Ballooning

Today I spent the morning tucked away upstairs in Wendy’s small study – a perfect mini recording studio – working with her on February’s Writing Game which will be broadcast next Tuesday evening at 7pm on Bishop FM – 105.9.

The theme of the programme is memoir/life writing, and among other things Wendy will be talking about writing her own memoir The Romancer. But what is perhaps unique in this Writing Game is an on air workshop (recorded just this morning!) aimed at helping people to get started on their own story.

In the workshop Wendy and I take you step by step through ballooning. At times we felt quite Blue Peter ish – here’s one I prepared earlier as it were. Nevertheless I think it was great stuff and of course we know the method works. It worked beautifully in The Romancer and is also a great way to get started on fiction. I began my novel The Sweet Track in a similar way.

So I hope I’ve made you curious enough to listen in and find out more – maybe have a go!

For those unable to get the station, or those listening from afar,  a podcast will be available sometime fairly soon after the programme goes out ( this sometimes takes a week or more so please be patient – all the radio station staff are over worked and most are volunteers!)

In the meantime why not listen in to previous programmes – there are some great interviews with writers inc Booker Prize winner, Pat Barker, 2010 winner of the Hans Christian Anderson Author Award -David Almond, Catherine Cookson biographer and poet – Kathleen Jones and many more…!