Interview with Helen Callaghan - Sunday Times Best Seller and Stationery Freak

Stationery Freaks

How excited were we when, Sunday Times Best Selling psychological thriller author, Helen Callaghan agreed to be on the podcast?

Helen is a stationery freak, so we dug into her process of writing, typewriters, book soundtracks, choosing colours for books, Moleskines, writing retreats and more.

It was a real joy and we’re sure you’ll be inspired and motivated and learn a lot about the world of writing books.

Some quotes from the show:

• “Self-consciousness is the enemy of creativity”
• On Fountain Pens - “There’s something wonderfully technical about them”
• On writing retreats - “This is what I’m doing now and I’m concentrating on this”
• “You create a plan for the chapter, and then you don’t follow it.”
• “Work on it every day, be engaged in it and a synthesis happens between things in your head.”
• “Inspiration has to be summoned”

Here’s what we covered:

1. NaNoWriMo - and Helen’s engagement in it
2. How stationery still has an important role in Helen’s life and book writing process
3. Why seeing what you crossed out on paper is important
4. Why choosing a colour scheme for a book being written is important - and how Helen does this
5. Mood boards and music playlists
6. The importance, joy and process of writing retreats. Helen mentions Gladstones writing retreats.
7. How Helen plans and plots out a book - and why sometimes she often doesn’t stick to the plan
8. Why writing plots and twists in a book often surprises herself with where it goes!

You can find out more about Helen, including her social media and published books here on her website.

Thanks

Rob and Helen