. We discuss Why quitting a stable job to write a novel can be framed as a calculated bet rather than a leap of faith. How to prototype the writer's life before fully committing to it. What genre fiction can teach a literary novelist about plotting and structure. How a single late-stage scene revealed who the actual protagonist of the book had been all along. The unsexy spreadsheet work behind a novel that moves between timelines. A method for getting inside a child's consciousness on the page. Why each character has to serve a distinct function—and what happens to the ones that don't. How music, photographs, and even PowerPoint can become tools for holding a character's voice. The difference between flow-state writing and the surgical work that comes after. What changes when you stop drafting airy scenes and start asking what each scene needs to earn its place. About Rebecca Fallon Rebecca Fallon is a New England-born Londoner and a graduate of Williams College and the University of Oxford. Family Drama is her debut novel. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    55 min

  2. 2 MAY

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

    Bestselling author Steven Pressfield on what it means to have a creative calling, battling resistance, the role of faith in writing, and his memoir Govt Cheese. A remastered version of episode #058. You'll learn: Why a typewriter sat untouched in the back of a van for seven years before becoming a career. How self-sabotage shows up at the finish line, not just at the start. A rule of thumb for telling resistance apart from legitimate doubt. Why the more important a project is, the more terrifying it should feel. When you can finally write about pain, and why distance matters more than rawness. How an idea for a book might arrive as a single sentence and refuse to leave. A one-page method for outlining a novel, and why one page is enough. What John Keats's concept of negative capability can teach a writer in the dark middle of a draft. The metaphor that reframes writers as delivery drivers rather than creators. Why faith in the muse matters most when the writing feels too good to be your own. Resources & Links 📄 Transcript (unedited) Govt Cheese The War of Art Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t "This Might Not Work" – Seth Godin The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler Steve's 'passage through the wilderness' series on Instagram The Creative Act by Rick Rubin The Foolscap Method Instagram videos John Keats's concept of 'Negative Capability' Joanna Penn About Steven Pressfield Steven Pressfield (@SPressfield) is the author of The War of Art, which has sold over a million copies globally and been translated into multiple languages. He is a master of historical fiction, with Gates of Fire being on the required reading list at West Point and the recommended reading list of the Joint Chiefs. His other books include A Man at Arms, Turning Pro, Do the Work, The Artist's Journey, Tides of War, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Last of the Amazons, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, The Profession, The Lion's Gate, The Warrior Ethos, The Authentic Swing, An American Jew, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, The Knowledge, and his memoir Govt Cheese. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    59 min

  3. 25 APR

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

    Debut novelist Debra Curtis on teaching herself to write by copying poems by hand as a dyslexic child, using contemporary novels as craft manuals to learn structure, meeting the Dalai Lama, the importance of radical forgiveness & publishing her first novel in her sixties after years of rejection.  You'll learn: Why copying poems by hand into a composition notebook secretly teaches a dyslexic child to write. The hospital-bed moment with her dying father that became a three-decade family motto. A vision at a marina, a prescription bottle, and the woman who became her protagonist. What hundreds of rejections actually teach you about persistence. Using contemporary novels as instructional guides while drafting your own. How a psychic’s prophecy and a chance encounter in Paris both pointed toward the same agent. Finding your future agent’s name in the acknowledgments of a book you’ve never read. The big editorial note that hurts to hear, and why listening anyway is still the right call. Radical forgiveness as the emotional heart of a novel. The writing ritual built around a sleep mask, noise-cancelling headphones, and a sound machine. Resources & Links: 📄 Interview Transcript The Freeing of The Dust by Denise Levertov Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Publisher’s Marketplace Debra’s Instagram Debra’s TikTok About Debra Curtis: Debra Curtis is a retired professor of cultural anthropology at Salve Regina University, where she specialised in gender and sexuality. This is her first novel. She is the mother of grown-up twin girls and lives in Rhode Island with her husband and her English bulldog, Harry, who is the star of much of her TikTok content. TikTok: @EnglishHarry; FB: @DebCurtis; Instagram: @Deb.curtis.906. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    59 min

  4. 20 APR

    #190: Writing Hits for the Screen — Hannah Bos (Somebody Somewhere), Kim Krizan (Before Sunrise), Selina Lim (Sex Education) on Writing Partnerships, Character-First Screenwriting, Life in the Writers’ Room (Compilation)

    Screenwriters Hannah Bos (HBO’s Somebody Somewhere), Kim Krizan (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset) and Selina Lim (Sex Education, Hanna) on building writing partnerships, developing characters from the inside out, and finding your way into a writers’ room.   You'll learn Why a writing partnership only works when you can separate your ego from your ideas. How seven years of making weird theatre in Brooklyn quietly set the stage for an HBO show. What it takes to write a quiet, character-driven show in a TV landscape built for plot. How a master’s thesis on a diarist turned into one of the most beloved screenplays of the nineties. How Before Sunrise was built from index cards on a living room floor. Why thinking about the product kills the work, and what to focus on instead. The case for starting with character before plot, and letting the story follow. What breaking into TV actually looks like. How to set the tone in a writers’ room so the ridiculous ideas can surface. A practical approach to dialogue. Episode Links #070: Hannah Bos — Writing TV From The Heart, HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, Artistic Partnerships, Writing Friendships For The Screen #99: Kim Krizan — Writing 'Before Sunrise' series, Crafting Memorable Characters For Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy & Other Screenwriting Tips #013: Selina Lim — Writing Authentic Dialogue for TV, Writing about Sex, Love & Drama, and A Peek Into a Writers’ Room About the Guests Hannah Bos is a Brooklyn based writer who, along with her writing partner Paul Thureen, is the creator and showrunner of HBO’s Somebody Somewhere. The first season received an AFI Award and Peabody nomination, and Hannah and Paul were nominated for a 2022 Humanitas Prize for Comedy Teleplay for the pilot episode. Together they have also written for HBO’s High Maintenance and Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay for their feature Driveways (dir. Andrew Ahn), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Along with Oliver Butler, Hannah and Paul were founders and co-Artistic Directors of The Debate Society, a multiple-Obie award-winning, Brooklyn-based theatre company. As an actor, Hannah has received a Drama Desk Award and Lortel Nomination. Contact: www.hannahbos.com Kim Krizan is the Academy Award-nominated writer of the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Her book Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatale is a tongue-in-cheek examination of history’s dangerous women. She is also the author of Spy in the House of Anaïs Nin, an analysis of the life of the 20th-century rule-bending diarist. Krizan’s work has been hailed as insightful, penetrating, and profound. She lives and writes in Los Angeles, California. You can find her on Instagram and Patreon. Contact: www.instagram.com/kimkrizan Selina Lim is a BAFTA and BIFA-nominated screenwriter, with credits on Sex Education (Eleven/Netflix) and Hanna (Amazon/NBC). Her short films include Painkiller (BBC/B3 Media) starring Benedict Wong, Keeping Up with the Joneses (BFI/Lighthouse) with Maxine Peake and Adeel Akhtar, and BBC Studios/Green Door’s Five By Five starring Ruth Madeley. Selina has also written for Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures/Channel 4) and was in the writers’ room for The Night Manager Series 2 (The Ink Factory/AMC). Contact: www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/selina-lim For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    1hr 7min

  5. 10 APR

    #189: Juliet Mushens — Building Bestselling Writer Careers, Decoding Agent Feedback, and Why Writing for the Market Rarely Works

    Literary agent Juliet Mushens on what makes her offer representation, how she builds bestselling careers from debut to long-term success, and why writers need a life outside of publishing. We discuss Why tension is the single most important quality an agent looks for in any genre of fiction. How personalized feedback from an agent signals you’re closer than you think. The editorial conversation that happens when an agent offers representation. What to consider when choosing between multiple agent offers, and why gut matters more than questionnaires. How some of today’s biggest bestsellers had their first and second books rejected — and what changed. Why writing for the market rarely produces the best books, and how to hold the tension between passion and positioning. The publishing myths that refuse to die, from social media requirements to green book covers. How agents negotiate contracts and why an escape clause matters. The concept of inconvenience over convenience and what it means for writers in the age of AI. Why building a sense of esteem outside writing is essential to surviving the highs and lows of publishing. Resources & Links 📄Interview Transcript Mushens Entertainment Submissions Mushens Entertainment Blog Get Started in Writing Young Adult Fiction by Juliet Mushens Juliet Instagram  Mushens Entertainment Instagram About Juliet Mushens Juliet Mushens has been an agent for over a decade. More than a dozen of her clients are Sunday Times bestsellers, with half a dozen claiming the number one slot in the last two years alone. Her clients include million-copy no. 1 bestseller Jessie Burton, multi-million copy NY Times bestseller Taran Matharu, and record-breaking multi-million copy no. 1 bestseller Richard Osman. The Times ran a piece recognising her as the first agent to represent the number 1, 2, and 3 UK bestsellers in the same week: ‘Star literary agent first to top the charts three times’, a feat she repeated in 2022. Juliet sits on the advisory board of Book Brunch, is currently President of the British Fantasy Society, and sits on the board of the Women’s Prize Trust. You can find her on Twitter as @mushenska. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    1hr 8min

  6. 4 APR

    #188: Josh Ritter — Songwriting as Exploration, Working Across Art Forms, Inviting the Muse In, and Sharing Work in Public

    Singer-songwriter and author Josh Ritter on writing songs for the muse instead of waiting for it, letting creative ideas find their shape across songwriting, painting, and fiction, and building a sustainable creative life over more than two decades. We discuss: Writing for the muse instead of waiting for it. Why working across multiple art forms keeps each one alive. The craft behind a single narrative song, from first image to finished track. Balancing creative compulsion with everyday life. What sharing work publicly teaches you about your own work. How the relationship between an artist and their audience evolves over decades. Mental health and the myth of the tortured creative. Getting through the dead stretch when nothing seems to come. The campfire model of building a creative career. Resources & Links: 📄Interview Transcript Josh’s Substack Hello Starling I Believe in You, My Honeydew  Truth is a Dimension (Both Invisible and Blinding) About: Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, musician, artist, and author. He performs and records with The Royal City Band. He writes on Substack at  Josh Ritter’s Book of Jubilations. His latest album, I Believe In You, My Honeydew, is out now. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    59 min

  7. 28 MAR

    #187: Lidia Yuknavitch — The Art of Memoir & Writing from the Body, Plus Breaking Narrative Form and Finding Core Metaphors

    Novelist, memoirist, and Corporeal Writing founder Lidia Yuknavitch on writing from the body, finding form in the natural world, and why the stories we need most come from the places we’ve been afraid to go. We discuss: Why the element that makes you vibrate — water, forest, rock, wind — might be the key to unlocking your creative access path. How to find your core metaphors through a body-based meditation practice. A practical portal for memoir writers. Why abandoning linear plot doesn’t mean abandoning form. The difference between prompts and portals. Why writers who’ve survived the hardest things carry a skillset the rest of the world urgently needs right now. A reframe for anyone afraid of writing badly. Resources & Links 📄Interview Transcript Corporeal Writing The Chronology of Water Thrust Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison She Had Some Horses by Jo Harjo Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich Writers’ Hour About Lidia Yuknavitch is the National Bestselling author of four novels: Thrust, The Book of Joan, Dora: A Headcase, and The Small Backs of Children, winner of the 2016 Oregon Book Awards Ken Kesey Award for Fiction as well as the OBA Reader’s Choice Award. She has also published a critical book on war and narrative, Allegories Of Violence (Routledge). The Misfit’s Manifesto, a book based on her recent TED Talk, was published by TED Books in 2017. Verge, a collection of short fiction, was released in 2020. Her widely acclaimed memoir The Chronology of Water was adapted for film directed by Kristen Stewart. Her newest memoir, Reading the Waves, was published by Riverhead books in 2025. She founded the workshop series Corporeal Writing in Portland Oregon, where she teaches both in person and online. She received her doctorate in Literature from the University of Oregon. She is a very good swimmer. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    54 min

  8. 22 MAR

    #186: Jennifer Breheny Wallace — The Science of Mattering, Outrunning Your Inner Critic, Building a Writing Life Around Deep Work

    Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Jennifer Breheny Wallace on mattering, resilience through relationships, and the writing practices behind two New York Times bestselling nonfiction books. You’ll learn Why resilience as a writer has far less to do with self-care routines and far more to do with the people you surround yourself with. How to tell whether your idea is a series of articles or a book, and what structural test separates one from the other. A practical way to ask for feedback on your writing that actually leads to useful criticism instead of vague encouragement. Why putting yourself in a nonfiction book can transform it, even if every journalistic instinct tells you not to. The writing schedule that let a journalist with three kids produce two bestselling books, and why it starts at 4AM. Why your inner critic tends to sleep in, and how to take advantage of the hours before it wakes up. A visual trick involving artist sketches that can help you push through the frustration of early drafts. What a lesson from Morley Safer at 60 Minutes reveals about the tension between accuracy and storytelling in nonfiction. The surprising research behind mattering and why it goes deeper than self-esteem, belonging, or purpose on their own. A 30-second daily practice that can help you reconnect to your sense of purpose when long-term projects leave you feeling stuck. Resources & Links 📄Interview Transcript The Mattering Movement Mattering by Jennifer Breheny Wallace Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace Lives Well Lived Podcast Episode w/ Jennifer Breheny Wallace Julia Cameron on LWS Podcast The Oprah Podcast w/Jennifer Breheny Wallace Subscribe to Jennifer’s Newsletter Jennifer’s IG About Jennifer Breheny Wallace Jennifer Wallace is an award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — And What We Can Do About It, which was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year. Wallace has contributed to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Jennifer began her journalism career in television at “60 Minutes”. She lives in New York City. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. * FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

    58 min
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Parul Bavishi, Matthew Trinetti
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2020-2024, London Writers' Salon
  • Show Website
    London Writers' Salon

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