Swallowed by a Whale : Writing Advice from Authors of Note

Creative writing & creative writing guides

Published on 28 August 2025 by British Library Publishing in the United Kingdom.

In this specially commissioned anthology, 60 accomplished authors share secrets and insights into their writing lives: on their inspirations, methods, wild ideas and daily routines; on the pleasure and the pain in achieving their literary goals; on how they started out and how they hope to continue. They outline some golden rules for staying on track and talk candidly about what goes wrong as well as right.

Emerging talents sit alongside much-loved authors whose books have sold in their millions. Each reflects in their own way on the creative process and the compulsion to write. How to find inspiration? How to get the words right? How to cope with writer's block? And where do the good ideas really come from?Includes contributions from Cressida Cowell, Matt Haig, Joanne Harris, David Mitchell, Jan Morris, Onjali Q Raf, Raynor Winn, Michael Rosen, Irvine Welsh, Tracy Chevalier, Thomas Keneally, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Tom Gauld and Benjamin Myers.