The Writing Life
Hosted by Holly Ainley and Lucy May · National Centre for Writing
4.7from 73 ratings
- 259
- Episodes
- 18
- Transcribed
- 73
- Ratings
- Bi-weekly
- Cadence
- 2019
- First episode
About The Writing Life
We’re a podcast for anyone who writes. Every week we talk to writers about their writing journeys and techniques, from early career debuts to self-publishers and narrative designers. We’ve featured Margaret Atwood, Jackie Kay, Sara Collins, Antti Tuomainen, Val McDermid, Sarah Perry, Elif Shafak and many more! The Writing Life is produced by the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich.
- Publisher
- National Centre for Writing
- Category
- arts · education · leisure
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 6 Mar 2019
- Latest episode
- 19 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
18 of 259 episodes have a transcript.
19 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Writing across locations: Dieter Rogiers on research, writing formulas, and international settings
5 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
The magic of storytelling: Isabel Allende on crafting stories
21 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
The anthropology of storytelling: Archaeology, liminality & the body with Ruthy Mason
Inside a recent episode
Writing across locations: Dieter Rogiers on research, writing formulas, and international settings
Published 19 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Because in this short story, the protagonist is a writer of thrillers. And he sort of reflects on the highs and lows of being a thriller writer. And he also talks about the recipe for a good thriller down to just like the most basic ingredients that are always needed and how he also sort of gets tired of reusing those ingredients. I wanted to ask you if you genuinely believe that there is a formula for a good thriller, if it's as simple as that. I think there is a formula, yes. But it comes with some caveats. Look, even when you sit down determined to break the formula and then you reread what you have written like a couple of months later, you'll start to notice, wait a minute, I was following a formula, but maybe not the one I was expecting to follow. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on The Writing Life
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Dieter Rogiers
- Isabel Allende
- Ruthy Mason
- Charlotte Goff
- Polly Barton
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.6 / 5
- 31 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.8 / 5
- 42 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 41 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 62
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 0
- Engagement
- 51
Contact The Writing Life
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about The Writing Life
Who hosts The Writing Life?
Holly Ainley and Lucy May host the show. Published by National Centre for Writing.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does The Writing Life take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
18 of 259 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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