{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"#71 - Using a Deadline to Inspire with Robert Harris","description":"Executive Vice President of Publisher Relations and Content at Kobo, Pieter Swinkels introduces a live on stage at Kobo \u201cKobo in Conversation\u201d interview of Robert Harris about his latest book, Conclave. (As an interesting aside, Pieter was, at one time, Robert\u2019s publisher in the Netherlands). Robert is interviewed by Toronto pop culture columnist, film journalist and television personality, Johanna Schneller. In the interview Johanna and Robert discuss: Brexit and how, though the public events surrounding Brexit are possible fodder for a forthcoming Robert Harris novel, he prefers to wait perhaps 10 or 20 years after such an event, because after such time, you can more properly see the patterns a lot more easily when you\u2019re not as involved in them The research involved in writing about a papal conclave, the oldest, most secretive election in the world, starting with the request for permission to see the places that aren\u2019t normally open to the public The overwhelming majesty of the setting of the Sistine Chapel and the Apostolic Palace The bunker-like setting that the cardinals are sequestered in and the similarities to an Agatha Christie cottage mystery setting The enormous power of the internet when it comes to researching a book such as this one, and how the entire process of gathering that research being hugely sped up The writing routine that Robert Harris employs, starting with research How this particular novel was written between January and July of this past year Harris\u2019s daily writing routine of starting sometime around 7 or 8 AM and then finishing at about half past noon, and his belief that one can do only about four hours or so of hard creative work A reference to the Stephen King quote about the \u201cboys in the basement\u201d who are hard at work for a writer when the writer is not sitting at their writing desk Harris\u2019s strong belief in deadlines and how the fear and adrenaline helps him produce A look into one of Harris\u2019s earliest books, the non-fiction title Selling Hitler, an investigation of the \u201cHitler Diaries\u201d scandal, which was published in 1986, and how it led to the author\u2019s evolution into writing novels   Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre then talks about something Robert Harris mentioned in the interview \u2013 the concept of the deadline and how he saw that fear and adrenaline as important elements in the creative process for him as a writer. Lefebvre talks about his own experience writing to deadline on his own non-fiction works and then considers the concept of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and that 30 day deadline to write a prescribed number of words (50,000). He talks about the critical nature of that imposed \u201cdeadline\u201d and how it can help a writer actually sit down and get words written.   LINKS OF INTEREST Robert Harris's website Johanna Schneller on Twitter Robert's books on Kobo ","author_name":"Kobo Writing Life Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/bit.ly\/KWLPodcast","html":"