Meet Michael Brissenden who chats about his latest novel Smoke. He discusses his research process, where he gets his ideas, how he uses a whiteboard in his writing process and transition from journalism to fiction writing.
00:00 Introduction and welcome 00:23 Success story: Sarah Speedie 03:40 Nat Newman's writing tips 05:58 Finding beta readers 12:41 Competition: Win Death in the Air by Ram Murali 14:52 Word of the week: Embrocate 17:55 Interview with Michael Brissenden, author of Smoke 23:30 Facing rejection and finding inspiration 24:25 From journalism to fiction writing 25:13 Crafting a nuanced story 26:42 Developing characters and plot 27:36 The writing process and challenges 28:35 Exploring themes in Smoke 32:45 Research and authenticity 34:30 Daily writing routine 36:18 Planning and structuring a novel 41:23 Journalism skills in fiction writing 46:00 Creating a strong female protagonist 51:22 Top writing tips for aspiring authors 53:54 Conclusion and final thoughts
Michael Brissenden is an author and journalist. His first book of fiction – The List was published in 2017. A second thriller – Dead Letters also features the Federal investigator Sidney Allen and was published by Hachette Australia Books in March 2021. His latest novel, Smoke, is out now.
Michael was a journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for 35 years. He was posted to Moscow, Brussels and Washington and worked in Canberra for many years in various roles – including as the Political Editor for the daily television current affairs program – The 7.30 Report, as the ABC’s defence and security correspondent and as the presenter of the ‘AM’ Current Affairs program on ABC radio. From 2017 to 2021 he was a reporter with the ABC’s investigative television documentary program – Four Corners.
