Hello, welcome along to a brand new episode of writer's routine. This week we're chatting to

Diana Janney. Her novel, A Man of Understanding, was named Runner Up for the People's Book Prize.

We talk about how her love of poetry

seeps into her novels, also why she is influenced by the old philosophers, and what she

likes to know before she starts every day. I don't plan which part of the story I want to get to,

um, for the reason that sometimes and quite often I don't I don't know where that story is leading because I don't like the idea of a skeleton for me I mean I'm I know it works for other people but for me I find that it has an adverse impact on my flow and creativity

and originality. So what's important to me, first and foremost, is the main characters.

It's all coming up with Diana Janney in this week's writers's routine.

Yes, welcome along.

This is writer's routine, where we take a look inside an author's working day to see where they write, how they write, when they write, what they do to give them the best chance

of getting words down on the page,

how they organise their life around that.

Now, my name is Dan Simpson.

Thank you so much for listening.

This week we're chatting to Diana Janney, who is busy, who is a doer.

This chat twists and turns through poetry, philosophy, but trauma, sports, and how all of them influence her

writing. She's worked as a barrister, as a model, has published a book called The Choice, also

the Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose that was very successful a few years ago. And her third novel

is out right now. It's called A Man of Understanding. As I say, it was runner-up

for the people's book prize not too long ago. It's all about Horatio Hennessy and his orphaned grandson

Blue and their journey together. We try and piece together where it came from, although Diana isn't really too sure about that exactly.

Also, how she can write anywhere, starting in long hand, and why she's perfectly happy to give herself time,

...