Hattie Crisell's In Writing is a thoughtful and engaging exploration of the craft of writing, offering readers a peek into the minds and processes of various writers. Crisell delves into the nuances of creativity, the struggles of the writing life, and the personal routines that shape each writer’s work. With its conversational tone and insightful reflections, the book provides both inspiration and practical wisdom for aspiring writers and seasoned professionals alike. In Writing is a compelling read for anyone interested in the art of storytelling, capturing the complexities and joys of putting words on the page.

In Writing is an interesting proposition, because most books on writing are about craft, whereas this is more about the experience of being a writer. On that basis, it's great, and feels more akin to gossiping with a bunch of fascinating, charming people (and David Sedaris) at an exclusive party than your usual “how to” guide. Recommended.

I love Hattie's podcast so couldn't wait to get stuck into this. The book brings together interview excerpts from 55 writers that Hattie has spoken to over the years. There is some content from the podcast but also new material here and Hattie groups these together in 10 thematic chapters or questions that reflect the main concerns writers experience, such as 'How do we find flow?' and 'How do we tell the truth?'. The structural approach works well and each chapter then begins with a short prologue by Hattie to set up the concern. One of the most appealing aspects of the books is that these aren't just novelists, but also include screenwriters, comedians, journalists, essayists, poets, filmmakers and more. Writers include Kit de Waal, Jon Ronson, Emily St John Mandel, Liane Moriarity, Ruben Ostlund, Sathnam Sanghera, Brandon Taylor. There are lots of pearls of wisdom in here to mull over and I will be writing them out on index cards for my wall! My most highlighted chapter was 'What's so hard about writing?' and 'What shape is a story?', but I'm very much at the shaping stage with writing at the moment myself and always find writing hard so these were brilliantly refreshing. I particularly liked some of the contradictory advice in here and that those contradictions were very much embraced rather than an attempt to have a neat and consistent narrative. Some of the longer excerpts include Hattie's questions - I liked these insertions and wished Hattie's voice was in here more. I can see that the idea was probably to keep the voices of the interviewees front and centre but one of the strengths of the podcast for me is Hattie's interviewing style and I think the book could have brought that in more, which could also have been achieved in some closing remarks by Hattie for each chapter or a final chapter after the 10 themes. This was an enjoyable and worthwhile read overall and has given me lots to think about.

The author has interviewed 55 writers, some for her podcast In Writing with Hattie Crisell. The interviews are with established writers in a range of fields: novelists, poets, non-fiction writers, screenwriters, playwrights, journalists, stand-up comedians.
The early parts of the book feel like an amalgam of every author Q&A I’ve read on a blog: how do you get your ideas; where do you write; what is your daily word count. However, the interviews move on to look at more technical aspects of writing: structure, vocabulary choice, role of feedback and agent/editor input. The interviewees show startling honesty in discussing rejection and those heart-and-soul projects that never got published.
I found it a fascinating, encouraging and helpful read. I think it will appeal to both budding writers and established professionals. I intend to buy the paperback as a Christmas gift for the early-career screenwriter in my family.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
At publication, I will post my review on my blog, Amazon and GoodReads.

If there were ever a book that could pull me out of the odd stupor I often find myself in as a writer, Hattie Crisell's 'In Writing' is going to be that book. Not content with pulling great pieces of advice from a single writer, it traverses success across all writing mediums from screenwriters to poets to novelists to journalists. Most are collected from her podcast interviews of the same name, but Crisell has gone one step further and collated them together under certain categories. So, when you need a boost in a jam and it's a very specific boost, you can find it in a very specific chapter.

I really enjoyed this book. Certainly if you're an author in a particular medium, you'll get more from certain people - as a screenwriter and playwright, I paid particular attention to the advice of Jesse Armstrong, Lucy Prebble, Emily St John Mandel and Georgia Pritchett - but you will always find a nugget of something incredibly useful in a writer you've never heard of.

It did take me quite a long time to finish this book, but I like to think it's because I wanted to absorb as much as I could and really take my time understanding how these writers continue to write without just wanting to lie on the floor all the time. I definitely want to get a copy of this - I highlighted a few passages in the Kindle version and need to come back to them. Writers, bump this to the top of your TBR when it comes out in November or enjoy some episodes of the original podcast in the meantime.

Five stars and more if I could! I am a dedicated listener of Hattie’s podcast and a reader of her Substack newsletter, so I’ve been following the writing process of this book and eagerly awaiting it. It’s the book I needed and I’m very grateful to NetGalley for letting me read it early! I have highlighted so much of my Kindle copy that I may as well have highlighted the whole thing. There are gems here that are new material, including Hattie’s excellent and thought-prompting introductory essays to each section (structured as a series of key questions about writing and how it gets done), but I also loved having quotes I remembered from the podcast down on paper in the edited transcripts, for me to refer back to when I want them. And I will be referring back to this a lot! Especially Meg Mason’s interview extracts. Thank you for this treasure trove Hattie.

In Writing is the collection of short interviews with successful writers.
The title is spot on because in In Writing a wide selection of writers writing in different mediums engagingly chat about their ‘in writing’ states, processes and inspirations. The questions provide an effective framework and the answers are equally insightful.
As a writer and creative, I highly recommend this book to all creatives and readers who wish to be illuminated about writing.

With a wide variety of contributors, In Writing by Hattie Crisell explores the creative process that goes into writing of various forms and how authors feel about their work.