Jonathan Taylor is an author, editor, lecturer and critic. His books include the novel Melissa (Salt, 2015), the poetry collections Cassandra Complex (Shoestring, 2018) and Musicolepsy (Shoestring, 2013), and the memoir Take Me Home (Granta, 2007). He directs the MA in Creative Writing at the University of Leicester. Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, he now lives in Leicestershire with his wife, the poet Maria Taylor, and their twin daughters, Miranda and Rosalind.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Who can benefit from a creative writing degree
• What you could learn studying creative writing
• How to be a more self-aware writer
• Why poetry is everywhere, and we should embrace that

Show notes:

• 00.00 – Introductions
• 01.35 – What did her creative writing degrees teach Kristina?
• 03.00 – Ellie struggled to get to the end…
• 04.35 – Hollywood Heartbreak is out now!
• 05.00 – Interview with Jonathan Taylor.
• 06.10 – Creative writing is Frankenstein’s Monster.
• 09.00 – So is it just sitting around and writing stories all day?
• 11.00 – It doesn’t just pour out of you.
• 16.00 – Witches are fashionable, darling.
• 17.30 – We all right the same thing over and over.
• 21.00 – The psychology is what gets you.
• 24.00 – What is the most common pitfall that writers fall into?
• 27.00 – How do you learn how to tell a story again?
• 30.00 – The competitiveness just isn’t worth it.
• 32.45 – Should you do a writing degree?
• 34.50 – There’s a critical element?!
• 41.00 – Do you have to do public speaking?
• 43.20 – How do you get better at your reading skills?
• 53.30 – Which book changed Jonathan’s life?
• 1.00.00 – Where can you go to find out more about Jonathan?

Contact Jonathan:

• Website
• Blog
• Twitter