S6 Ep253: Summer Series! RA Spratt

We're kicking off our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around.

If you listened to the seas 6 finale, you'll now that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back flying solo in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs.

Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram).

In this Masters Series interview, Katherine talks to best selling author, television writer and podcast host, RA Spratt. RA Spratt is Katherine's kids' favourite author. They LOVE her books and series: Nanny Piggins, Friday Barnes, Peski Kids and Shockingly Good Stories (in that order).

R.A. Spratt has also written for dozens of different television shows.  In recent years she has specialized mainly in children’s animation, but she has also had extensive experience writing jokes, sketch comedy and political satire.

Her podcast ‘Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt’ was launched in February 2020 and has a huge following from around the world, with 2 million+ downloads.

R.A. Spratt lives in Bowral, Australia with her husband and two daughters. She is currently obsessed with Cross Fit and—according to (her) Instagram—has been the Fittest Childrens Author on Earth two years in a row.

Katherine and RA Spratt discuss: 

TV writing (not as much talking to each other as you might think)   

Writing comedy and the balance between wacky and the everyday

Judgemental narrators 

Pragmatic writing advice, including doing market research on what people/kids want to read 

The evolution/non-evolution of characters in a series

Her approach to writing mysteries - i.e. simplicity on the surface and elaborate-ness underneath

Her philosophy of writing reassuring stories with a beginning middle and end for kids

Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod).