This October we met with the novelist Diana Evans for an inspired conversation about her work and process. Diana spoke about revisiting characters, working with a large cast and juggling multiple story strands. Her project is well underway, starting with Ordinary People, the award winning, best selling novel published in 2018. Her most recent book A House For Alice is the critically acclaimed follow-up set in the aftermath of the Grenfell Fire tragedy. The book revisits some of the cast of Ordinary People to create an intergenerational portrait of middle-class black Britain. Diana, a self-proclaimed poet at heart, spoke beautifully about style and prose, the importance of trusting your instincts as a writer and finding the language to write about culturally sensitive subjects. We lost Diana right at the end due to technical issues but she caught up with me after the event to share a character development exercise which I’ve transcribed below. It was such a rich and varied conversation, packed with writing tips and it’s available to watch on demand here.

Character Development Exercise:

Think of a “golden moment” for each of your characters - either a particular moment or an event where life changed in some fundamental way. Try and think of the most significant moment in each character’s life. Write that as a dramatic scene and/or in the first person.

This month’s guest is the British-Australian novelist Evie Wyld, discussing Writing Fiction: exploring character and place on Monday 27th November. Evie’s the author of four novels The Bass Rock, All the Birds Singing and After the Fire, a Still Small Voice. The Echoes, her next novel will come out in 2024. She’s the recipient of loads of top awards and prizes and in 2013 was included in Granta’s list of Best of Young British Novelists. She’s also a book seller and runs a bookshop in Peckham here in London. I can’t wait to talk to her. Hope to see you then!

Thanks for reading,

Kellie