Louise Swanson, author of 'Lights Out' - Award-winning author discusses pseudonyms, being strict, and improving through rejections

Louise Swanson is the pen-name of bestselling and award-winning author, Louise Beech. Louise has 8 novels out, a memoir, and has picked up all sorts of prizes for her work. She has written the play based on her debut novel, 'How to be Brave', which is currently touring the UK, and has written columns for local newspapers.She's back with a Louise Swanson novel, called 'Light's Out'. Set in a strange version of the UK, where a state of emergency is declared and all electricity cuts out at 8pm every night. So, what happens when Grace, terrified of the dark, wakes up every morning after the cut-off, to find a different note from the same intruder - one, seemingly getting closer to something drastic?We talk about getting to the end of a novel as a panster, and how perhaps she's been figuring out how it ends the whole time, but never realising that. Also you can hear how her work writing novels, plays and columns is a bit like riding a bike, and we discuss how one influences the other.We chat about how she was improving in-between rejections, why she needs a news programme on whilst writing, and why her strict routine comes from working class guilt, perhaps.You can watch this episode on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@writersroutineGet a copy of 'Lights Out' and support the show - https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineSupport us on with a monthly pledge - patreon.com/writersroutineSupport us as a one-off donation - https://ko-fi.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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How do the best writers get to work?In every episode, we'll chat to an author about what they do through a day. Where do they work? What time do they start? How do they plan their time and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller? Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of bed into their desks, and a few lock themselves away in the woods - but none have a regular 9 to 5, and we'll find out how they've managed it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.