October 09, 2020

Matt Haig, author of 'The Midnight Library' - Bestselling writing talks searching for humanity, trusting the process, and getting the first draft done.

52 minutes

This week our guest is the phenomenally successful Matt Haig. Since huge bestseller 'Reasons to Stay Alive', Matt has shot to the nation's consciousness. He's written kids books, christmas books, a follow up called, 'Notes on a Nervous Planet', and six highly acclaimed novels for adults. Three of his books are currently being made into films, he has sold more than a million books in the UK and his work has been translated into over forty languages.

His new novel is 'The Midnight Library'. It's about Nora Seed, who feels she has let everyone down, her life has been full of regret... but then she finds herself in the midnight library. It's a place between life and death, where she has the chance to make things life, and see how her life could have been different.

The book is a parallel life story, in the mould of 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Sliding Doors'. We talk about why his search for the root of humanity led him to write it, and why his exploration of what it means to live kept him going. You can hear how his lead character Nora changed many times through writing, and why he really only ever thinks about the first draft.

It's a brilliant chat at unpicking how he gets stuff done, where he writes, how he plans his day, and even what font he works best in.

You can buy a copy of the brilliant book here - https://amzn.to/3iH1KdJ

This episode is sponsored by the brilliant 'How to Write a Great Story' by Caroline Lawrence. It's a fantastic guidebook to every aspect of planning, plotting, and getting your ideas and characters down on paper. You can grab a copy here - https://amzn.to/2GSzo2V

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