The Write Off

It's the last episode of series three! We chat about the expectations we put on ourselves and our writing. Are we asking too much of ourselves? Do expectations help or hinder our creativity? Thanks for listening and good luck with your writing xxx

In this episode we chat about the patterns of our working, how we motivate ourselves to sit down at our desks and stay there, how we  understand our own habits in order to get most out of our writing time and really 'go the distance' with our work. Stay tuned for more running analogies!  

What makes your characters feel real? How do we bring them to life? In this episode we chat about how we attempt to find an essential truth when writing dialogue and portraying characters. We also discuss character flaws, finding nuance in dialogue, varying our tone and adopting we know traits from people we know. Superman also gets  a mention, as does the super Sharon Horgan. We hope you enjoy!

Do you get writers block? Is it a want for inspiration or an inability to make decisions? In this episode we discuss plotting vs improv. We also talk about what we do when we get stuck whilst writing to become unstuck. 

In this episode we discuss writing advice. Writing can be inspiring and motivational. But should we listen to all advice from professionals? Does the advice of others ever make you feel like you're doing it wrong? Or make you feel guilty? We're here to say... us too! 

'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness....' and all that. Keats wrote autumn well, and so did many writers who put ink to quill before him and digits to keyboards after. But what effect did the seasons have on those writers - and do the seasons have an impact on us? Does the time of year affect our ability to put pen to paper? And when we are productive, does the tone of our writing change according to the season that we're in? We're glad to be back for series 3, episode 1! We hope you enjoy. Good luck with your writing xx

In series 2 episode 6, we discuss the challenges of editing. Do we let our egos get in the way of refining our work? How hard is it to remove writing that we are proud of, for the good of the story - especially when we have such limited time to put down any words at all? We also discuss our writing resolutions for 2022. We hope you enjoy 'Kill Your Darlings' - and as always, good luck with your writing!

We talk about our writing expectations vs our writing reality. What notions did we have about writing and the life of a a writer? Do we still have expectations that might not be met? How do we continue to have hope and enthusiasm when mean old reality rears its head? 

In this episode we chat about catharsis in writing. Do you find the act of writing cathartic? Should we always write from personal experience? Can you experience a release of your emotions even when writing vicariously? Did you know that cathartic is the name of a laxative? We hope you enjoy, and as ever, best of luck with your writing!

In series two, episode three we question whether as writers, we seek validation. What's the ultimate goal? If you were told you were unlikely to be published, would you write anyway? We hope you enjoy, and good luck with your writing!

The Net’ is a conversation about the  myriad ways in which the internet can both help and hinder the writing process. As always, if you have a moment please rate, review and share - we’d love to grow this little Write Off community, and it really does help people to find us! Thank you 

‘Inner Snob’ asks the question ‘What should we be writing?’: should stories always have a message? Should we write to market? Should we be trying to break out of literary boxes. Should we be should-ing on ourselves?!? It’s a meaty one! Happy listening and, as always, happy writing!

We started The Write Off because we wanted to know there are other writers out there like us; aspiring but, ultimately struggling to prioritise words amongst life's many demands. If you've listened, we hope you've felt a *bit* more encouraged that you're not alone and that you ARE a writer!In this episode we chat about what we personally find challenging about the writing process. Episode six is the last in series one. But we will be back very soon with more chats over a nice cup of tea. In the meantime, if you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, share, rate and review if you have time. You can also stay in touch via Instagram (@thewriteoffpodcast) or Twitter (@TheWriteOffPod1). In the meantime, good luck with your writing! xxx

In this episode we discuss our writing anxieties and insecurities. How do you know if you're a good writer? Who decides? We asked our lovely listeners to let us know their thoughts. Let us know what you think about this episode on Twitter (@thewriteoffpod1) or Instagram (@thewriteoffpodcast), or you can share your thoughts using the hashtag #thewriteoffpodcast Thank you for listening and good luck with your writing!

In this episode we discuss jealousy; why we feel it, when we feel it and what to do when it rears its ugly head. We also discuss our envy of some fantastic and inspiring writers. Let us know what you think about this episode on Twitter (@thewriteoffpod1) or Instagram (@thewriteoffpodcast), or you can share your thoughts using the hashtag #thewriteoffpodcastAs always, thanks for listening and good luck with your writing! 

Do you censor yourself in your writing? Do you worry about who will read it and what they'll think of you? What will your auntie think of the violence? Will your Mother-in-law be shocked by all the sex? This is what we discuss in episode 3. Warning: saucy content. You can let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@thewriteoffpod1) or Instagram (@thewriteoffpodcast), or you can share your thoughts using the hashtag #thewriteoffpodcastThank you for listening and good luck with your writing! 

This episode explores the challenges we face finding the time to write when writing is not our only priority.  We also discuss our experiences of writing (or not writing) through a global pandemic. You can share your thoughts on this episode on Twitter (@thewriteoffpod1) or Instagram (@thewriteoffpodcast), or by using the hashtag #thewriteoffpodcastThank you for listening and good luck with your writing! 

The Write Off with Hannah and Debs is a podcast for the everyday writer... even if you don’t write everyday. We want to reach out to people like us, who are in the process of trying to write whilst trying to live. The Write Off is for every writer on the journey. In episode one we discuss the challenges of saying out loud that we are writers! Come and join the conversation. We hope you enjoy.You can share your thoughts on this episode on Twitter (@thewriteoffpod1) or Instagram (@thewriteoffpodcast) or by using the hashtag #thewriteoffpodcast Thanks for listening and good luck with your writing!