Imagine being married to one of literature’s most famous wordsmiths and having him describe your life as “a blank”. This is the reputation that Charles Dickens’ wife Kate of 22 years – with whom he had 10 children – has endured for 150 years. But in author Emily Howes’ new novel Mrs Dickens, she seeks to fill in those blanks. In this episode, Emily shares her inspirations for choosing this historical figure and the challenges of reimagining history.

00:00 Welcome
08:28 Writing Tip: Try something new
11:55 WIN: The German Ward by Pip Williams
13:16 Word of the Week: “Pertinacious”
14:14 Interview with Emily Howes
15:02 Why Mrs Dickens matters
16:50 Inspirations for the novel
22:23 Researching her life
24:01 Turning facts into fiction
25:35 What stayed and what was cut
30:02 Second POV character: Anne
35:57 Balancing work and writing
38:48 Emily’s writing breakthrough
43:22 What’s next?
45:48 Writing tip
47:31 Final thoughts

Read the show notes

Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

Imagine being married to one of literature&rsquo;s most famous wordsmiths and having him describe your life as &ldquo;a blank&rdquo;. This is the reputation that Charles Dickens&rsquo; wife Kate of 22 years &ndash; with whom he had 10 children &ndash; has endured for 150 years. But in author Emily Howes&rsquo; new novel Mrs Dickens, she seeks to fill in those blanks. In this episode, Emily shares her inspirations for choosing this historical figure and the challenges of reimagining history.
00:00 Welcome 08:28 Writing Tip: Try something new 11:55 WIN: The German Ward by Pip Williams 13:16 Word of the Week: &ldquo;Pertinacious&rdquo; 14:14 Interview with Emily Howes 15:02 Why Mrs Dickens matters 16:50 Inspirations for the novel 22:23 Researching her life 24:01 Turning facts into fiction 25:35 What stayed and what was cut 30:02 Second POV character: Anne 35:57 Balancing work and writing 38:48 Emily&rsquo;s writing breakthrough 43:22 What&rsquo;s next? 45:48 Writing tip 47:31 Final thoughts
<a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/ep-737/">Read the show notes</a>
Connect with Valerie and listeners in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2346749828883788/">the podcast community on Facebook</a> Visit <a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/">WritersCentre.com.au</a> |&nbsp;<a href="http://valeriekhoo.com/">ValerieKhoo.com</a>

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo – author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre. 

Everything you&rsquo;ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo &ndash;&nbsp;author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers&rsquo; Centre.&nbsp;