Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC: 'It’s much easier and kinder to take personal experiences and adapt them into the story you want to tell'
BY Katie Smart
2nd Mar 2023
Wendy grew up in Wales and then spent a year in Pasadena before reading English and Law at New Hall College (now Murray Edwards) Cambridge. Having graduated, she came to London where she qualified as a barrister and where she practised at the Criminal Bar for over 30 years during which she became a KC. After that she was a judge for nearly 15 years including 10 years at the Old Bailey. Wendy Joseph studied with us in London in 2013, she joined our three-month Writing Your Novel course. After the course she gained representation from Curtis Brown literary agent Alice Lutyens. Wendy’s experiences in the law inspired her to try to share them with others. Her debut Unlawful Killings is out now in paperback from Transworld.
We spoke to Wendy about her time studying with us, how she knew she’d found the right literary agent and her advice for writers drawing inspiration from real life experiences.
You took our three-month Writing Your Novel course in 2013. How did your time studying with us impact your writing journey?
Without that course, I really don’t think I would ever have completed a book. I found that being with a group who were producing new work week after week, taught me the discipline to do the same. And the support of Anna and the tutors gave me the stamina to keep going.
After the course you gained representation from Curtis Brown literary agent Alice Lutyens. How did you know that Alice was the right agent for you?
I think it was Alice who knew we would be a good match. I just loved the openness of her approach, but it was her response which made me sure we could work so well together.
You were an Old Bailey judge for 10 years, when you were appointed to the bench in 2012 you were the only woman among 16 judges. What inspired you to draw on your career to write Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey?
As well as the ‘day job’ in court, I was also a Diversity and Community Relations Judge with responsibility for reaching out into the community around me. In lockdown I couldn’t do any of this work, so instead I wrote what I thought would be a pamphlet aimed at the schools which might – in normal times – have visited the Old Bailey. It was Alice who saw the potential to turn the idea into something so much more.
In the book you completely anonymise the cases you worked on, in fact none of the cases you talk about really happened, instead you discuss fictionalised, composite cases created from your years of experience. What advice do you have for writers thinking of writing from real life – particularly those dealing with sensitive topics?
I think, if writing is to ‘ring true’, most of us really need to begin our writing careers with the knowledge and experience we have garnered through life. But that doesn’t mean exposing or embarrassing those who have been part of that life. It’s much easier and kinder to take personal experiences and adapt them into the story you want to tell. And it gives you much more freedom.
What does your writing routine look like?
When I was writing Unlawful Killings I got up every morning and wrote. I made a cup of tea, then settled down to put words on the page. I had no rule about how long I wrote for – sometimes it was 45 minutes, sometimes much longer. But I made myself do it every single day.
What top tip would you like to share with the aspiring authors reading this?
When I was 7, I decided to be a writer. I finally managed it when I was 70. Never give up!
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
I am writing a second book with a similar format. This one will tackle the problems of the vulnerable in the courtroom, and how justice can be achieved for those least able to speak out for themselves.
Get your hands on a copy of Unlawful Killings.
For more advice on writing from life, join our specialised six week online course: Writing a Memoir.