When Ian Scott and Kirsty McHugh – curators at the National Library of Scotland – created an exhibition on pen names, they never imagined it would become a book. But that’s exactly what happened, and in this episode, Ian joins to discuss some of the curious motivations and stories behind some of the world’s most famous and infamous pseudonyms in their book Pen Names – including examples of authors who fully immersed themselves in their imaginary personas!

00:00 Welcome
00:18 Rewriting your personal narrative
07:06 Writing tip: Tracking your time
10:05 WIN!: The Funeral Crashers by Joanna Nell
13:33 Word of the week: ‘Edentulous’
14:14 The world of words: Short forms of ‘until’
16:10 Writer in residence: Ian Scott
16:57 The inspiration for the book Pen Names
18:42 An exhibition on pen names
23:00 The stories behind the stories
27:00 Common reasons for pen names
27:58 Gender bias in literature
31:55 Other reasons for not using your own name
32:10 Famous examples
34:55 Authors wanting to be judged independently
38:47 Deceptive use of a pen name: Fiona Macleod
40:55 Modern pen names and marketability
43:19 Collaborative writing under one name
45:01 Authors like Lee Child and book cover real estate
46:49 Would Ian choose a pen name for himself?
48:45 Wait – is his co-writer Kirsty McHugh even real?
50:30 Is his book in his own library?
53:02 Final thoughts

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Author Zanni L. Arnot has carved out a prolific career as a children's author – publishing more than 40 books in the past decade as ‘Zanni Louise’. In this episode, Zanni discusses how she got into writing children's books and her first YA novel, A Guide to Falling Off the Map. She also shares the differences between different age range stories, juggling multiple projects, plus provides insights and advice for aspiring authors.

00:00 Welcome
00:28 How a setting can become a character
07:53 Writing tip: Learn to love grammar and punctuation
13:42 WIN!: Reacher by Lee Child
17:14 Word of the week: ‘Headwork’
17:48 Writer in Residence: Zanni L. Arnot
18:46 An overview of her new book
21:03 Why a YA novel?
23:43 How Zanni got into writing
26:52 Discovering a passion for writing
27:30 Building a writing community
28:16 On creating 41 books in ten years!
30:47 Crafting stories for different age groups
32:57 Balancing writing with a busy life
34:15 Navigating the multiple projects
35:33 The process of writing the story
39:42 Is adult fiction next?
41:11 Advice for managing your time
43:30 Zanni’s approach to social media
45:44 Keeping track of ideas and choosing the next one
48:19 Promoting books from overseas
50:15 Advice for authors looking to try YA
53:16 Final thoughts

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The Iranian Embassy siege that unfolded in the UK in 1980 was a huge world event at the time, although perhaps lost in the fog of history today. Prolific British author Ben Macintyre brings it back into focus in his latest book, The Siege: The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama and he joins us to discuss his writerly beginnings, turning real-world espionage into captivating reads and how he balances the personal and factual details in his stories.

00:00 Welcome
00:48 The power of constraints in writing
11:30 Writing tip: The iceberg theory
13:52 WIN!: Torn by Nicole Madigan
15:26 Word of the week: ‘Nonpareil’
16:11 Writer in residence: Ben Macintyre
17:05 Ben gives an overview of The Siege
21:00 His personal experience with the events
25:43 Ben’s background in writing
28:33 Exploring the SAS archive
32:05 The TV series Rogue Heroes
33:20 Character depth and authenticity
35:20 Challenges of taking an oral history
37:40 Pacing and structuring the book
40:15 Real life being stranger than fiction
42:18 Research and writing process
45:27 From book to screen
51:05 Advice for aspiring writers
54:22 Balancing sensory and factual details
57:12 Ben’s upcoming project
58:13 Final thoughts

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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.