Eleanor Keisman discusses her journey from writing a short story to creating her novella New Animal, exploring the themes of human-animal interaction and communication, climate change, and how non-human animals see the world we share with them.

We talk about the challenges of writing animal protagonists and the long shadow cast by American author Jack London in writing about the natural world. Keisman emphasizes the need for hope in storytelling and offers advice for aspiring writers navigating the publishing landscape.

Check out her blog on Substack: https://eleanorkeisman.substack.com

Chapters

00:00 The Journey of Writing a Novella
04:11 Character Development and Research
09:34 Nature and Climate Change in Writing
11:51 Exploring Climate Change Themes
16:28 Learning from Animals and Indigenous Wisdom
19:35 Speculative Fiction as a Path Forward
23:11 Breaking into Science Fiction and Fantasy
30:13 Building an Audience for New Animal
31:38 Reflections on Career and Aspirations
36:59 Writing Animal Characters with Depth