Hattie Crisell's 'In Writing' Demystifies Authorship Through 50+ Writer Conversations

Hattie Crisell's book 'In Writing: Conversations on Inspiration, Perspiration and Creative Desperation' collects edited responses from over 50 authors to ten consistent questions, originally drawn from her podcast of the same name. Published by Granta Books in hardcover for £16.99, the volume organizes conversations around themes like language, rewrites, and the origins of ideas, with each section introduced by a short essay from Crisell. Interviewees include novelist Meg Mason, who humorously critiques desk placement, and newspaper columnist Hugo Rifkind, who works with his back to a scenic view. Screenwriter Georgia Pritchett recounts an early biography of her hamster, while novelist Anna Hope emphasizes the professional nature of writing by noting 9:47 a.m. as a perfectly good start time. The book challenges romanticized myths of authorship, contrasting with classics like Stephen King's 'On Writing' (2000), critic James Wood's 'How Fiction Works' (2008), and Annie Dillard's 'The Writing Life' (1989). Crisell also references George Saunders's 2021 book 'A Swim in a Pond in the Rain', which analyzes Russian short stories and appears in her conclusion. The work aims to provide practical insight behind creative processes, asserting that writing is a job requiring persistence, as Crisell notes that all featured writers survived edits and continued their craft.