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“I’m a slow writer, but I write all the time,” says Donna Tartt
Donna Tartt’s first novel, The Secret History, was published in 1992.
17 hrs ago
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Annie Ridout
9
1
What makes you a real writer?
Is a real writer someone who writes for a living? Or writes for love, not money? Is a real writer someone who has reached a level of fame, and success…
Jun 22
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Annie Ridout
4
2
2
16:56
“I have absolutely given up on the idea of peace and quiet as being necessary to writing,” says Zadie Smith. “I work in the time I have”
Zadie Smith doesn't write every day, only when inspired. And although some novelists advise against it, she has several novels by other authors open on…
Jun 19
•
Annie Ridout
14
1
Why I joined Substack, as a writer
Listen now | Including: how I started my online writing career, back in 2008, the exact amount I earned in advances for my non-fiction book deals across…
Jun 15
•
Annie Ridout
11
3
1
10:03
"I get up early, go to a cafe, or, if I don’t have a cafe to go to, to my desk or somewhere, early in the morning," says Patti Smith
Here are four passages about Patti Smith's morning writing routine, over the years. Plus four quotes covering success, gender, how drawing led to her…
Jun 12
•
Annie Ridout
9
3
"I make myself a cup of coffee and then go back to bed to write for an hour or so in my pyjamas,' says Dame Jacqueline Wilson
She changed the face of children’s literature by writing books with less covered themes: adoption, divorce, mental illness. I interviewed Dame…
Jun 5
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Annie Ridout
19
2
Substack and non-fiction books deals
Publishers are seeing book sales rise for authors who write on Substack. So, how can we use Substack to help us secure a book deal, and what should our…
Jun 3
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Annie Ridout
6
May 2026
“If I waited till I felt like writing, I’d never write at all,” says Anne Tyler
A look at the writing life of pulitzer-prize-winning author Anne Tyler.
May 29
•
Annie Ridout
20
5
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,” said Maya Angelou
American author and poet Maya Angelou wrote from a hotel room that she'd rent for months at a time. A bottle of sherry at her side. Here's her writing…
May 22
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Annie Ridout
16
1
3
What would you do, if you weren't afraid?
Across your home-life, work-life and with your writing?
May 18
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Annie Ridout
16
1
3
“Writing is like sex," said Virginia Woolf.
Read on for the rest of the quote, a photo of Virginia Woolf's writing studio and notes on both her writing routine and the publishing company she…
May 15
•
Annie Ridout
17
5
3
"I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely" - Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir's writing space, writing routine and one of her books (that I recommend).
May 8
•
Annie Ridout
7
1
1
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