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Join three success-starved wordwranglers as they stumble towards their shared ambition: to become proper writers! Learning from guests like bestselling authors and BAFTA-winning writers. Setting themselves writing tasks and trying to improve their craft. Discussing how to get past all the things that stop us writing. And hopefully taking you on a journey with them to become successful writers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sorry? Did you just say you'd love to enter an almost free* festive flash fiction competition to win £500? I thought you did! Well as coincidence would have it, that is exactly what we've got going on in this very episode. So step this way, my cheeky little word-purveyor, and cast your well oiled ears at our glorious 350 word Flash Fiction Competit…
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What is ergodic literature? Well, it's when a story becomes more than just something you read, and you become part of it. But pretend you haven't read that, so that you can find out from listening to this wonderful episode. In which, we have a chat with "S" co-author Doug Dorst and You Say Which Way author Deb Potter, in our quest to get to the bot…
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Should you treat yourself to a writing retreat? If you did it twice would you be re-treating yourself to a writing retreat? If you tweeted about treating yourself to a writers retreat would you be tweeting your re-treat of retreating to a retreat? And if you then re-tweeted your... OK, I'll stop. Tom & Jon not only answer the first of these pressin…
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Are you querying? or nearly querying? Maybe you’re fearing querying? Or merely getting weary and a bit teary querying? Well let’s hear from three writers who’ve been down in those querying trenches for a while now. Find out how they're approaching it, what agents' responses have been like and how they’re holding up under pressure. Because when it c…
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... What? Did 2 weeks just fly by since the last episode? No flippin' way. Time, I think, we had a chat about time. The fact that there's never enough of it. Especially for writing. Why is that? Well Oliver Burkeman might just have some answers. Prepare to face the subject of time and limitation face-on. Get ready to completely re-think how we view…
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Well, that’s the summer hiatus done with - and we're back with an episode which asks the question, "how do you know if your writing is good enough?" In an attempt to answer that question, we’re going to be looking at a couple of Tom’s flash fiction stories and asking if, why, and how, one of them is slightly less rubbish than the other. Both storie…
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Do you have what it takes to quit your day job and follow your dreams to become a full time author? Well, there's only one way to find out...and that's to listen to our interview with J C Duncan! Hear how he bravely decided to give himself a year to become a professional writer and, even bravelier, decided to tell everyone about it! Plus home made …
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A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet...but would he have written that line if he wasn't called Shakespeare? This week Jon, Tom and Dave (or possibly Rod, Jane and Freddy) look into pseudonyms, nom-de-plumes, pen names...and basically just being someone else for a bit. Does your name affect your chances of success? Does it even have a…
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A change is in the air here at Failing HQ. A scent on the wind, a signal that the new dawn will herald the arrival of long overdue success. This week, not only do Tom and Jon have a lovely chat with acclaimed author and current Richard and Judy Book Club pick Mike Gayle...but Jon also discusses his submissions to some actual writing competitions. A…
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If we were really clever, we'd have written the show notes for this week's episode in the form of a cryptic crossword clue in honour of our guest, Samuel Burr. We spoke to him about his debut novel "The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers", his frankly unbelievable journey to getting published and even had a chat about all things cryptic. But, unfortunatel…
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The average age of our guests this week is 64. Nothing too amazing about that you might say… until you find out the first of our two guests is in her mid-twenties! This week we ask, “Is there a best age to write?” Plus we enjoy a WIP from Geoffrey G N Harrison. And here’s a load of links… Check out Aline’s YouTube here! Here's Aline's Toktok Here's…
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Would you like a pun? Well, that's handy because this week we've been punning for gold and ended up with a bucket load. Director, writer and stand up comedian Darren Walsh chats to us about his career, the art of a good pun and whether AI will ever be funnier than him. Plus Jon comes up with what is almost certainly not an entirely new form of joke…
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Have you ever been to Scarfolk? It's a strange, yet hauntingly familiar place. Join us as we take a bus trip into the mind of the man who dreamt it all up, Richard Littler. Plus we take a look at another listener's bit o' writing they've kindly sent in to share with the class. This week we try and make Madelyn Postman cry... Find out more about Ric…
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If comedy writing is your thing, we've got a real treat for you. This week we talk to the super talented and rather prolific Robert Popper. From how he broke into the industry via Steve Coogan and The Comic Strip to his smash hit sitcom Friday Night Dinner. We also chat about Robin Cooper, The Timewaster Letters, South Park, Look Around You, and pl…
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The great Carl Reiner once said “Improvisation is just writing in front of an audience”. So we figured if we could brush up on our improv skills it's bound to make us better writers... right? This week improv extraordinaire, and official Comedy Store Player, Ruth Bratt talks to us about her life, her craft and the eating habits of her cat... before…
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Unfortunately we're not able to include show notes this week, for legal reasons. Thanks for listening. www.floraopil.com Find out more about Flora here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.由The Failing Writers Podcast
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Writing can be a solitary business. All those hours spent with nothing but a blank page and a bottomless coffee cup. On reflection we reckon it's probably good to interact with other human beings occasionally. It can stop you going full fruit-loops. (You know...dressing as your main character and wandering around the house talking to yourself.) It …
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Join Tom & Jon on another rambly exploration. This time we're off back to the 1840s to take a good, hard look at the Brontë sisters. Who were Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë? What were they like? How is it possible that three sisters all wrote so brilliantly? Why are they still so revered by readers across the world? and what was the deal with Bra…
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As an aspiring young writer it's easy to be put off by even the most well intentioned constructive criticism...what's not so easy is to revisit that critique many years later and be inspired to write a novel that has publishers literally fighting each other for the chance to print it. Join us for a fascinating interview as Jessica Bull, author of t…
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Aaaaaand we're back! The Failing Writers return for what some are calling the fourth season of this spectacular podcast. We look forward to a whole new smorgasbord of writing tips, challenges, goals and cock-ups plus a raft of interviews with some of the biggest names in the writing world. Starting with a real corker courtesy of writer, presenter a…
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Happy New Year Folks! We continue our seasonal ghost stories with a handful of listener-written tales. So gather around the hearth with us again as we bring you a selection of eerie yarns, to make your timbers shiver. Massive thanks to our fantastic contributors: AB Finlayson: https://abfinlayson.com Threads: a.b.finlayson Craig Margolis: X: @damnb…
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Please accept this as a most cordial invitation to accompany Jon, Tom and as yet unnamed guests for an evening of traditional ghost story telling. We have chosen the most atmospheric venue we could acquire at short notice and now request your company, to consummate this joyously Victorian Christmas night of heebiejeebies. Please bring only yourself…
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Alec Worley is an award-lacking (his own words!) author from South London. He writes comics, fiction and audio drama about swords, fangs and lasers. He’s best known for his work on 2000 AD (home of Judge Dredd), Star Wars, and for legendary horror director John Carpenter. He's one of those really annoyingly talented people, with an eye for story an…
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Out of the blue, someone sent us a game. A game all about words and etymology and language - the very stuff we LOVE. So, we decided that we'd get together and play the game to see if it's any good, and have a chat with the bloke who created it. That game is The League of the Lexicon. That bloke is Joshua Blackburn and this is the podcast where all …
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We couldn't let the amazing stories that made it to the final short-list go un-read and un-heard... so here they are. Plus there's a nice little chat with the overall winner of our £500 prize, Manu St Thomas. Enjoy!! Still not had your fix? Geddaload o' these beauties.... "God of Ramen" (shortlisted for a Flash Fiction Magazine competition in 2022)…
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NaNoWrimOhNo! It's that time of year again when words-per-day becomes the currency. So we thought we'd bring you even more words... Words of novel-writing wisdom! No, no... not from us... obviously. From novelist and longtime book editor Howard Mittelmark. Co-writer of How NOT to Write A Novel. A fantastic book full of the pitfalls most writers fal…
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With the help of two expert spookologists: Stephen Volk - horror writer & mastermind behind the BBCs infamous 'GHOSTWATCH', and Dr Ciaran O'Keeffe - famed ghostbuster & parapsychologist, we're attempting to figure out what gives us the heebie jeebies, so that we can all go away and write the world's GREATEST EVER GHOST STORY. That invitation extend…
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Well... there's a lot of talk about whether it's right or wrong to use AI to write your book for you. But that's not what this episode is about really. I mean, we touch on that and discuss it. You can't just ignore the moral questions, can you? But we mostly have a natter with Andy Stanton. An author of some repute. He's written a new book, using C…
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AND THE WINNER IS......... announced in the podcast. Plus the runners up and some highly commended entries, and as many of the superb entries that we can mention. It's been a brilliant comp this year - with some amazing stories submitted. Listen to see if you've won, and to hear the winning entries in all their glory! Huge thanks to our judge, Kath…
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October 14th is BOOKSHOP DAY! So here's a little episode... well... it started out as a little episode... to celebrate the humble bookshop. Jon visits his local store to find out more about the art of selling paper and ink. In the process discovering the formula for writing the quintessential indie bookshop bestseller. The boys share the names of t…
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This week we're out and about tracking down poetry for National Poetry Day 2023. We take to the Yorkshire hills in search of the Stanza Stones. Join us on our adventure and help us celebrate some of the work of our current Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. http://www.stanzastones.co.uk/ https://www.simonarmitage.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…
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Imagine being a writer and not actually writing! Oh wait. That's us. Imagine being a writer and NOT BEING ABLE TO WRITE! That was Oli. He had a 10 month long migraine that almost literally killed him. Listen to his fascinating story and hear how he tried to made sense of it all through his autofiction book: Train Lord. We talk about writing the tru…
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Hello again. This time out we're having a nice sit down with author Emma Healey. Her debut novel, Elizabeth is Missing, (which has been described as "bloody brilliant, honestly, you should read it Tom, it's funny and sad and intriguing. Proper mint it is.") has sold over a million copies and won the Costa First Novel Award. Plus it ended up being m…
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DO YOU LIKE WRITING? DO YOU LIKE FREE MONEY? WHAT ABOUT HILARIOUS AND GOBSMACKING PODCASTING? Yeah? Well then blummin' well enter the Failing Writers Podcast £500, 500 word Flash Fiction Competition in association with Scrivener, you noodle-face. PLUS make writing easier and go to https://www.literatureandlatte.com, Hit '+Add Discount' on the pay p…
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This time out we chat with award-winning, best-selling Patrick Ness. Author of young adult books, including The Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls - his newest book Different For Boys - as well as books for adults n all, like. https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/patrick-ness (Not to be confused with Patrick Nest, a bee keeper from Godalming…
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Well, in answer to the question in the title... we're not sure. We should have asked our guests really - because they are self-confessed word-nerds. Authors and language bloggers, Jess Zafarris and Paul Anthony Jones (you might know Paul as "Haggard Hawks") are two people obsessed with the roots, origins and use of language. So, we thought we'd bri…
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Hello there. Welcome to our little podcast. Do you like stories? Would you like to hear some now? Well click play, and you'll get to listen to loads of them! Somehow this episode has turned into a bit of a story-a-thon. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.由The Failing Writers Podcast
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You might know Mark Billingham as the prolific and award winning crime fiction author. We know him as a really nice bloke who we had a really lovely chat with. But we didn't think that even an interview as excellent as the one we enjoyed with Mark was enough for our amazing listeners. So, we also get stuck into another WIP, this time from listener …
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This time out we talk to middle-grade kids' author Jack Meggitt-Phillips. We chat about his big break, about badgers and sexy fizzy drinks bottles. You know, all the usual stuff. We also check out another WIP from a listener and... and... erm... well, that's about it really. Jack's details: https://twitter.com/meggittphillips?lang=en Some of Jack's…
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Last week we talked to Louise Voss, who spoke to us about her first agent, Joanna Frank. So, this week we talk to Joanna Frank, who speaks to us about Louise Voss. She also chats about her journey through the publishing industry, taking in pretty much every stop along the way. PLUS get some top tips for pitching and querying, as Joanna kindly share…
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Hello. Look at you reading the show notes! So... what have we got to tell you about? Erm, well, I guess the main bit is that we're talking to author Louise Voss this week. A bit back she tweeted that she was packing it all in because her enthusiasm balloon had been well and truly popped. We have a chat with her about that and other bits'n'bobs. The…
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Fancy going for a spin with us? ‘Cos we’re about to head off in this ole, beat up Cadillac. Laura Barton is at the wheel and she’s got the windows down and the radio up. Jon’s nodding seriously to the majestic growl of Johnny Cash and Tommy’s got his head out the window, forcing air up his nose like a blood hound. And we’re here and we’re alive and…
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Hello. Welcome to our limerick special! In celebration of National Limerick Day, on the 12th of May, we’ve had a good delve into where limericks came from, what they mean to people and we’ve even had a crack at writing some ourselves too. A huge thank you to our fantastic contributors: Fred Hornaday - https://kingoflimericks.com Doug Harris – limer…
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Eh up Chucks. Int’ episode this week, we bants wit’ Bard o’ Barnsley ‘imsen, like. Ye know the fella: that one who does all that poetry, and is ont’ wireless: BBC’s T’Verb. Yeah. Reight Yorkshire Talker ‘e is. Aye! That’s ‘im. Ian McMillan. There’s also some other little surprises for ya, which you’ll ‘ave to find out by usin’ yer lug’oles. Ian McM…
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This time out, we talk about Andy Stanton working with AI on his next book - and discuss whether that's a bit naughty of him or not. We also take a look at some work-in-progress that listener AB Finlayson was kind enough to share with us. And sandwiched between all that quality content, is a rather lovely interview with author (and self-confessed w…
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Hello again! This week we're having a chat with Stuart Turton, author of "The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" and "The Devil and the Dark Water". We also try to give some worthwhile feedback on work that one of our listeners has kindly sent in to us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
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Just a little episode, to say "Welcome to season 3". This week join Jon and Tom to have a chat about what it was like to (try and) work together on our Poker Night project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.由The Failing Writers Podcast
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Are you ready for a BRAND NEW SEASON of the Failing Writers Podcast? Of course you are!! Well... you'll need to wait a bit longer. We've got to finish the end of Season 2 first. We promised that we would write a sitcom and pitch it to a TV big-wig, and (rather surprisingly) that's exactly what we've done. Enjoy!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv…
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Some will be sad. Some may be happy for what has been. Many will call it an “end of an error”. Well, you know what, they might all be right. This week we share some of our old writing from years ago, as we bring season two to an end… ish. We say “ish”, because we promise to be back soon for a one-off special, in which we’ll be pitching our Poker Ni…
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Comedy star Lucy Porter joins us this week, to have a good old natter about comedy, quiz shows and cephaloporn. Plus she throws a few shiny pearls of wisdom in along the way too. Fancy seeing Lucy on tour? https://www.lucyporter.co.uk/gigs/ Fancy seeing Lucy in an embarrassing ad? Digital Cell Phones TV Commercial 2000 youtu.be Any other links we n…
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