The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience How Booker Prize Nominated Author Charlotte Wood Writes
Award-winning Australian author Charlotte Wood discussed her journey from local journalist to Booker Prize finalist, her creative process, and the 10th anniversary of her dystopian novel THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS.
Charlotte Wood is the author of seven novels and three non-fiction books. Her last novel Stone Yard Devotional was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, listed as a New York Times Notable Book of 2025, Los Angeles Times 15 Best Books of 2025, and one of The Washington Post's best five novels of the year.
Now, for its 10th anniversary, comes a reprint of The Natural Way of Things, a book described as a prescient feminist fable and international classic, “The Handmaid’s Tale for our age” by The Economist, and by #1 New York Times bestselling author Paula Hawkins as “beautiful and savage.” It won the prestigious Stella Prize, the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award in Fiction, and was longlisted for many others.
Charlotte’s features and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Lit Hub, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Saturday Paper, among others.
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In this file Charlotte Wood, Milena and I discussed:
When she committed herself to becoming a writer
Why she never starts out with a big idea
The real-life girls' school that inspired The Natural Way of Things
How to apply "The George Costanza Approach" to your process
The career-changing reception of Stone Yard Devotional
The double-edged sword of literary prizes
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
The Natural Way of Things: A Novel by Charlotte Wood (Amazon)
Charlotte Wood Amazon Author Page
Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer
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