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Writer's Routine
In every episode we look inside the daily diary of a writer, to peak at the secrets of their success. How do they plan their day and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller? Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of...
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386. Dan Houser, author of 'A Better Paradise - Volume 1: An Aftermath' - Rockstar Games co-founder discusses writing for 'Grand Theft Auto', different places for different stories, and the weight of expectation
56:07||Season 1, Ep. 386Dan Houser was the lead writer, creative director and co-founder of Rockstar Games. Rockstar are the studio behind the 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' series. They're responsible for over half a billion video game sales. 'GTA V' and 'Red Dead Redemption 2' are both in the top 5 bestselling video games ever... and Dan wrote them.Since leaving Rockstar, he's set up Absurd Ventures, a studio he says will create new universes in video games, podcasts, animation, and now it's spawned his debut novel. 'A Better Paradise - Volume 1: An Aftermath' is the start of a world of stories across different forms of media.Here's the blurb - Mark Tyburn dreams of building the perfect video game. Kurt Fischer dreams of being a rich and successful executive. Daisy Tyburn dreams of having the ideal father. John Tyburn Smith dreams of fitting in. NigelDave just dreams of becoming human. Set in the near future, A BETTER PARADISE tells the story of the ill-fated development of an ambitious but addictive video game project that goes very wrong. As the software they developed starts to produce unexpected and disturbing results, the project is shut down and abandoned. Until now. We discuss what he's learned from writing his first novel and how that'll influence future stories. Also you can hear how he dealt with the weight of expectation while working on the biggest video games around, how he's trying to build boundaries, and how he knows where a story idea will live. There's also a good amount of chat about GTA's fantastic radio stations.Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineThis episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to https://ulys.app/writeabook to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription.Also, this episode is supported by Faber Academy. Make the most of their fantastic writing courses in 2026 at https://faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel/You can support the show at -patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com
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385. Zoe Apostolides, author of 'The Homecoming' - Horror writer disscusses getting the atmosphere right, traditional tropes, and chats with her Grandmother
54:26||Season 1, Ep. 385Zoe Apostolides is a journalist and columnist, writing for The Guardian, The Telegraph and the Financial Times. Her new novel is 'The Homecoming', born out of conversations with her Grandmother. When she transcribed these, she thought... could I spin a sinister story out of this?It follows Ellen, a young ghost-writer, who is sent from London all the way to a rural manor house in Northumberland. When she finally arrives at the crumbling Elver Hall, urgently knocking on the door in the midst of a biblical storm, Ellen's never felt more alone. Her phone has no signal and the local taxi-driver refuses to take her further than the bottom of the lane. When Miss Carey suddenly appears on the stairwell in her white dressing gown, it’s enough to make Ellen want to run back to London as fast as she can.We talk about how her career taught her wide and be interested in everything, which is great grounding for novel writing. Also, hear why as a city girl, much of the story came from her fetishing the countryside. You can hear how she delicately plays with the traditional tropes of horror, how to get the atmosphere right, and how she makes someone scared in writing.This episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to https://ulys.app/writeabook to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription.Also, this episode is supported by Faber Academy. Make the most of their fantastic writing courses in 2026 at https://faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel/Support the show - patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineGet a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.com/shop/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com384. Adam Skolnick, author of 'American Tiger' - Podcaster and novelist discusses creative burnout, ghostwriting, and different drafts for different characters
51:16||Season 1, Ep. 384Adam Skolnick earned his writing chops as a travel and adventure sports journalist for the New York Times, ESPN, the BBC and Lonely Planet. It taught him the vital skills of getting the words out immediately, and writing fast. He was the ghostwriter for David Goggins' memoirs 'Can't Hurt Me' and 'Never Finished'. Also published 'One Breath', about the world of free-diving, which was turned into a Netflix documentary, and 'Forever Swim', about open-water swimming legend Antonio Arguelles. Adam also appears in Rich Roll's fantastic podcast, discussing health and wellbeing. His new novel is 'American Tiger', about Bell Tern who, when on the school bus, sports a tiger roaming around the streets of suburban Los Angeles. It's rooted in the stunning southern Californian landscape and stacked with vivid characters. We discusses his attempts to 'de-sacredise' his space and day, also the different passes he does for each individual character, and what an idea needs to be to get him excited. You can hear about his new cue-card process, how the idea came during a free-diving competition, and how he deals with the fine line between creative burnout and being productive.This episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to https://ulys.app/writeabook to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription.Also, this episode is supported by Faber Academy. Make the most of their fantastic writing courses in 2026 at https://faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel/Support the show - patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineGet a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.com/shop/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com383. Catherine Mayer, author of 'Time/ Life' - Prolific writer discusses eclectic interests, inspirational poetry, and grief
01:01:43||Season 1, Ep. 383Catherine Mayer is a busy do-er. One of those prolific writers, political party founders, and music producers that fills every moment of the day with something. She's inspirational with it.Catherine was the Europe Editor for Time Magazine, which has taught her to work at all hours of the day on various time-zones. She's written memoirs, journalism, royal biographies. She runs the estate of her late husband, Andy Gill from the band 'Gang of Four', and even finished and executive-produced his posthumous album, 'The Problem of Leisure'. She co-founded the Women's Equality Party and the Primadonna Festival. In 2020, Catherine was named in GQ Magazine's '50 Most Influential People in Britain'.Her new novel is 'Time/ Life', a feminist retelling of H.G. Wells' 'The Time Machine', as a story of love and grief. We cover everything about the writing side of her life, how she juggles the abundance of things that are going on, and how much her view of creativity has changed since her partner passed away.This episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to https://ulys.app/writeabook to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription.Also, this episode is supported by Faber Academy. Make the most of their fantastic writing courses in 2026 at https://faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel/Support the show - patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineGet a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.com/shop/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com382. Lucinda Berry, author of 'This is a Safe Space' - USA Today bestseller discusses finding new audiences online, working on audio thrillers, and dealing with the tough days
45:40||Season 1, Ep. 382Lucinda Berry is a USA Today bestselling author, who has published 9 incredibly successful novels, which have been optioned for films, and translated into several languages. She worked as a psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma - much of that has inspired her thrillers.Readers are huge fans of 'The Perfect Child', also the heart-pounding 'The Best of Friends', and the unsettling truths in 'The Secrets of Us'. Her new release is an audio thriller. 'This is a Safe Space', tells the story of the therapist Jenna who, after discovering a strange text exchange on her husband's phone, comes to wonder if he might be connected to one of her clients... who has disappeared.We discuss the gestation of an audio-only idea, how the approach was different, and whether it changed the planning, plotting and style. You can hear how she deals with the trickier writing days, also her tight working schedule, the hefty word counts, and how she handled the switch to full time.Get a copy of her books at uk.bookshop.com/shop/writersroutineThis episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to https://ulys.app/writeabook to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription.Support the show at -patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com381. Caroline Corcoran, author of 'Tiny Daggers' - Psychological Thriller writer discusses embracing the genre, learning to structure, and changing the mindset
49:03||Season 1, Ep. 381Caroline Corcoran is a thriller author who burst to success with her debut, 'Through the Wall' in 2019. She's been a Sunday Times bestseller ever since, translated into many languages across the world, and compared to Adele Parks and Liane Moriarty.Caroline followed it up with 'The Baby Group', 'Five Days Missing', 'What Happened on Floor 34', and this year published, 'Tiny Daggers'. It's all about the expat Holly Jones, who is loving her new life in Miami. That is, until another Holly, from her old life in London, reconnects with her and brings up memories that have been buried for decades.Following a career in journalism where Caroline wrote and edited for The Guardian, The Telegraph, Marie Claire, The Mirror, and many more, she's now a huge name in the world of psychological and crime thrillers.You can get a copy of the show at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineThis episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to https://ulys.app/writeabook to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription.Also, this week we're supported by the 'Quick Book Reviews' podcast. Search for brilliant bite-sized book chatter, wherever you get your shows.Support the show -patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com380. Patrick Syms, author of 'Am I The Asshole?' - Debut author discusses self-promotion, white label releases, and making a point with your prose
01:03:22||Season 1, Ep. 380Patrick Syms started work trying to be a screenwriter, and he got ever so close, before life got in the way. He took a job in advertising, which became a 25 year long career in communications. In 2020, he gave it up to write again. This time, he took it seriously. Being accepted in to the Curtis Brown 'Writing Your Novel' course, he's just finished 'Am I The Asshole?', which is out to query as I type.It's all about entrepreneur Richard Whitecross, who invents what he thinks is a piece of world-changing technology. But when it malfunctions and he becomes the target of a social media pile-on, he must learn to face all the facts of his situation, not just the convenient ones, before he loses his family, his livelihood and his sanity. It was inspired by an interview Patrick saw with a celebrity on TV, and being dumbfounded by the terrible way they were presenting themselves.As the manuscript goes out to agents, Patrick has taken some unique steps of his own... and is releasing a limited batch of books, in order to spread the word and make some noise. He's printed a select set of white label books, inspired by independent record companies. He runs through the process of making that work - what's gone well and what's been trickier than imagined.You can hear what he felt when he was trying too hard to make a point with his prose, also why he's always playing catch up, and the 5 questions that he asks in every scene.You can find out more at patricksyms.com, and find his instagram in the show notes.If you're getting a book for christmas, think about doing it on our Bookshop.org page - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineSupport the show -patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com