How Booker Prize-Winning Author Anne Enright Writes
09/29/23 • 36 min
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Bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author, Anne Enright, spoke to me about eagles and moles, the interior engineering of a novel, her love of Irish poetry, and her latest THE WREN, THE WREN.
Anne Enright won the Man Booker Prize and the Irish Fiction Award for her novel The Gathering. She has also been awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Book Awards, and was the first Laureate for Irish Fiction (2015-2018).
Her latest novel The Wren, the Wren, was named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by TIME, The Millions, Literary Hub, and others, and is described as the story of “... three generations of ... women who must contend with inheritances―of poetic wonder and of abandonment by a man who is lauded in public and carelessly selfish at home.”
The New York Times called it, "... a powerful, thoughtful book by one of the great living writers on the subject of family," and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan said of the book, “The Wren, the Wren is an electrifying romp through language itself―its dizzying possibilities and satisfactions―led by one the most gifted writers working in English today."
Anne Enright has also published two books of short stories, her essays on literary themes have appeared in the London Review of Books and The New York Review of Books, and she writes for the books pages of The Irish Times and The Guardian.
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In this file Anne Enright and I discussed:
- The moment of burnout that changed her career
- How she used to be a night owl scribe
- Why you shouldn’t over-panic, or over-plan
- The fallacies of impostor syndrome and inspiration
- How to create a fictional poet out of thin air
- Taking a long look at James Joyce across the table
- And a lot more!
Show Notes:
- Anne Enright - Wikipedia
- The Wren, the Wren: A Novel by Anne Enright (Amazon)
- Anne Enright Amazon Author Page
- Book Review: ‘The Wren, the Wren,’ by Anne Enright - The New York Times
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author, Anne Enright, spoke to me about eagles and moles, the interior engineering of a novel, her love of Irish poetry, and her latest THE WREN, THE WREN.
Anne Enright won the Man Booker Prize and the Irish Fiction Award for her novel The Gathering. She has also been awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Book Awards, and was the first Laureate for Irish Fiction (2015-2018).
Her latest novel The Wren, the Wren, was named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by TIME, The Millions, Literary Hub, and others, and is described as the story of “... three generations of ... women who must contend with inheritances―of poetic wonder and of abandonment by a man who is lauded in public and carelessly selfish at home.”
The New York Times called it, "... a powerful, thoughtful book by one of the great living writers on the subject of family," and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan said of the book, “The Wren, the Wren is an electrifying romp through language itself―its dizzying possibilities and satisfactions―led by one the most gifted writers working in English today."
Anne Enright has also published two books of short stories, her essays on literary themes have appeared in the London Review of Books and The New York Review of Books, and she writes for the books pages of The Irish Times and The Guardian.
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Anne Enright and I discussed:
- The moment of burnout that changed her career
- How she used to be a night owl scribe
- Why you shouldn’t over-panic, or over-plan
- The fallacies of impostor syndrome and inspiration
- How to create a fictional poet out of thin air
- Taking a long look at James Joyce across the table
- And a lot more!
Show Notes:
- Anne Enright - Wikipedia
- The Wren, the Wren: A Novel by Anne Enright (Amazon)
- Anne Enright Amazon Author Page
- Book Review: ‘The Wren, the Wren,’ by Anne Enright - The New York Times
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
How Bestselling Author & TV Producer Dwain Worrell Writes
Bestselling author and award-winning screenwriter, Dwain Worrell, spoke to me about making the move from the writers' room to the cafe, the art and science of suspense, and his debut novel ANDRONE.
Dwain Worrell is an award-winning Marvel and Disney+ TV producer, filmmaker, and novelist whose writing credits include Marvel’s Iron Fist, CBS’s Fire Country, Amazon Studios’ The Wall, and the Disney+ series National Treasure, among others. Dwain also worked as a translator of Mandarin Chinese in Beijing for nearly a decade.
His bestselling debut novel, Androne, is described as a “... near future ... highly cinematic and propulsive story [centered] around a terrifying event called the Ninety-Nine, where all major military installations on Earth [are] eviscerated, heralding humanity's start of a war with an unknown enemy.”
Niels Arden Oplev, Director of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo called the book “A crazy-cool ride into the unknown .... [Androne] reads like a high-end videogame on steroids with a destiny of Shakespearean magnitude.”
Publishers Weekly wrote, “... taut intrigue ... reels readers into a thrilling yet thoughtful narrative about the futility of war and the cost of doing the right thing...”
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Dwain Worrell and I discussed:
- Making the move from screenwriter to novelist during a WGA strike
- How he discovered theater after having his basketball dreams dashed
- Why writing for TV is harder (and easier) than prose
- The inspiration that went into his latest sci-fi thriller
- Our mutual love of Hans Zimmer soundtracks
- Hanging out with Shakespeare at Chili’s
- And a lot more!
Show Notes:
- Dwainworrell.com
- Dwain Worrell - IMDb
- Behind the Science of Writing Good Suspense - Writer's Digest
- Androne By Dwain Worrell (Amazon)
- Dwain Worrell on Instagram
- Dwain Worrell on Twitter
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
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Next Episode
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Laurell K. Hamilton Writes: Part Two
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Laurell K. Hamilton, returns to talk about how her writing process has evolved over the last 30 years, how to find words, wisdom, and mental wellness, and celebrating the 30th in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series with SLAY.
Laurell K. Hamilton is the trailblazing, genre-bending author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, and the Merry Gentry, Fey Detective series, and is considered an influential pioneer in the urban-fantasy genre.
In the 30th novel of the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Hunter series, Slay, wedding bells are ringing. “But before Anita can make it to the altar, she must face an obstacle more daunting than any supernatural threat.”
Laurell K. Hamilton is one of the most successful and popular paranormal fiction authors publishing today, has published over 40 novels, and has sold more than 20 million copies of her books.
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Laurell K. Hamilton and I discussed:
- Why she doesn’t outline or do research before her first drafts
- How she became a lean, mean writing machine over the years
- Why you can’t beat yourself up if the pages aren’t coming
- How to refill your creative tank
- Tapping science, history, and mythology for realism in your fiction
- The rarefied air of a 30-book series
- And a lot more!
Show Notes:
- How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Laurell K. Hamilton Writes: Part One
- LaurellKHamilton.com
- Slay (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) by Laurell K. Hamilton [Amazon]
- Laurell K. Hamilton Amazon author page
- Laurell K. Hamilton on FaceBook
- Laurell K. Hamilton on Instagram
- Laurell K. Hamilton on Twitter
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
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