How do you support your writing tribe? We chat about shout outs, buying books, ways to participate in the industry and Katherine’s upcoming debate for Radio National at The State Library.
We shout out to some of our fave local bookstores including Eltham Bookshop, Pickwick & Sprout in Hurstbridge and Readings, Carlton and we implore our listeners to BUY BOOKS for Christmas gifts (our criteria tends to be local authors, not bestsellers!). Katherine mentions Nina Kenwood‘s fabulous list of recommended reading.
Then Kate fangirls speaks to Sydney writer, Charlotte Wood.
Charlotte Wood is the Sydney based author of six novels and two books of non-fiction. Her first novel, Pieces of a Girl was published to critical acclaim in 1999. Her fifth novel, The Natural Way of Things, won the 2016 Stella Prize, the 2016 Indie Book of the Year and Novel of the Year, was joint winner of the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction and was the University of Canberra Book of the Year for 2019.
Charlotte’s non-fiction works include The Writer’s Room, a collection of interviews with authors about the creative process, and Love & Hunger, a book about cooking.
In 2019 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant services to literature, and was named one of the Australian Financial Review‘s 100 Women of Influence. Charlotte’s latest novel is The Weekend.
The conversation is wide-ranging and includes Charlotte discussing:
- the experience of rejection of her second novel and how it undid her
- her creative process
- fear and shame in writing
- ‘fallow periods’ – as described by Vikki Hastrich in her wonderful book Night Fishing
- talking to writers for The Writers Room and what she learned (more on this in The Guardian)
- her much shared 2016 Stella speech where Charlotte describes why she writes
- opening up her writing process during her Charles Perkins residency
- how to create narrative tension
You can find a bunch of excellent resources on Charlotte’s website and check out courses with The Creativity Clinic.
The First Time podcast 
2 thoughts on “Supporting other writers & Charlotte Wood on rejection, writing craft and bodies of work”