Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard The Hidden Lives of Writers

S07 E05 David Cornwell

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David Cornwell is the author of the critically acclaimed novel HELL OF A COUNTRY, which has been making waves since its release date.
David joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about the challenges of writing a fictional reimagining of real-life events and how he made his creative choices.
We also discuss his first novel LIKE IT MATTERS and the literary antecedents behind it.

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Chapters
  • 00:00 Introduction and Writing Week
  • 03:38 Time Pressure and Creative Productivity
  • 04:54 Charlotte Wood's Stoneyard Devotional
  • 07:32 Genre Freedom in Contemporary Writing
  • 11:51 Introducing David Cornwell
  • 12:38 Daily Writing Routine and Word Count
  • 14:34 Dialogue and Taking Dictation
  • 15:30 Origin Story: Growing Up with Books
  • 17:16 Turning a Short Story into a Novel
  • 19:28 Self-Editing and Working with Others
  • 21:23 Pantsing and Micro-Planning
  • 22:56 Like It Matters: Dennis Johnson and Voice
  • 24:40 Day Job: Learning Design and Instructional Design
  • 26:44 Writing About Addiction Responsibly
  • 29:35 Screenwriting vs Prose Fiction
  • 31:53 Independent Filmmaking with Yaku Minard
  • 33:21 The Nine-Year Gap Between Novels
  • 35:10 Why This Story, Not True Crime as Genre
  • 37:21 The Scissors Murder and How It Found David
  • 39:17 Historical Impact and Modern Perspective
  • 42:07 Music, Prose Musicality, and the Writing Process
  • 44:59 Creative Cross-Pollination
  • 46:21 Why Anchor the Story in Reality
  • 48:46 Changing the Climactic Scene
  • 50:16 Would He Write True Crime Again
  • 52:35 Researching 1970s South Africa
  • 55:18 International Agents and Overseas Markets
  • 58:07 Current Projects and What Comes Next
  • 59:27 Reading and Viewing Recommendations
  • 01:01:34 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find the Books
20 Apr English South Africa Books · Arts

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