James Woolf: 'A narrative needs to satisfy its readers or audience members'
BY Emily Powter-Robinson
18th Jan 2024
James Woolf studied on the intensive version of our Writing Short Stories course led by Cynan Jones in 2021. He's had around thirty short stories published in magazines and books, and has written stage plays and radio plays for Radio 4 and LBC. His debut novel, Indefensible, is a legal thriller which was published by Bloodhound Books in January 2024.
We spoke to James about how his career inspired his debut novel, what he enjoys most about writing short stories, and what's next for his writing journey.
You studied on the intensive version of our Writing Short Stories course in 2021. How did your time studying with us impact your writing journey?
Hands on heart, this was one of my all-time favourite courses. Cynan Jones is an outstanding tutor, supportive and great fun to work with. He also took a surprisingly iconoclastic approach to the received wisdoms of the publishing industry, which very much appealed to the rebellious streak in me! The course definitely reinforced my view that we should stay true to our own vision regarding our work.
Are you in touch with anybody from the course? And how important generally is it for you to have friends who are also writers?
I had some lovely support from fellow course members when one of my plays was produced, but there’s not been so much contact after that. In terms of writer friends, I think this is important. Getting honest feedback is a critical stage in any major writing project, but more than this, writers are a fab bunch and extremely generous with their time. I already feel very well supported by the Bloodhound Books writing community.
Your debut novel Indefensible is a legal thriller which was published by Bloodhound Books in January 2024. The story follows a lawyer who crosses a dangerous line with a former client and discovers that some decisions are indefensible… Can you tell us a bit more about the book and the inspiration behind it?
I’ve worked in professional ethics within the law for 20 years, including taking calls from barristers when they have a question about their code of conduct. Often they are given five minutes to telephone the Bar Council from court. I wanted to write a novel that was a nail-biting thriller whilst also asking questions about the way lawyers deal with ethical issues. The story follows Daniel, a criminal barrister, who lands the case of his dreams, defending a man in a grisly murder trial that captures the public’s imagination. After he has successfully defended the man at the Old Bailey, Daniel fails to maintain professional boundaries in his relationship with his ex-client. This lapse of judgement has nightmarish consequences for Daniel and his family. The book was named 'Pick of the Week' in The Sun on its publication day and it’s been something of a rollercoaster ride since then.
You’ve had around 30 short stories published in magazines and books, including four in the longstanding arts magazine Ambit. What do you most enjoy about writing short stories?
I love the freedom of writing short stories; it’s much easier to take risks and still find a home for your story. So in many ways I use short stories as a kind of chemistry lab, trying all sorts of things out and using this process to develop my craft. My stories often play with form. For example I was one of the earlier writers to publish a story composed entirely from documents (letters, blogs, telephone transcripts, school reports, etc) in 2015. It had the unlikely title R v Sieger – additional documents disclosed by the Crown Prosecution Service and was designed to look like a bundle of court papers. One of my Ambit stories consisted of a series of handwritten notes left by a barrister to his cleaner. Another is the rules for a game called Armageddon, in which the object of the game is to be the last surviving person on the planet.
Following on from this, what prompted your decision to write a novel after writing so many short stories?
It felt like a natural progression, although I laboured long and hard over choosing the right subject for my first novel.
Alongside writing short stories and fiction, you have written stage plays and radio plays for Radio 4 and LBC. Do you face any different challenges when writing a novel compared to a stage play?
For years I only wrote plays and decided that I could not possibly write prose. And when I began my first stories, it felt like a massive challenge to not express everything through dialogue spoken by people on a small, elevated platform. But I quickly became addicted to a very different way of telling stories. At the end of the day, all narrative needs to satisfy its readers or audience members, which in itself is another huge topic!
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
My second novel, The Company She Keeps, will be published in May by Bloodhound Books. It is set in Yorkshire at the time Peter Sutcliffe was active and follows a successful businesswoman who is faced with her own dangerous situation, as well as dealing with the terrifying reality of what is happening around her. Other than that, working full time whilst publicising Indefensible (and trying to write a new book) is likely to keep me pretty busy for the next few months!
Indefensible is out now!