Best Samuel Godfrey Podcasts (2025)

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S5 Ep4: Adam Buxton: The ups and downs of memoir writing 57:45

13d ago57:45

57:45

First of all, thank you SCRIVENER for sponsoring Season 5! You can try Scrivener free for 30 days. And if you love it, (which you will) you can use the code FAILING and get 20% off, you lucky, lucky duckies. https://www.literatureandlatte.com/ OK... This week, be prepared to have your beautiful, unsullied little brain absolutely stuffed to the brim…

1
S5 Ep3: Lyrical Waxings With Paul Armfield 59:17

27d ago59:17

59:17

We nattered and we caterwauled 'bout lyrics, punk and bands, and we shed a little light upon how melody can expand, and we talked of books and words and how they sometimes change a man, and by the end, our mate Paul Armfield had another couple o' fans. Lyrics. Are they different to poems? Are they an art form all of their very own? Is it best to wr…

1
S5 Ep2: C.J. Tudor is back 57:17

1M ago57:17

57:17

Hello. Come here. A little closer. Closer. Don’t be afraid. There. That’s it. I’m going to tell you a story. A story about an author called C.J. Tudor. Who many years ago, waaay way back in season 1, episode 13, joined the Failing Writers Podcast for a harmless little natter. Back when they were just podcasting children, playing down in the basemen…

1
S5 Ep1: Jennie Godfrey 1:02:03

1M ago1:02:03

1:02:03

Aaaaaaand we're back. Bet you missed us. Ah come on. Just a little bit? Oh. Well we're here now, so let's make the best of it. Now... let's look at the menu. What's for starters? A delicious breakfast at Bettys Tea Rooms - a proper Yorkshire institution. Then... the very antithesis of failing... Jennie Godfrey and her bestselling debut book: A List…

1
Anything 4 U - Ep6 - Finished 30:42

2M ago30:42

30:42

Hello Worldwrights, The Failing Writers are now on a little sabbatical, plotting, (or possibly pantsing) the next season of the podcast and maybe... maybe... even writing some stuff? I'd like to think so anyway. In absentia, they've decided to bring you all 6 episodes of Anything 4 U, which some of you may remember being occasionally mentioned on t…

1
Anything 4 U - Ep5 - Tipped 31:18

3M ago31:18

31:18

Hello Worldwrights, The Failing Writers are now on a little sabbatical, plotting, (or possibly pantsing) the next season of the podcast and maybe... maybe... even writing some stuff? I'd like to think so anyway. In absentia, they've decided to bring you all 6 episodes of Anything 4 U, which some of you may remember being occasionally mentioned on t…

1
Anything 4 U - Ep4 - Swabbed 26:40

3M ago26:40

26:40

Hello Worldwrights, The Failing Writers are now on a little sabbatical, plotting, (or possibly pantsing) the next season of the podcast and maybe... maybe... even writing some stuff? I'd like to think so anyway. In absentia, they've decided to bring you all 6 episodes of Anything 4 U, which some of you may remember being occasionally mentioned on t…

1
Anything 4 U - Ep3 - Catered 26:41

3M ago26:41

26:41

Hello Worldwrights, The Failing Writers are now on a little sabbatical, plotting, (or possibly pantsing) the next season of the podcast and maybe... maybe... even writing some stuff? I'd like to think so anyway. In absentia, they've decided to bring you all 6 episodes of Anything 4 U, which some of you may remember being occasionally mentioned on t…

1
Anything 4 U - Ep2 - Dumped 25:30

4M ago25:30

25:30

Hello Worldwrights, The Failing Writers are now on a little sabbatical, plotting, (or possibly pantsing) the next season of the podcast and maybe... maybe... even writing some stuff? I'd like to think so anyway. In absentia, they've decided to bring you all 6 episodes of Anything 4 U, which some of you may remember being occasionally mentioned on t…

1
Anything 4 U - Ep1 - Stripped 28:33

4M ago28:33

28:33

Hello Worldwrights, The Failing Writers are now on a little sabbatical, plotting, (or possibly pantsing) the next season of the podcast and maybe... maybe... even writing some stuff? I'd like to think so anyway. In absentia, they've decided to bring you all 6 episodes of Anything 4 U, which some of you may remember being occasionally mentioned on t…

1
S4 Ep27 A Stroll Down Memory Lane 1:05:17

5M ago1:05:17

1:05:17

Hello and happy new year, you lovely lot. Please allow us a moment of self indulgence now, as all three of us bring you a bonus episode looking back on where we were 4 years ago, when we first began this lovely little writing / podcasting project. Because for some inexplicable reason, we've decided to take our first ever episode and provide a kind …

1
S4 Ep26 Flash Fiction Competition Runners Up 2024 35:44

5M ago35:44

35:44

This week we have a look at the rest of our festive flash fiction competition shortlist. Warning: They’re upsettingly good. Any one of them, frankly, could have won. Which must rankle somewhat. Thankfully though, this is the moment they can shine. Here were the winners (Announced last week): Katie Holloway: https://loseyourselfbooks.wordpress.com/ …

1
S4 Ep25 Festive Flash Fiction WINNER 43:08

5M ago43:08

43:08

Winners winners, turkey dinners! Thanks to the absolute legends at SCRIVENER - https://www.literatureandlatte.com/ You can get 20% off a copy by using the code 'failing' until the end of 2024. ORRRR maybe... just maybe... you've already won a copy, and you don’t know it? Well there's only one way to find out isn't there? by listening to this episod…

1
S4 Ep24 The Lost Art Of Letter Writing 1:18:02

5M ago1:18:02

1:18:02

Don't forget you can still get 20% off SCRIVENER using the code 'failing' until the new year - so do that first before you get side-tracked with all the less-important Christmas stuff. OK. Done that? Great. Now listen to this lovely episode featuring the wonderful Amy Daughters talking about how hand written letters can help bring people together. …

1
S4 Ep23 Resuscitating The Subject of English (pt2) 1:03:53

6M ago1:03:53

1:03:53

Time to finish our letter to Bridget Phillipson, and once again thank the incredible teachers we spoke to, and the pupils for their fabulous creative writing. And hey, thank yourself too! Whether you like it or not, you're now part of our powerful army of activists, who are going to help bring about a U-turn in reading and writing! Let's start toda…

1
S4 Ep22 Resuscitating The Subject of English (pt1) 37:41

6M ago37:41

37:41

"Thank goodness for the Failing Writers." A phrase you've no doubt overheard people say quite a lot over the years. At bus stops. Maybe in libraries? At the off licence? No? Not even the off license? Oh. Anyway - not to worry - this week you're ALMOST CERTAIN to hear it, as Jon and Tom slip their pants on over their tights and become SAVIOURS OF TH…

1
S4 Ep21: Henry Normal & Performing Poetry 43:53

6M ago43:53

43:53

If Tom & Jon wrote poems ‘spose it will be assumed They won’t be as good as Henry’s Normal service will be resumed. In this episode, we meet up with Henry Normal: poet, writer of famous sit-coms, TV producer and poetry festival founder, and have a blummin’ lovely natter. (After we did that - we watched him perform all his lovely poems, so effortles…

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S4 Ep 20: The Failing Writers Festive Flash Fiction Competition 36:35

7M ago36:35

36:35

Sorry? Did you just say you'd love to enter an almost free* festive flash fiction competition to win £500? I thought you did! Well as coincidence would have it, that is exactly what we've got going on in this very episode. So step this way, my cheeky little word-purveyor, and cast your well oiled ears at our glorious 350 word Flash Fiction Competit…

1
S4 Ep19: Ergodic Fiction 1:02:39

7M ago1:02:39

1:02:39

What is ergodic literature? Well, it's when a story becomes more than just something you read, and you become part of it. But pretend you haven't read that, so that you can find out from listening to this wonderful episode. In which, we have a chat with "S" co-author Doug Dorst and You Say Which Way author Deb Potter, in our quest to get to the bot…

1
S4 Ep18: What do we think of writing retreats? 56:54

8M ago56:54

56:54

Should you treat yourself to a writing retreat? If you did it twice would you be re-treating yourself to a writing retreat? If you tweeted about treating yourself to a writers retreat would you be tweeting your re-treat of retreating to a retreat? And if you then re-tweeted your... OK, I'll stop. Tom & Jon not only answer the first of these pressin…

1
S4 Ep17: A Shortcut To Querying Success 1:02:31

8M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

Are you querying? or nearly querying? Maybe you’re fearing querying? Or merely getting weary and a bit teary querying? Well let’s hear from three writers who’ve been down in those querying trenches for a while now. Find out how they're approaching it, what agents' responses have been like and how they’re holding up under pressure. Because when it c…

1
S4 Ep16: Let's put off procrastinating, with Oliver Burkeman 46:57

9M ago46:57

46:57

... What? Did 2 weeks just fly by since the last episode? No flippin' way. Time, I think, we had a chat about time. The fact that there's never enough of it. Especially for writing. Why is that? Well Oliver Burkeman might just have some answers. Prepare to face the subject of time and limitation face-on. Get ready to completely re-think how we view…

1
S4 Ep15: How do you know if your writing is good enough? 44:19

9M ago44:19

44:19

Well, that’s the summer hiatus done with - and we're back with an episode which asks the question, "how do you know if your writing is good enough?" In an attempt to answer that question, we’re going to be looking at a couple of Tom’s flash fiction stories and asking if, why, and how, one of them is slightly less rubbish than the other. Both storie…

1
S4 Ep14: How to become a full-time author... maybe 52:44

11M ago52:44

52:44

Do you have what it takes to quit your day job and follow your dreams to become a full time author? Well, there's only one way to find out...and that's to listen to our interview with J C Duncan! Hear how he bravely decided to give himself a year to become a professional writer and, even bravelier, decided to tell everyone about it! Plus home made …

1
S4 Ep 13: Tune that name! All about pseudonyms 56:58

11M ago56:58

56:58

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet...but would he have written that line if he wasn't called Shakespeare? This week Jon, Tom and Dave (or possibly Rod, Jane and Freddy) look into pseudonyms, nom-de-plumes, pen names...and basically just being someone else for a bit. Does your name affect your chances of success? Does it even have a…

1
S4 Ep 12: Mike Gayle 1:10:17

12M ago1:10:17

1:10:17

A change is in the air here at Failing HQ. A scent on the wind, a signal that the new dawn will herald the arrival of long overdue success. This week, not only do Tom and Jon have a lovely chat with acclaimed author and current Richard and Judy Book Club pick Mike Gayle...but Jon also discusses his submissions to some actual writing competitions. A…

1
S4 Ep11: Samuel Burr & The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers 51:51

12M ago51:51

51:51

If we were really clever, we'd have written the show notes for this week's episode in the form of a cryptic crossword clue in honour of our guest, Samuel Burr. We spoke to him about his debut novel "The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers", his frankly unbelievable journey to getting published and even had a chat about all things cryptic. But, unfortunatel…

1
S4 Ep10: Does Age Matter? with Aline Dufflocq & Babette Hughes 1:11:08

12M ago1:11:08

1:11:08

The average age of our guests this week is 64. Nothing too amazing about that you might say… until you find out the first of our two guests is in her mid-twenties! This week we ask, “Is there a best age to write?” Plus we enjoy a WIP from Geoffrey G N Harrison. And here’s a load of links… Check out Aline’s YouTube here! Here's Aline's Toktok Here's…

1
S4 Ep9: Darren Walsh - He Knows His Punions 57:17

1y ago57:17

57:17

Would you like a pun? Well, that's handy because this week we've been punning for gold and ended up with a bucket load. Director, writer and stand up comedian Darren Walsh chats to us about his career, the art of a good pun and whether AI will ever be funnier than him. Plus Jon comes up with what is almost certainly not an entirely new form of joke…

1
S4 Ep8: A tour of Scarfolk, with Richard Littler 1:05:48

1y ago1:05:48

1:05:48

Have you ever been to Scarfolk? It's a strange, yet hauntingly familiar place. Join us as we take a bus trip into the mind of the man who dreamt it all up, Richard Littler. Plus we take a look at another listener's bit o' writing they've kindly sent in to share with the class. This week we try and make Madelyn Postman cry... Find out more about Ric…

1
S4 Ep7: Robert Popper 1:23:44

1y ago1:23:44

1:23:44

If comedy writing is your thing, we've got a real treat for you. This week we talk to the super talented and rather prolific Robert Popper. From how he broke into the industry via Steve Coogan and The Comic Strip to his smash hit sitcom Friday Night Dinner. We also chat about Robin Cooper, The Timewaster Letters, South Park, Look Around You, and pl…

1
S4 Ep6: Improv Your Writing - with Ruth Bratt 47:24

1y ago47:24

47:24

The great Carl Reiner once said “Improvisation is just writing in front of an audience”. So we figured if we could brush up on our improv skills it's bound to make us better writers... right? This week improv extraordinaire, and official Comedy Store Player, Ruth Bratt talks to us about her life, her craft and the eating habits of her cat... before…

1
S4 Ep5: The Interview That Went A Bit Wrong 56:15

1y ago56:15

56:15

Unfortunately we're not able to include show notes this week, for legal reasons. Thanks for listening. www.floraopil.com Find out more about Flora here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.By The Failing Writers Podcast

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S4 Ep4: Writers Unite! with Sarah from Writers' HQ & Debut Novelist Samuel Burr 1:19:45

1y ago1:19:45

1:19:45

Writing can be a solitary business. All those hours spent with nothing but a blank page and a bottomless coffee cup. On reflection we reckon it's probably good to interact with other human beings occasionally. It can stop you going full fruit-loops. (You know...dressing as your main character and wandering around the house talking to yourself.) It …

1
S4 Ep3: The Full Brontë 1:23:46

1y ago1:23:46

1:23:46

Join Tom & Jon on another rambly exploration. This time we're off back to the 1840s to take a good, hard look at the Brontë sisters. Who were Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë? What were they like? How is it possible that three sisters all wrote so brilliantly? Why are they still so revered by readers across the world? and what was the deal with Bra…

1
S4 Ep2: Jessica Bull - Miss Austen Investigates 57:06

1y ago57:06

57:06

As an aspiring young writer it's easy to be put off by even the most well intentioned constructive criticism...what's not so easy is to revisit that critique many years later and be inspired to write a novel that has publishers literally fighting each other for the chance to print it. Join us for a fascinating interview as Jessica Bull, author of t…

1
S4 Ep1: Danny Wallace 1:19:04

1+ y ago1:19:04

1:19:04

Aaaaaand we're back! The Failing Writers return for what some are calling the fourth season of this spectacular podcast. We look forward to a whole new smorgasbord of writing tips, challenges, goals and cock-ups plus a raft of interviews with some of the biggest names in the writing world. Starting with a real corker courtesy of writer, presenter a…

1
S3 Ep27: Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas (pt2) 57:29

1+ y ago57:29

57:29

Happy New Year Folks! We continue our seasonal ghost stories with a handful of listener-written tales. So gather around the hearth with us again as we bring you a selection of eerie yarns, to make your timbers shiver. Massive thanks to our fantastic contributors: AB Finlayson: https://abfinlayson.com Threads: a.b.finlayson Craig Margolis: X: @damnb…

1
S3 Ep26: Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas (pt1) 1:15:03

1+ y ago1:15:03

1:15:03

Please accept this as a most cordial invitation to accompany Jon, Tom and as yet unnamed guests for an evening of traditional ghost story telling. We have chosen the most atmospheric venue we could acquire at short notice and now request your company, to consummate this joyously Victorian Christmas night of heebiejeebies. Please bring only yourself…

1
S3 Ep25: Alec Worley: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror & Comics. 1:30:40

1+ y ago1:30:40

1:30:40

Alec Worley is an award-lacking (his own words!) author from South London. He writes comics, fiction and audio drama about swords, fangs and lasers. He’s best known for his work on 2000 AD (home of Judge Dredd), Star Wars, and for legendary horror director John Carpenter. He's one of those really annoyingly talented people, with an eye for story an…

1
S3 Ep24: Word Games: The League of the Lexicon 1:08:06

1+ y ago1:08:06

1:08:06

Out of the blue, someone sent us a game. A game all about words and etymology and language - the very stuff we LOVE. So, we decided that we'd get together and play the game to see if it's any good, and have a chat with the bloke who created it. That game is The League of the Lexicon. That bloke is Joshua Blackburn and this is the podcast where all …

1
S3 Ep23: The Runners Up 43:58

1+ y ago43:58

43:58

We couldn't let the amazing stories that made it to the final short-list go un-read and un-heard... so here they are. Plus there's a nice little chat with the overall winner of our £500 prize, Manu St Thomas. Enjoy!! Still not had your fix? Geddaload o' these beauties.... "God of Ramen" (shortlisted for a Flash Fiction Magazine competition in 2022)…

1
S3 Ep22: Nanowrimo Special: How NOT to write a novel with Howard Mittelmark 54:29

1+ y ago54:29

54:29

NaNoWrimOhNo! It's that time of year again when words-per-day becomes the currency. So we thought we'd bring you even more words... Words of novel-writing wisdom! No, no... not from us... obviously. From novelist and longtime book editor Howard Mittelmark. Co-writer of How NOT to Write A Novel. A fantastic book full of the pitfalls most writers fal…

1
S3 Ep21: Writing Ghost Stories: with Stephen Volk & Ciaran O'Keeffe 1:33:01

1+ y ago1:33:01

1:33:01

With the help of two expert spookologists: Stephen Volk - horror writer & mastermind behind the BBCs infamous 'GHOSTWATCH', and Dr Ciaran O'Keeffe - famed ghostbuster & parapsychologist, we're attempting to figure out what gives us the heebie jeebies, so that we can all go away and write the world's GREATEST EVER GHOST STORY. That invitation extend…

1
S3 Ep20: How to write a book using ChatGPT - Andy Stanton 1:29:07

1+ y ago1:29:07

1:29:07

Well... there's a lot of talk about whether it's right or wrong to use AI to write your book for you. But that's not what this episode is about really. I mean, we touch on that and discuss it. You can't just ignore the moral questions, can you? But we mostly have a natter with Andy Stanton. An author of some repute. He's written a new book, using C…

1
S3 Ep19: 2023 Flash Fiction Competition Winners! 43:29

1+ y ago43:29

43:29

AND THE WINNER IS......... announced in the podcast. Plus the runners up and some highly commended entries, and as many of the superb entries that we can mention. It's been a brilliant comp this year - with some amazing stories submitted. Listen to see if you've won, and to hear the winning entries in all their glory! Huge thanks to our judge, Kath…

1
S3 Ep18: The Bookshop Episode 1:07:51

1+ y ago1:07:51

1:07:51

October 14th is BOOKSHOP DAY! So here's a little episode... well... it started out as a little episode... to celebrate the humble bookshop. Jon visits his local store to find out more about the art of selling paper and ink. In the process discovering the formula for writing the quintessential indie bookshop bestseller. The boys share the names of t…

1
S3 Ep17: A Simon Armitage, Stanza Stone Special. For National Poetry Day 2023 1:40:57

1+ y ago1:40:57

1:40:57

This week we're out and about tracking down poetry for National Poetry Day 2023. We take to the Yorkshire hills in search of the Stanza Stones. Join us on our adventure and help us celebrate some of the work of our current Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. http://www.stanzastones.co.uk/ https://www.simonarmitage.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…

1
S3 Ep16: Oliver Mol - Train Lord 1:12:36

1+ y ago1:12:36

1:12:36

Imagine being a writer and not actually writing! Oh wait. That's us. Imagine being a writer and NOT BEING ABLE TO WRITE! That was Oli. He had a 10 month long migraine that almost literally killed him. Listen to his fascinating story and hear how he tried to made sense of it all through his autofiction book: Train Lord. We talk about writing the tru…

1
S3 Ep15: Emma Healey 1:19:03

1+ y ago1:19:03

1:19:03

Hello again. This time out we're having a nice sit down with author Emma Healey. Her debut novel, Elizabeth is Missing, (which has been described as "bloody brilliant, honestly, you should read it Tom, it's funny and sad and intriguing. Proper mint it is.") has sold over a million copies and won the Costa First Novel Award. Plus it ended up being m…

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