The Riff Raff Podcast: Writers community | Debut authors | Getting published

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to debut author, Stephanie Scott, about her beautiful novel, What's Left of Me is Yours. They discuss how to effectively write about people falling in love, how to take inspiration from real life and craft it into your own narrative, and how to effectively combine extensive research with letting your novel guide you. Stephanie's novel is out now! Music: www.bensound.com.

Debut author and Founder of The Riff Raff, Amy Baker chats to Alex Allison, author of The Art of the Body - a novel about the relationship between a young artist and his carer. They discuss how to approach writing about disability, how theme informs plot and character informs theme, and how Alex used SMART targets to get his novel written around a hectic day job. They also touch on how to use events to drive a novel forwards, whether you need to define the 'wants' of your characters and how writing to make people think you're clever is a huge error. Music by www.bensound.com.

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Kiley Reid, author of Such a Fun Age - a novel that tells the story of a young black girl wrongly accused of kidnapping a white child and the events that follow. Amy and Kiley discuss writing a book that makes people question their perceptions, the multiple layers of effective dialogue, and why you must always think about what a scene needs to achieve before writing it. They also discuss taking on the subject of race with humour, how scrapped scenes are still forward progress and the importance of writing to the truth of your characters' experience. Music: bensound.com.

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Elle Nash, author of 'Animals Eat Each Other' - a complex and impressive psychological exploration of obsession and desire. Amy and Elle chat about writing without judgement of your characters, giving yourself the necessary space for magical epiphanies to occur and using universal experiences to convey feelings and emotions that your reader may not be familiar with. Music by www.bensound.com.

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Richard Roper, author of Something to Live For, about how on Earth you write something 'life-affirming', the art of receiving and applying feedback and how writing chronologically helped him to stay motivated. Music: bensound.com

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Richard Roper, author of Something to Live For, about how on Earth you write something 'life-affirming', the art of receiving and applying feedback and how writing chronologically helped him to stay motivated. Music: bensound.com

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to debut author Daniel James about his novel, The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas. They discuss his genre-busting novel, which combines multiple disciplines, questioning the concept of truth, and playing with your readers expectations. Music by www.bensound.com

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Lara Prescott, author of instant New York Times Bestseller, The Secrets We Kept - a book inspired by the CIA plot to infiltrate Soviet Russia, not via propaganda, but via the novel, Doctor Zhivago. Amy and Lara discuss how books can change the world, writing historical fiction based on real life events and using visual exercises to understand the rhythm and balance of your novel. Music: www.bensound.com.

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff writers' community chats to Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, author of Sarong Party Girls, about inhabiting your characters to create a believable first person narrative, revelling in your story's details & conveying perspective shifts in your characters. They also discuss writing to tight deadlines, using humour to provide levity to dark subject matter and finding inspiration in the world around you. Music: bensound.com

Amy Baker, author and Founder of The Riff Raff, chats to Ashley Hickson-Lovence about his debut novel, The 392. We discuss those special moments that spark book ideas, writing about one event from multiple perspectives, the challenges of taking on 11 different voices, and the art of editing a finale. Music: www.bensound.com/

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Catherine Kirwan, author of Darkest Truth about the art of the cliffhanger, showing your characters through the choices they make and how taking yourself to your setting can eliminate writers block. Music: bensound.com

Amy Baker chats to Wayétu Moore, author of She Would Be King about writing flawed characters, finding the balance between writing as an art and writing as a craft and how vital it is to get away from your desk in pursuit of inspiration. Music: www.bensound.com

Amy Baker chats to Joanne Ramos, author of The Farm. They discuss how Joanne's experience of straddling two worlds helped her to write her novel, training yourself in the habit of writing and choosing your characters to best convey the issues you want to cover. Music: www.bensound.com

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Elizabeth Macneal, author of Sunday Times Bestseller, The Doll Factory, about perfecting the slang of a time period, using objects to link your characters and resisting the urge to write within the parameters of genre. Music: www.bensound.com

Amy Baker chats to Nicole Flattery, author of Show Them a Good Time, about how themes reveal themselves in the writing, getting to know your characters through redrafting and giving yourself space to be funny. Music: www.bensound.com

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton. We discuss Sara's early obsession with books and drive to write the type of narrative she hadn't found before, the role of female anger in her novel, and the mess and magic of the writing process. Music: www.bensound.com.

The Riff Raff chat to Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient. We discuss how to make every scene of your book iconic, summarising the beats of your story via props and the importance of writing from the heart. Music: www.bensound.com

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Wendy Mitchell, author of 'Somebody I Used to Know'. We discuss writing as sudoku, the importance of trust in a collaboration, and how detail makes our stories come alive. Music: www.bensound.com.

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Mariam Khan, author of It's Not About the Burqa. We discuss finding power in writing, the process of editing an anthology & creating a platform where an important conversation can take place. Music: www.bensound.com

Amy Baker of The Riff Raff chats to Ella Risbridger about her debut cookbook, Midnight Chicken. We discuss the redemptive power of cooking (& writing), the compulsion to write and the importance of having other hobbies. Music: bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Lillian Li, author of Number 1 Chinese Restaurant, about how finding the perfect setting can kick start your novel, showing character in ways other than dialogue & writing with your reader in mind. Music: www. bensound.com.

The Riff Raff chat to Anthony Good, author of Kill (Redacted) about the books you need to write, the art of fragmented writing and how to connect your readers with your characters. Music: www.bensound.com.

We talk to Lizzy Barber, author of My Name Is Anna, about the art of writing a 'why' done it rather than a 'who' done it, the tricks to show don't tell and how entering a writing competition changed Lizzie’s life overnight. Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Tyler Wetherall, author of No Way Home about the role of truth in memoir, finding the story behind the story and working out your thoughts and feelings on the page. Music: www.bensound.com.

We talk to Charlene Allcott, author of The Reinvention of Martha Ross, about using your own experience to create a story, portraying a realistic view of motherhood and how to get your book bloody well written. Music credit: www.bensound. com

The Riff Raff chat to Emily Critchley, author of Notes on My Family, about getting into the mindset of a younger protagonist, giving your characters space to communicate who they are & the responsibility that comes with being a YA author. Music: bensound.com

We talk to Kat Poole, co-author of Being An Adult, about the process of writing a book with somebody else, how to choose which topics to cover when your book could go absolutely anywhere and what it's like to create something that truly helps other people. Music: www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Leo Carew author of 'The Wolf' about getting your planning down on the page, how to pace a fantasy epic and mastering the lyricism of your writing. Music: bensound.com

We talk to Gabrielle Fernie, author of Lush, about writing honestly – especially when it comes to your own life; how to hit a deadline and why it can really pay off to share your work with authors you admire. Music credit: www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Emilie Pine, author of Notes to Self, about why it's important to write for yourself rather than a perceived audience, creativity as a therapeutic tool, & why, if you want to be a writer, you need to put it first. Music: bensound.com

We talk to Helen Cullen, author of The Lost Letters of William Woolfe, about depicting long-term love in a real way; why a chaotic plan won't stop you from writing a coherent plot and what happens when your characters announce themselves. Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chats to Fatima Farheen Mirza about her sensational debut novel, A Place For Us. We discuss how exploratory writing can help you discover your plot, the importance of honouring the consciousness of your characters, and how to address cultural matters without creating generalisations. Music: www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff talk to Caroline O'Donoghue, author of Promising Young Women, about the beauty(and importance)of the writer/editor relationship, sticking to your guns when it comes to being weird and how to write around a demanding day job. Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Jenny Zhang, author of Sour Heart, about coming-of-age stories, writing complicated relationships and whether it's ever possible to hide autobiographical aspects from your work. Music: www.bensound.com.

This week we're talking to Holly Ringland, author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, about celebrating female relationships in books, how to nail descriptive writing so that it's not 'all pate and no biscuit' (it will make sense when you listen, promise) and why, when all is said and done, it will always be your readers who ultimately bring your story to life. Music credit: www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Michael Donkor, author of Hold, about the importance of dialogue in building character relationships, the licence writing gives you to think about ordinary things in new ways & the art of giving the reader just enough to draw their own conclusions. Music: www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff talk to Rutendo Tavengerwei, author of Hope Is Our Only Wing, about tackling complex issues with a YA audience in mind, writing about loss to reach those who need it most and how authors can find their story's path by starting at the end. Music credit: www.bensound.com

The Riff Riff chat to Tara Isabella Burton, author of Social Creature, about using trial & error to find your narrative voice, writing about anxiety, and finding a place for social media in literary fiction. Music: www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff talk to Juman Malouf, author of The Trilogy of Two, about finding your identity in your writing, using images to create a world on the page and the joy – and grief – of pursuing childish creativity. Music by www.bensound.com

This week we talk to Özgür Mumcu, author of The Peace Machine, about how to avoid getting lost in research, the enduring popularity of the circus as a literary tool and re-creating a real location without stepping foot outside your door. Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott, author of Swan Song about the responsibility writers have to their subjects, the importance of letting your book guide you and those magical moments when inspiration strikes. Music: www.bensound.com

Live from the Effra Social in Brixton, we bring you The Riff Raff LIVE - July 2018. This episode features readings and writing advice from Jenny Zhang (Sour Heart), Rachel Heng (Suicide Club), Holly Ringland (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), Claire Askew (All The Hidden Truths), Amy Lilwall (The Biggerers) and Emily Thomas (Mud). Music: www.bensound.com.

The Riff Raff talk to Luke Tredget, author of Kismet, about how to create realistic characters that self-sabotage, creating a narrative voice in a different gender to your own and how to represent the modern communication within the context of a novel. Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff talk to Adam Kay, author of the frankly hilarious This Is Going To Hurt, about how to create comedy out of tragedy, the importance of having a beginning, middle and an end and why the most important thing is to care about the people and world you've created on the page. Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Luke Allnutt, author of We Own the Sky about the delicate balance between theme and plot, fictionalising personal experience and how a life threatening situation impacted his will to write. Music: www.bensound.com

Coming to you live, from the Effra Social in Brixton, it's The Riff Raff June Meet Up! Featuring book readings and writing advice from debut authors Sophie Mackintosh (The Water Cure), Rachel Edwards (Darling), Justin Myers (The Last Romeo), Sharlene Teo (Ponti) and Paul Howarth (Only Killers and Thieves). Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff talk to Desmond Elliott prize nominee Paula Cocozza, author of How To Be Human, about how to build tension, the importance of committing to your writing and following your instincts, even if it involves divisive storytelling techniques. Music by www.bensound.com

The Riff Raff chat to Desmond Elliott prize nominee Preti Taneja about her state of the nation novel, We That Are Young. We discuss basing your book on a pre-exiting narrative, how to cover big themes without sacrificing plot and using characters as a tool to convey political ideas. Quality iffy at very end due to poor connection! Music: www.bensound.com.

The Riff Raff chat to Paul Howarth, author of Only Killers and Thieves about writing violence, using one character to convey big themes and putting a modern take on a tried and tested genre. Music: www.bensound.com.

Recorded live at The Riff Raff in Brixton on May 10th 2018, this month we welcome Guy Gunaratne (In Our Mad & Furious City), Samuel Fisher (The Chameleon), Anne Patterson (Yes), Kate Leaver (The Friendship Cure) and Zelda Rhiando (Fukushima Dreams). Music: www.bensound.com