S02 E03 Kate Sidley

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Prolific writer, reviewer, columnist, co-author, and ghostwriter Kate Sidley joins Fiona and Gail to educate us on the nuts and bolts of being a co-writer.

Kate takes us from her earliest days as a young girl who was “good at English”
growing up in a small town in England, to being an in-demand magazine writer, to a much-requested ghostwriter.
Kate explains the various forms of ghostwriting, from total anonymity to open co-
writing that receives acknowledgement on the cover. She talks us through the process of interviewing a subject for many hours before writing can begin. Then Kate and Gail explain how they split up the plotting and writing for their hugely successful Katie Gayle cosy mysteries.

Gail talks about not writing until the tank is empty, but saving some for the next day,
and Fiona talks about paying attention to the little voice in your head that tells you when something you’ve written is not good enough.

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2 Oct 2023 English South Africa Books · Arts

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