In Haste

It's our second bonus episode of the summer!Today, Alice and Charlotte share how their writing is going as the days lengthen and the temptation to spend time having iced coffees in the sun threatens to lure them away from their writing desks. They also talk about hot summer books and what to read on holiday - from depressing Victorian classics to bonkbusters to transformative international fiction. And what about books set in the summertime — what effect does heat have on a narrative?In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

It's a bonus episode! Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie reflect on the first season of In Haste literary conversations, and, as always, discuss how their own writing is going.So far in 2024 we've been thinking about what stops authors from writing and what keeps them coming back to the page. In this special extra episode, Alice and Charlotte talk about how their own writing is fitting into their lives right now, and what they've learned.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

How can a musical soundscape shape a novel?For the final episode in this first season of In Haste literary conversations, authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water (which won the Costa Book Award) and Small Worlds, to discuss his writing process, as well as faith, love stories, and the importance of place. Plus, Alice and Charlotte talk about how music influences their writing.This episode is made in partnership with Backstory, the new books magazine from the independent South London bookshop. To get your copy of the magazine, go to Backstory.London and use the code INHASTE at checkout for 10% off a subscription.Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

Why does it make us so uncomfortable when fiction feels like real life?Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet Eliza Clark, author of the gloriously dark and unforgettable novels Penance and Boy Parts, and a member of Granta's most recent selection of best young British novelists. Eliza takes us through a sharp and candid discussion about the publishing industry, authorial voice and veracity in fiction, writing about dark themes, and what happens when your book goes viral on TikTok.Plus, as always, Alice and Charlotte discuss how their own writing is going.Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

How does the natural world around us shape who we are?Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie have both found themselves drawn to writing about landscapes. Today they’re joined by the debut novelist Fiona Williams, author of The House of Broken Bricks, for a warm and inspiring discussion about Fiona's own relationship with books, gardens, food, and finding a sense of home in nature.The House of Broken Bricks is an immersive story of a family with twin boys, who are both of dual heritage, but who look strikingly different from one another. They also each have very different relationships to the English countryside around them.Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

How does fiction explore deep-rooted sources of pain through history?Today in the In Haste writing hut, Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie are joined by the international bestselling novelist Emilia Hart, author of Weyward.Weyward is an unforgettable supernatural story about witches, but it’s also about something all too real: the suffering and violence inflicted on women across history. It's a powerful and inspiring reclaiming of a historical narrative we think we know. We hear how Emilia came to write the novel, which was a remarkable process in strange times.Please note that this episode contains discussion of sexual violence and pregnancy loss.Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

How does reading and writing change you?Joining Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie this week is the author Cathy Rentzenbrink, who doesn’t like being described as an “acclaimed memoirist”, and would rather we described her as an “honest puzzler” - or something even less kind.But she has, in fact, written many excellent memoirs and novels, and there’s no getting around it. Her clear-eyed, truth-filled writing tackles subjects including profound grief, as well as her own very personal relationship with books and reading. In today’s conversation, we discuss the strange otherworldliness of writing, and how sometimes an author needs to dive down into the book and away from reality:“I get very very lonely and then actually feel a bit mad. Especially writing fiction, I think you need to submerge. You need to go down a few layers and a few levels, but then you get the bends when you're trying to jump out.”Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

Can books make us more patient?In Haste is back! This week, writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of three beautiful novels (The Sleep Watcher, Starling Days, and Harmless Like You) about teaching writing, learning about writing, whether writers tend to be dog people or cat people, and patience.“There are some writers I see who write something, and it isn’t quite what they imagined, and so they throw it out, and they write something new. They’re not able to sit with the discomfort of it not being quite right, and work through to something they’re happy with.“And then I see, weirdly, the opposite thing, which I think comes from the same place. Which is writers who are constantly re-editing the first five pages, because they want to get the voice right, and they stick with those first five pages and go over and over and over them. I think for most people, if they write the rest of the story, it’s much easier to figure out what those five pages need. But they’re so impatient to have something that feels like the finished thing. If they could let themselves live with something imperfect, it would have the chance to grow.”Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

What’s the relationship between fantasy literature and real life?Writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Sunyi Dean, author of the bestselling novel The Book Eaters, and co-host of the excellent Publishing Rodeo podcast.Sunyi discusses how she came to write the book and what was going on in her life at the time, as well as her somewhat stormy publication journey, in an episode that also touches on what makes us readers of fantasy — and what makes us think of ourselves as fantasy readers.Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes. Subscribers can access more episodes at inhaste.substack.com.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe

How do you expose emotion through writing?Writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Thomas Morris, whose short story suite, Open Up, was among the most widely admired literary publications of 2023.Thomas Morris is a Welsh writer who is the former editor of Stinging Fly and has been named as one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists. In this episode, he talks about writing masculinity and articulating emotions, going further into a story and the pursuit of “knowing more”, and the strange lives of seahorses. Thomas also shares how reading defines his work as a writer.Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes. New episodes are released weekly, but paid subscribers can access more episodes instantly at inhaste.substack.com, where there's a very welcoming literary community sharing our writing progress. In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe