Coffee, Tea or Something Stronger?

Tune in to hear Nick discuss:

Why nailing tone of voice is so tricky

Examples of companies who’ve got a great tone of voice

Storytelling for business – how to do it well

The key features of a great story

How to explain things clearly

Tune in to hear CC discuss:

- The attractions of horror as a genre

- What scares him

- London as a character in his work

- His creative process – and why he always starts with an elevator pitch

- Why you need to get feedback on your work

- How to deal with negative criticism

- The importance of networking and self-promotion as a horror writer

If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a novel, now’s your chance to get it out of your head and into the world!

Starting 1 November, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) challenges you to write a 50,000-word first draft in the space of a single month.

So for this episode of Coffee, Tea or Something Stronger?, Clare Lynch talks to Sophie Green and Charlie Yarwood, local organisers for the London NaNoWriMo region. Tune in to hear Sophie and Charlie discuss:

• Who NaNoWriMo is for

• What it’s like to participate in NaNoWriMo

• What to expect from this year’s NaNoWriMo

• The secret to writing 20,000 words in one day

• How to write more by banishing your inner editor

• Inspiring success stories from NaNoWriMo

• How to turn your NaNoWriMo novel into a publishable piece

• How to get in involved in this year’s NaNoWriMo

  Learn more about NaNoWriMo

Charlie Yarwood and Sophie Green of NaNoWriMo

About Sophie Green

Sophie has been a storyteller most of her life, the first evidence for this being when she retold the tale of Thomas the Tank Engine to her classmates at nursery school, back in 1984. After writing many stories during her school years, as well as doing scriptwriting as part of her Film & TV degree, she then first took part in NaNoWriMo in 2007. She has participated every year since, writing at least 50,000 words in each year, including 200,000 words in 2012. In 2015 she became one of the Municipal Liaisons (i.e. organisers) for the London NaNoWriMo region. She has written a total of over 1.2 million words for NaNoWriMo, and has no intention of stopping yet...

About Charlie Yarwood

Charlie is a 26 year old writer, civil servant and self-professed cloud head (expect random musings and vacant expressions aplenty.) She’s originally from that inspirational and industrious city in the north called Manchester. She started writing for the love of writing when She was about 6 - someone got her a typewriter for a birthday and I was hooked. She joined the NaNoWriMo community when she was 16 and hasn’t looked back as it has seen her through the move to London, studying a degree in Philosophy and various other changes in life. She became an ML to support other writers like herself to flourish in their writing, but also gain confidence in their differences. “Our community is an accepting space where all can be themselves, and it is my passion to keep it that way,” Charlie says.

Tune in to hear Kathryn discuss:

The need to know your audience – and have a purpose when you talk to them

The one word you should always use to engage your audience

How to develop a conversational style

Why the ‘rule of three’ works well when presenting

How to bring things to life with stories and pictures

How to hook your audience in with a strong opening

How to adapt written text for video

Engaging with your topic and with your audience

Tailoring your approach to different platforms.

Tune in to hear Robbie talk about:

Conversion copy – what it is and how to write it

Why copywriting is like method acting

How to research your target reader to craft copy that makes them buy

The realities of living the remote working dream

The secret to being attractive to clients when you’re working remotely

The remote working sites to avoid – and one to use

The mindset you need to succeed as a remote worker

Creative ways to win your dream clients

Three real-life listener case studies with clever strategies for winning work

Tune in to hear Jamie discuss:

How to structure a story with rule of 3

The Aunt Marjorie test for explaining ideas clearly

How to use numbers to support your story

What makes a good story

How to find a good angle on your story

How examples can bring a story alive

What it’s really like working in a newsroom

How to break into broadcast journalism

Why you don’t need to be able to write well to be a journalist

The power of the full stop

Tune into to hear Vin discuss:

The benefits of writing to a tight word count

Why it’s important to create a sense of ease in your reader

How to use storytelling techniques to hook your audience in

The importance of writing with your audience in mind

How to know if a piece of writing has succeeded

The benefits of taking risks as a writer

Why good writers aren’t afraid of ‘dumbing down’

How to revise a piece when your first draft is terrible

How to use storyboarding to create an effective presentation

How to give helpful feedback on someone else’s writing

Tune in to hear about:

- The role of writing skills in debating

- How debating skills can be applied in the workplace

- How to structure an argument – the three essential elements

- How to research an argument

- Why you don’t need to be an expert in a topic to win an argument

- The benefits of defending a position you don’t hold

Writing as part of a portfolio freelance career

How to gather interesting material by interviewing people

The discipline required to perform well in both writing and music

Why you should always read your work aloud

Why you need to expose yourself to different ‘voices’ – in writing and music

The advantages of coming to music and writing late in life

How to cope with performance anxiety – as a writer and musician

The benefits of ‘free’ writing and writing every day