The Secrets of Storytelling

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BBC Radio 4 LW

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

A contemporary author takes a classic text to shine light on the craft of writing fiction.

A contemporary author takes part of a classic text to shine a light on the craft of writing fiction.

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The Secrets of Storytelling: Character Studies

Character Studies

BBC Radio 4 - The Secrets of Storytelling, Character Studies

James Runcie and Abdulrazak Gurnah consider how to create and develop characters.

James Runcie is joined by the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah to discuss the art of creating convincing characters and giving them a satisfying arc.

James Runcie, author of the Grantchester Mysteries series, is a writer in search of the best way to tell a story. In this series he meets high profile authors to discuss the craft of novel writing. Using extracts from the author’s own work, as well as classic texts, the conversations will reveal the secrets of the storytelling craft.

In this episode, James is joined by novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2021. They discuss how to create characters that we root for, and give them a satisfying arc. Through analysis of scenes from Great Expectations and Jane Eyre, as well as Abdulrazak's own novels By the Sea, Paradise and Memory of Departure, they consider why characters need to change and grow, and how to make their journeys believable.

Presenter: James Runcie
Producer: Ellie Bury
Readers: Harriet Walter and Paterson Joseph

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