logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
37m 58s

#395 Matt Bell: How To Enjoy Writing You...

Emma Gannon
About this episode

My guest today is author and novelist Matt Bell! Today we’re chatting about his latest book Refuse To Be Done, a guide to novel writing, rewriting and revision. He is also the author of multiple novels included Appleseed which was A New York Times Notable Book and he teaches creative writing at Arizona State University. I absolutely loved this latest book on how to write and rewrite a novel in three drafts and have been using tools from it as I work on my own future fiction projects. We chat all about novel writing a lot in this one, so I hope you enjoy and you can find a link to Matt’s book below, hope you enjoy.


  • Join my Substack community and come and say hi! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
  • Check out Refuse To Be Done here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781641293419
  • Buy DISCONNECTED here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781529373127
  • My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
  • My favourite 2022 reads: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2022

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jun 2023
The Success Myth Diaries: #3 Jeff Hamaoui on Midlife
Welcome back to The Success Myth Diaries! Today’s guest is Jeff Hamaoui, a seasoned teacher, master facilitator and Chief Innovation and Education Officer for Modern Elder Academy. The Modern Elder Academy is a program for people going through midlife transitions - they are on a ... Show More
31m 12s
May 2023
The Success Myth Diaries #2: Sian Clifford on Fame
To accompany the launch of my new book, I have interviewed some of my favourite thinkers on the topic of success, failure and creativity — and the most common success myths. Today’s guest is British actor Sian Clifford, probably best known for playing Claire in Fleabag (the toile ... Show More
32m 7s
May 2023
The Success Myth Diaries #1: Chelsea Fagan on Money
Welcome to the Success Myth Diaries! A brand new mini-series to accompany my new book The Success Myth: Letting Go Of Having It All which is out TODAY. My book unpicks the 8 success myths, from happiness to money to productivity to celebrity to the idea of ‘arriving’, looking at ... Show More
33m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Seth Godin (REPLAY): Do You Have A Creative Practice?
Today I’m replaying one of my favourite episodes with one of my favourite people, Seth Godin! He is like an unofficial mentor to me, I follow his work religiously and he continues to have a huge impact on me. He is the author of 20 books, and his blog, which you’ll find at Seths. ... Show More
33m 36s
Mar 2020
Ep 227: Putting your money where your literary values are
Guest Sterling Hardaway values efficiency and growth in his reading life, which has led him to a hefty serving of nonfiction to learn new exciting things, fiction that sidesteps predictable tropes to deliver a truly unique reading experience, and seeking out authors whose perspec ... Show More
41m 11s
Dec 2019
Ep 213: Art, fear, and discovering great books
Anne chats with reader and children’s book writer Kate DiCamillo about the books that inspired her to dream up stories, the hopeful work of writing for children, and what she learns from readers about her own books. She has so much to share about the value of friendship with othe ... Show More
55m 4s
Feb 2020
Ep 224: Confronting the Bookshelf of Shame
Like many readers, today’s guest Lacey Yong is creative. But her writing hobby is beginning to clash with her book selections, so she came to WSIRN with the question “how do I pick books that inspire me to write, without being too influenced by authors who write in my genre?” It’ ... Show More
52m 19s
Mar 2022
#373 Daisy Buchanan: When A Dream Job Turns Toxic
My guest today is Daisy Buchanan, an award winning journalist, author and broadcaster. She has written for every major newspaper and magazine in the UK and hosts the brilliant bookish podcast You're Booked, where she interviews legendary writers from all over the world about how ... Show More
38m 35s
Nov 2022
#168 - Have You Ever Read A Book Without Reading the Synopsis?
Ariel reads a book without knowing anything about it and Raeleen is "consuming stories" in creative ways while she gets ready for her big move! Links mentioned: Our friend Max: https://www.instagram.com/welldonebooks/ Storybook ND Series: https://www.ndbooks.com/series/storybook- ... Show More
47m 9s
Feb 2022
#367 Abigail Bergstrom: How To Write A Novel In Secret
Abigail Bergstrom is a Welsh writer, editor and agent, who has worked in publishing for over a decade. She is an industry leader and an expert and has edited some of Britain's most prominent feminist voices, she was nominated for Literary Agent of the Year 2020 and has helped bui ... Show More
47m 13s
Feb 2023
#181 - Will This Be The Biggest Book Haul of The Year???
Links mentioned: Twilight News: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/08/12/stephenie-meyer-twilight-midnight-sun-sells-million-copies-first-week/3343213001/ Twilight News: https://bookriot.com/stephenie-meyer-announces-two-more-twilight-books/ Support The Podca ... Show More
1h 14m
Sep 2017
Ep 97: How a book REALLY gets made, from idea to the bookstore shelves
Today Anne takes you behind the scenes of how her book Reading People came into being. Guided by questions from newsletter subscribers, we're delving into the intricacies of how the book was made, from working with agents and editors, to how the book got matched up with a publish ... Show More
25m 56s
May 2019
Ep 186: Finding the book that feels like it was written just for you
Lamar Giles joins Anne to chat about his two great literary loves: children’s books, and... horror novelist Stephen King? If you don’t think those things go together, Lamar is prepared to talk you into changing your mind, and maybe about more than just that. Get ready for a great ... Show More
48m 1s