Episodes 44
Avg. Duration 6m
Activity Sporadic
Since Jan 2026
Latest Episode Apr 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Every Few Days
Format
Episodic
Consistency
48%
Hosting
api.substack.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Writing wisdom, advice and encouragement for every day of the year. Join me (and help me) as I draft a writing manual 'On Drafting'. I teach Creative Writing at the University of Southampton. If you're interested in mentoring or studying, I'm easy to find there.

awritersdiary.substack.com

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Recent Episodes

S5E45 What Point of View Are You Writing?

Apr 13, 2026 6m

When you're working on a story, it's likely you'll begin with an instinctive go at POV. You'll feel you need to be close to the action, say, and will default to the first person.Later on in the…

S5E44 Don't be Confused About Tone and Voice and Style

Apr 10, 2026 7m

It's very easy, when you're starting to write, or starting on a new project, to get hung up on tone, style and voice.Are they different? Should you concentrate on one rather than the other? How do…

S5E43 Something I Promised Myself I'd Never Say About POV

Apr 08, 2026 5m

When I started out teaching Creative Writing, I had a few things I promised myself I'd never say to students.For example, Show, Don't Tell.The main one was likening writing to painting, and telling…

S5E42 How Good is Your Memory for Dialogue?

Apr 07, 2026 8m

Point of View is deeply linked to Time - not just blank time passing, but time that's full of events in a character's life.Today's podcast demonstrates that with a memory exercise concerting…

A Complete Guide to Point of View Begins Today

Apr 01, 2026 7m

Why should you be bothered thinking about Point of View in writing? Why not just launch into breathless your close First Person Present Tense narrative?Well, in my experience because Point of View's…

S5E39 Help Me Write the Pitch for My Book

Mar 25, 2026 4m

Today's podcast is a pitch for On Drafting. I've been working at how to get the idea across to editors. This is my first go, and I'm looking for feedback.Maybe the tone's completely wrong, or maybe…

S5E38 On Writing Rooms

Mar 23, 2026 5m

Are you lucky enough to have somewhere in your flat or house that's dedicated to writing? Even if there's an ironing board or an exercise bike in there, too?What's necessary for you - or any writer -…

S5E37 On Writing in Public

Mar 18, 2026 6m

Do you like to write in cafes? Is that because you want people to see you, hard at it, or because you need people around you who might just be working on their novels or memoirs?Here are a few…

S5E36 On Writing in Bed

Mar 13, 2026 5m

There are writers who famously preferred to be horizontal, sheet-surrounded and cosied up with cats, in order to write.They weren't necessarily bed-bound, but they found this truancy from desks, day…

S5E35 On Word Processing

Mar 11, 2026 7m

Wordprocessing can be great, useful and liberating. But it has many pitfalls. Not least of these is watching that wordcount slowly rise, and thinking you're a bad person if it doesn't get to a round…

S5E34 On Backing Up Your Work

Mar 09, 2026 6m

Have you ever lost work to accidental document deletion as you sneezed? Or a coffee tsunami across the keyboard? Or because someone ran off with your laptop?Here's my advice - from my own bad…

S5E33 An Exercise on Taking Notes

Mar 02, 2026 6m

Here's an exercise to get you started on taking notes in a notebook.It might seem the most minimal thing - observing what's right in front of you. But I think it's fascinating how few writers seem to…

S5E32 On Collaboration

Feb 25, 2026 6m

Don’t let your selfishness get in the way of your creativity. You may not be equally capable of the whole job. Perhaps you’ll be more completely fulfilled by only doing half the work or a quarter or…

S5E31 On Dictating your Writing

Feb 23, 2026 6m

Do you find the physical bit of writing - scribbling or typing - an obstruction to your flow? Maybe you're thinking of using dictation software - of letting the dragon into your workspace?Here's some…

S5E30 On Desktop Computers

Feb 20, 2026 6m

Good old 'desktop computers' - like 'wordprocessing software' they sound completely out of date.But they're having a resurgence, and there are some very good reason for using something big, formal,…

S5E29 On Laptops

Feb 18, 2026 6m

Laptops - you hardly even notice them any more. Not unless your coffee's just dripped through the keyboard, narrowly missing your hard drive. They're just where you are, when you write.Today's entry…

S5E28 On the Desk

Feb 16, 2026 5m

Do you have a desk? Does some cruel employer (yourself?) force you to hotdesk? Or is all you need a laptop on your lap?Today's podcast is about that most taken for granted piece of a writer's kit -…

S5E27 On Typewriters

Feb 13, 2026 6m

Today I'm talking about typewriters - not my current means of production, but definitely where I first began.What are the virtues of bashing out a sentence on a mechanical typewriter of the sort Tom…

S5E26 Notes on Notebooks

Feb 11, 2026 5m

Today I'm trying to figure out - with your help - what to say in the writing manual I'm putting together about Notebooks.Fittingly, what I have so far are just some notes. I'm looking to get them…

S5E25 On Paper

Feb 09, 2026 6m

Today, I'm on paper.This is a writer's workplace, if they're not using a screen, and so it's important to get your right.You probably have a favourite paper already. If not, here's some advice. Get…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does A Writer's Diary Podcast have?

A Writer's Diary Podcast has published 44 episodes since January 2026, covering topics in Education, Fiction.

Is A Writer's Diary Podcast still active?

A Writer's Diary Podcast is currently sporadic with new episodes every few days. Average episode length is 6m.

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