In Writing, Hattie Crisell
Hattie Crisell’s In Writing draws on her popular podcast of the same name. Its ten chapters each focus on a different writing-related query, from practicalities – ‘How do we find flow?’; ‘How do we survive the rewrite?’ – to more abstract topics such as ‘Where do ideas come from?’ and ‘What are the writer’s rewards?’ Short essays by Crisell are followed by observations from 55 authors who have appeared on her podcast. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, and include screenwriters, comedians, poets, non-fiction writers and novelists.
The book is full of good practical advice. Journalist Andrew Billen deftly summarises what makes a successful interview: ‘You have to think of good questions, put people in a frame of mind where they want to talk, and then find a way to write it entertainingly’. Novelist Kit de Waal urges aspiring authors to learn how to use ‘all the tools of your trade’, perhaps through creative writing courses. Both Crisell and novelist Anna Hope warn against unhealthy perfectionism: Crisell counsels against sitting around waiting for ‘a Big Idea’ (‘doing it […] is the only way to learn’) while Hope wryly notes that ‘You have to not need [your first draft] to be brilliant, because it’s not going to be’. And novelist Emily St John Mandel offers sound financial guidance in a world of shrinking authorial advances: ‘you have to go into writing novels with the assumption that you will also need to do something else’.
At the same time, In Writing highlights the individuality of authors’ experiences. Some find success early on, like novelist Ayòbámi Adébáyò, whose debut was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Others, like de Waal and Hope, had one or more beloved novels rejected before they found a publisher. Many have idiosyncratic writing routines, as the accounts of four novelists reveal: John Lanchester ‘can’t work in a tidy room’; David Nicholls needs quiet music to ease him into a day’s writing; Barbara Trapido gets her best work done at 4am; while Sathnam Sanghera finds a 5pm gin and tonic boost his productivity. But what unites all the authors featured in the book is their dedication to and delight in writing: an art which, in Crisell’s words, allows you both ‘to escape the world’ and ‘to understand and connect with others’ as well as to ‘make sense’ of life.
The sheer number of contributors can feel overwhelming, and prevents Crisell from exploring individual writers’ works – or literary genres – in much detail. Nevertheless, In Writing’s variety of voices and insights ensures it has much to offer to any aspiring author, and to all those fascinated by the craft of writing and the volatile literary world today.
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