S08 E08 Jo-Anne Richards
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Jo-Anne Richards burst onto the literary scene back in 1996 with the iconic novel THE INNOCENCE OF ROAST CHICKEN. Recently reprinted, this story has been loved by thousands over the years.
Jo-Anne joins Fiona and Gail to talk about how that book changed her life and to tell us about the inspiration behind her upcoming work of non-fiction - MEN I HAVE KNOWN.
She describes what she has learned in her many years as a writing tutor and shares some of her least favourite writing peeves.
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Jo-Anne joins Fiona and Gail to talk about how that book changed her life and to tell us about the inspiration behind her upcoming work of non-fiction - MEN I HAVE KNOWN.
She describes what she has learned in her many years as a writing tutor and shares some of her least favourite writing peeves.
For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/icon/the-hidden-lives-of-writers-newsletter-signup
Ask your writing-related questions here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8i1_vFmUwsd7E_nvPgQOtqEscvZIircT0imdHm_qYJK5eXA/viewform
Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you. Please join the conversation here:
Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com
Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod
Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod
YouTube: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters
Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction and Writing Week Check-in
- 05:00 Travelers, Silo, and What We've Been Watching
- 06:00 The Disappearers by Marlon James - Booker Contender
- 09:20 Introducing Jo-Anne Richards
- 10:40 Writing in Mauritius - Editing and Cover Wrangling
- 13:45 Daily Writing Rituals and Superstitions
- 15:20 Protecting Your Writing Time
- 16:30 Flow States vs Plodding - Which Produces Better Work
- 17:30 Hyper-focus, ADHD, and Deep Work
- 18:20 Fiction vs Nonfiction - Is the Process Different
- 19:45 Early Life and the Dream of Being a Writer
- 21:30 How a Friend's Challenge Started The Innocence of Roast Chicken
- 24:20 Getting an Agent and Landing a Two-Book Deal in London
- 27:00 Post-Apartheid South African Writing and a New Wave of Freedom
- 32:30 The Sunday Times Attack and Its Emotional Fallout
- 38:40 All About Writing - How the Course Began
- 41:50 What the Course Teaches - Skills, Guidelines, and Subversion
- 44:00 Mentoring, Success Stories, and the Achievement of Finishing a Book
- 47:40 Doggedness as the Most Important Writer Attribute
- 48:30 Does Teaching Writing Drain Your Creative Energy
- 49:10 After The Imagined Child - A PhD, Breast Cancer, and Five Years of Silence
- 52:30 The New Book: Men I Have Known - On Love, Power, and Everything in Between
- 58:55 Quickfire Round - Plotter or Pantser, Point of View, Grammar Peeves
- 01:02:10 The Impact of AI on Creative Writing Students
- 01:03:25 What Jo-Anne Is Reading Right Now
- 01:06:25 Closing Reflections and Key Takeaways
