Experimenting with narrative form: Ashley Hickson-Lovence on About to Fall Apart

About this episode

Ashley Hickson-Lovence discusses his novel 'About to Fall Apart' and the intricacies of narrative form and personal storytelling.

In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Norwich-based writer Ashley Hickson-Lovence discusses experimenting with narrative, form, and structure in his latest novel, About to Fall Apart – a thrilling kaleidoscope of thoughts, failures, disappointments and hope. Ashley Hickson-Lovence earned his PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia. He has lectured English and Creative Writing at Brunel University, Arts University Bournemouth, University of East Anglia and the University of Suffolk. He is the author of the poetry collection Why I Am Not a Bus Driver, the acclaimed novels The 392 and Your Show, and the 2024 prize-winning YA novel in verse Wild East. Set across one weekend, About to Fall Apart is the exhilarating story of a man of mixed heritage – living on the Irish border – as he tries to stay positive, reconnect with his children and maybe, even, find his own birth mother. He sat down with fellow writer Sophie Yan Yee Lau, who he mentors through the Escalator New Writing Fellowships, for a candid conversation about the freedoms and constraints of setting a novel within a tight timeline. They also explore writing from personal experience, using…

People in this episode

Guest: Ashley Hickson-Lovence

Topics covered

• narrative experimentation
• creative writing
• personal experience
• character development
• poetic techniques
• tight timelines

Keywords

• Ashley Hickson-Lovence
• About to Fall Apart
• narrative form
• creative writing
• poetic techniques
• character inspiration
• mixed heritage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of East Anglia, Brunel University, Arts University Bournemouth, University of Suffolk

Books & works: About to Fall Apart, Why I Am Not a Bus Driver, The 392, Your Show, Wild East

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