First Drafts

Available for over a year

This week we examine the sometimes painful process of drafting and redrafting. We're joined by Denise Mina, who appeared on the Verb in 2019 to share her feelings towards a book she had only just started. What became of it? Listen to find out. Toby Litt's current novel is 'A Writer's Diary'. Initially published in the form of daily emails to subscribers, the lines between fact and fiction appear to blur with every email. How is a work like this drafted? Paul Tran says redrafting of his poems is also a redrafting and a rebuilding of the self in the wake of trauma or extremity. For Singer-songwriter and folk historian Polly Paulusma it is through the process of drafting that ideas and images that first appear buried bubble up to the surface, And our 'Something New' poem this week comes from Costa Award-winning poet Hannah Lowe Presenter: Ian McMillan Producer: Cecile Wright