What if you could be locked away simply for having disturbing dreams? That’s part of the premise in internationally acclaimed author Laila Lalami’s latest novel, The Dream Hotel. In this episode, Laila discusses the themes that inspired and eventually mirrored her book, along with her background in writing, her daily routine, writing tips and more.
00:00 Welcome
04:50 Writing tip: Avoid clichés!
07:58 WIN!: A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan
09:35 Word of the week: ‘Apophenia’
10:03 Writer in residence: Laila Lalami
11:02 Laila outlines The Dream Hotel
12:17 Speculative Fiction and real-world parallels
14:20 The language of this near future world
19:40 Dreams and their cultural significance
21:58 Speculative Fiction and dreams as data
22:50 Researching the novel
27:17 The role of algorithms in society
30:11 Laila’s journey to becoming a writer
34:33 Balancing teaching and writing
37:27 The challenges of book promotion
39:20 Future writing projects
40:59 Laila’s writing tips
42:43 Final thoughts
Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com