The Dale Hurst Writing Show

We've brought The Dale Hurst Writing Show to Bournemouth Writing Festival 2024, with a special mini-series of episodes featuring writers, facilitators and more. And we find out much more about what's to come at the end of April from the festival's director and founder, marketing consultant and author Dominic Wong. What's new, what's improved, plus any favourites from last year returning. What are the benefits to attending a writing festival in the first place?

Plus, Dominic provides some of his own insights on the writing craft. We're still wondering about how our characters eat...

How do you go from a story idea to the formation of an entire TV series? An ambition for our host and a reality for our guest. Screenwriter Ryan Avery reflects on the writing process of over 400 pages of TV series script. Plus debunking the storytelling and character development flaws in certain popular series.

Contains some instances of strong language.

Disclaimer: Actor David McCallum was alive at time of recording; he passed away in September.

We all know a good horror movie when we see one, and we heard last season about how to write horror in novels and short stories. But what about in theatre? What are the creative considerations required to successfully write something scary for the stage? As our Halloween special for the season, New York playwright Justin McDevitt shares his expertise in writing the horror genre for the theatre, as well as his experiences crafting his monologue series Severed Heads.

In the realms of fantasy and science fiction (among other genres), magic is the sort of thing that, without observing a few rules, could risk being overused (or underused). The question is, where does the line get drawn? Fantasy and horror author E.B. Hunter is our guest helping to answer this.

Hitting the halfway point of the season and once again turning our attention to some tougher topics that we writers sometimes try to cover in our work. Novelist and academic Ashley Hickson-Lovence joins to discuss the themes of knife crime and county lines, which are prevalent in his upcoming novel "Wild East".

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions and a reading with themes that some listeners may find distressing.

Ever wondered how to get past the commissioning department at a publishing company, at the first stages of the publishing process? Freelance editor and proofreader Abbie Rutherford, who at one time also worked as commissioning assistant at Bloodhound Books, lends her expertise to the inner workings of the department, and offers some guidance on how authors can take those first steps towards getting published.

It's a film-based episode this time around, discussing how to navigate the writing and production processes for creating films at an independent level. Helping answer these questions is special guest Bertie Brosnan, who draws on his diverse expertise and experience as a screenwriter, filmmaker, actor (the list goes on).

We know you may be thinking we want to NOT think about the ongoing cost of living crisis. But don't worry... we've kept it writing-centric. Nationally acclaimed poet Winston "Mayor" Lindsay joins us for a chat about his recent work, which channels themes of the cost of living crisis. His son and fellow poet Zayden Lindsay joins him later in the show to read a poem they both wrote, inspired by this very subject.

We also hear Mayor's thoughts on whether poetry should be informed by the writer's inner feelings or experiences of the world around them.

To kick off the third season premiere of The Dale Hurst Writing Show, Dale examines writing about the challenging subject of female honour and honour killings. Novelist Awais Khan, whose book No Honour covers such themes, offers his insights and experiences.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions and a reading with themes that some listeners may find distressing.

The Dale Hurst Writing Show is back for a third season – have a listen to find out what you can expect. Or for more information, visit www.dale-hurst.com/podcast

To end Season 2 with a festive treat, we brought back some old friends to catch up with what they've been getting up to over the last year or so. Spy novelist Collin Glavac, award-nominated poet and rapper S.P. Thane, and Nels Challinor and Dale Hall from Great Ape literary journal all brought news and readings. Plus our host picks their brains for their favourite Christmas stories.

Fresh off of their run at the King's Head Theatre, London, playwright and actor Conor Ó'Cuinn and director Tazy Harrison-Moore join Dale for a chat about their play 'Looking For Fun?' and explore its greater theme of hook-up culture. 

Contains instances of moderate language.

From published short stories set on French boulevards to his ongoing project in a hotel in Nazi Germany, setting stories outside of his native England is hardly a new battle for our host. But this experience and expertise is eclipsed by special guest, international bestselling thriller writer Avanti Centrae. Speaking to her from Florida, Dale explores with Avanti the research methods and considerations required to successfully set a story in foreign parts.

With the spookiest time of year approaching, we thought we'd dedicate an episode to talking about horror stories, how to scare readers, and interpretations of the monster. Joining all the way from Canada is author Alex Colvin, whose recently-released second book Unquestionably Monstrous deals with these topics in great depth.

If you're an independent and/or self-published author and you really don't know your Tweets from your TikTok, then this episode will be right up your street. Jack Newman from UKB Marketing dishes on a load of tips and tricks for setting up, managing and maintaining social channels and brands.

With only a shred of training in screenwriting himself, our host brings screenwriter Daniel Riccio on to the show to explain more about the layout and format of screenplays, and how to bring a story to life from script to screen. What is the process (if there is one set in stone)? What are the basic fundamentals? What should be on the page, and what shouldn't? All these questions and more answered in this edition.

Contains one use of strong language.

It's something that has annoyed our eponymous host for years and years... with such a wealth of character backstory and visual inspiration to draw from, why are adaptations of video games to film and TV generally so hit-and-miss? What led to the flops in the early years? What is being done now to ensure the growing successes? Writer Sam Randall joins us to discuss further.

*Contains strong language*

We decided to listen to our... well... listeners and deliver an episode themed around the basics fundamentals of poems and poetry writing. Acclaimed poet T. H. Carrington joins for an in-depth discussion about the poetry writing process, overused and underrated devices, and more. Plus, stay to the end for a reading of one of her own sonnets.

We're in familiar territory with crime fiction this time as we look to go against some of the "advice" of Internet reviewers and Redditors. How is best to construct the modern-day crime story? A veteran of the genre and author of the DC Daniel Hudson series, Jason R Vowles, joins us for the discussion.

We thought we'd do something a bit different to kick off our second season and grilled Southampton singer-songwriter superstar Calum Lintott for his drives and inspirations as a songwriter, and what any aspiring lyricists should look out for when telling stories in song form. We also find out a bit about his upcoming debut album Sunshine Moonlight. 

A festive treat to close off the season. Dale's former podcasting partners James Boxall and Aaron Hayes join him for a discussion about Christmas stories. What are our enduring favourites? What do we look for in a Yuletide tale? And what stories are yet to be told at Christmas? All this, plus jokes, songs, and seasonal snippets, in this festive finale...

NOTE: Contains some moderate language.

Marketing specialist Dan Buckley from Ocean View Marketing joins to offer a number of insights into things self-publishing authors should think about and look into when it comes to marketing. He busts some common myths, points out a few common traps, and pinpoints the key components to the marketing strategy of an independent publishing project. All this and more in rather a different episode of this podcast...

True crime stories are enduringly popular, whether in documentary format like The Ted Bundy Tapes, in drama form such as ITV's Des, or even in podcasts like the recent The Clown & The Candyman. But which format suits such stories best? Award-winning videographer and documentary filmmaker Jamie Webb joins to debate the proper place for true crime stories.

Theorists (and probably many fans) believe female characters are often side-lined in science fiction stories as sidekicks and devices to further the development of male protagonists, with heroines such as Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor being exceptions to the rule. In this episode, writer, sci-fi enthusiast, and cosplayer Amy Scott joins me in a discussion about the role of women in the science fiction genre. How it's developing and where changes are still yet to be made.

WARNING: Contains occasional use of moderate language.

What is absurdism? What constitutes an absurdist piece? And how does one go about writing one? In this episode, we talk to not one but two experts on quite a complex and multifaceted style. Writers Dale Hall and Nels Challinor, also co-founding editors of the absurdist humour journal Great Ape, dole out their wisdom.

In this episode, we don't debate so much an issue of writing and storytelling, as much as come together over a common influence. Sebastian Gardner, writer of the award-winning play I Lost My Virginity to Chopin's Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, joins for a discussion about how composer Frédéric Chopin and his music inspired the title of his work, just as it did with Dale's current work-in-progress, the war thriller You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic...

WARNING: Contains occasional use of moderate language.

Writer Josh Feiner joins us as we whittle down a so-called checklist for the traits a good antagonist should have. How many do we end up agreeing with? Also featuring an exclusive snippet from Dale's second novel, The Berylford Scandals: Sin & Secrecy.

He's not just a master of rhythm and rhyme; poet and lyricist S. P. Thane is also something of an expert on Far Eastern literature, storytelling, and art forms, such as manga and anime. While his current projects circulate his poetry and short stories, he also has a manga in the works. One that blurs the lines between Eastern and Western storytelling conventions, which began as a collaboration with graphic designer and illustrator Michał Musiałek.

*Contains strong language*

Spy novelist Collin Glavac lets us in on a few secrets of writing a good thriller. What are the key ingredients that he implemented into his works, including his most recent release, Operation Nicaragua? And what makes the thriller genre so versatile?

Fantasy writer Daniel Pride joins for a discussion about fresh ways to write stories in the done-to-death fantasy genre.