Emily Houghton, author of 'Last Time We Met' - Re-drafting, making rom-com unique, and how to write an entire book on your phone
Writer's Routine
Dan Simpson
4.9 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2022
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Emily Houghton managed to write the entire draft of her very first novel on her phone, whilst travelling around the world. That novel, 'Before I Saw You', was a huge success and she's followed it up with 'Last Time We Met'.
It's about Eleanor and Finn, who make a pact to marry each other if they're single at 35. Then, 15 years later, they bump into each other... what do you think happens?
We talk about how writing her new book has been completely different than getting her first down on her phone. Also you can hear about her re-drafts, why she's had to be more structured in writing, and how she plans scene breakdowns.
Emily talks about uplit and rom-com, and how she strives to make hers different, also about finding your voice, and what she perceives her own style to be.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello there, ahoi, welcome to writer's routine. This week we are chatting to |
| 0:12.9 | Emily Horton. Emily wrote the entire draft of her first novel on her phone whilst |
| 0:19.7 | travelling around the world. You can hear about the actual logistics of that |
| 0:23.4 | and how annoying it must have been pretty much texting an entire novel. We talk about her brand |
| 0:29.9 | new book last time we met. And also, with many rom-coms available to read for you. What does she do to make sure hers stands out? |
| 0:39.8 | What I strongly believe in for my books is that it's not just the love story. |
| 0:45.3 | So the love story is obviously core to it, but for me, I also want to make sure the characters, |
| 0:50.5 | there's something more. |
| 0:51.6 | There's usually like a deep emotional journey or something they're |
| 0:57.2 | working through separately. It is hard and I do also think the reality is there are only so |
| 1:07.6 | many, you know, nothing is really very original anymore in any, any art or any kind of form of life. |
| 1:14.9 | And so I think it's trusting that the way you tell the story will eventually differentiate you and your style and how you bring characters forward. |
| 1:23.2 | There is more on the way with Emily Horton in this week's Writers' Routine. |
| 1:45.6 | Yes. Welcome along to the show. This is Writers Routine, where we take a look through an author's working day to see how they plan their life, their space, their day to take the book from their head and get it down onto the page and hopefully published too. My name is Dan Simpson. Thank you for being there, |
| 1:50.6 | for following, for sharing, for listening. We are, what, a week away from Bloody Scotland, |
| 1:56.4 | one of the biggest crime writing festivals in Europe. It's happening next weekend. |
| 2:02.8 | Next weekend when this is out. Europe. It's happening next weekend. Next weekend when this is out. |
| 2:07.1 | Anyway, it's happening next weekend up in Sterling in Scotland. |
| 2:13.1 | I will be there chairing two sessions, one about writing Americana, the other in conversation with Joanne Harris and also Janice Halle, if you're around. |
| 2:17.7 | Make sure you pop along. |
| 2:18.8 | Come and say hi. |
| 2:19.6 | You can get your tickets right now. |
... |
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