WriteCast - Between the Pages

Bouncing Back

• So, you’ve had that first rejection - it hurts! What next?
• And what to do when all hope is lost - how to bounce back and write that next book.

Emotional Resilience

"Emotional resilience refers to one’s ability to adapt to stressful situations or crises. More resilient people are able to "roll with the punches" and adapt to adversity without lasting difficulties; less resilient people have a harder time with stress and life changes, both major and minor."

In this episode we look at what emotional resilience is, and top tips for developing resilience, both on a day-to-day basis and long term for the big knock-downs.

Dave Rudden has been a writer, performance poet and actor in Dublin’s arts scene since 2008. Graduating with first class honours from the University College Dublin Creative Writing Masters in 2013, his work has been published in The Stinging Fly, The Irish Times, Cracked, The Quotable and the Guardian.

He is the recipient of the Fantasy Book Review 2011 Short Story Prize, and has been shortlisted for the Bath Short Story Prize and the Hennessey New Writing Prize. His short stories have been optioned for film, adapted for the stage and adapted as music videos.

His first novel, Knights of the Borrowed Dark, was published in Spring 2016. It has since been translated into five languages and released as an audiobook, with the film option being held by Prodigal Films. Knights of the Borrowed Dark won Most Read Novel at the Student Library Association Great Reads Award, was shortlisted for the North Somerset Teachers’ Choice Award and was the Irish Children’s Book of the Year in 2016. and the 2017 Dublin UNESCO Citywide Read.

Since the release of Knights of the Borrowed Dark, Dave has performed in over 700 schools and libraries on three continents. He is a Literary Death Match champion (exactly as fun as it sounds) has appeared on panels at festivals and conventions in Ireland, the UK, Germany and the US. 

The sequels, The Forever Court and The Endless King, are on sale now.

Dave has also written two collections of Doctor Who stories for the BBC called The Wintertime Paradox and Twelve Angels Weeping. Both are on sale now.

Follow him @d_ruddenwrites

You're listening to The Rejection Diaries.

My name is Stuart White, struggling writer, biology teacher and dad of two.

This is a podcast that has been started to explore and share the journey of an unpublished writer, from the raw beginnings as a fledgling novelist to the point of sending to, and being rejected by, agents.

I'll discuss the delirious highs and the crushing lows of this rollercoaster journey and give personal experience and anecdotes from my decade of writing and having my work rejected.

This will be an honest account, with very little censored, and I hope that you'll be able to relate to much of it, and that in turn it will bring you some comfort that you're not alone in this struggle.

We write because we love it, we put ourselves out there because we are brave. 

Rejection is tough, but not writing and sending out our work is tougher.

So let us begin.

Louise Gooding is the author of Just Like Me; 40 neurologically and physically diverse people who broke stereotypes. 

She lives in Switzerland with her husband, three kids, Mina the Dog and Coraline the Hamster.

Louise took up writing to find a way to discuss neurological and physical diversity, and other sensitive issues within children’s books. With a physically and neurologically diverse family of her own, she understood the challenge of finding positive and authentic stories to read and share that featured people like them.

Louise has also written a piece for our May magazine.

Episode 3 - Emma Read

Emma Read is the author of Milton the Mighty, and it’s sequel Milton the Megastar, published by Chicken House books. She was shortlisted for the Bath Children’s Novel Award and is represented by Lauren Gardner.

Emma was once a very sensible biologist. Now she uses her transferable talents such as attention to detail, patience and fine motor skills, to extract Lego from under the sofa. And of course to write children’s books.

Her favourite things in the world are: badges, Death On the Nile, hats, foxes, deserts, desserts and Buck Rogers. Her one regret in life is never having trained to be an astronaut.

When not writing her own books, you can find Emma helping other writers at WriteMentor, as a Spark Mentor and a course tutor.


Tell us how you did on the Guest Versus Host quiz. Use the hashtag #GuestVersusHost and #WriteCast

Join in the conversation on Twitter - find us at @writementor

Want to watch the the podcast with video? Find us on YouTube.

All your important questions answered!

Information on the summer programme can be found here: https://write-mentor.com/2021-writementor-summer-programme/

Our mentor list is here: https://write-mentor.com/2021-writementor-summer-programme/2021-mentors/

More information on #WMPitch is here: https://write-mentor.com/2020/04/19/wmpitch/

WriteCast – between the pages 

Our podcast will focus less on the WHAT, and more on the HOW and WHY of writing a book.

Of course, we will still focus on WHAT our guests write, and discuss books, but we will examine the things that happen behind the scenes – the book of YOU, the writer. 

The trials and tribulations, the rejections and the successes – we will explore deeper and with greater insight, the authors psyche and process, and the person beneath the book. 

Hosted by Stuart and Florianne, we will welcome guests to discuss all of the above and we hope that the conversations we have will be relatable for all who listen.

Welcome to WriteCast!

Episode 2

With guest Clare Helen Welsh, picture book author and writing tutor.

Clare is an award-winning picture book writer. ‘The Tide’ (illustrated by Ashling Lindsay, Little Tiger 2019) won The North Somerset Teacher’s Book Award 2019, SCBWI-BI Crystal Kite Award 2020 and an Honour Award for Illustration at The Children’s Book Awards, Ireland. 

‘The Perfect Shelter’ (illustrated by Asa Gilland,  Little Tiger 2020) was shortlisted for the InstaBookGrammies 2020 and has been reviewed by The Guardian, identified as a book to support children through the Coronavirus pandemic.

She is also a WriteMentor Picture Book Writer-in-Residence and leads our much adored Picture Book online course.

Clare is represented by Alice Williams of Alice Williams Literary.

Tell us how you did on the Guest Versus Host quiz. Use the hashtag #GuestVersusHost and #WriteCast

Join in the conversation on Twitter - find us at @writementor

Want to watch the the podcast with video? Find us on YouTube.