Richard Beynon
ALLi Author Member
Location: United Kingdom
Genres: Writing & Publishing, Essays, Memoir
I am a storyteller whose career was launched when, at the age of seven, I contracted polio and struck a bargain with my hospital wardmates: they would strap my brace onto my leg – and I would tell them stories. Since then, I've spent my life telling stories in countless forms — as a journalist, and writing for both the page and the screen. I’ve written over 1,200 scripts for drama and comedy, led dozens of writers’ rooms, and served as head writer on some of South Africa’s most popular soaps. In 2006, I co-founded All About Writing with novelist Jo-Anne Richards. Together with our partner, Trish Urquhart, we’ve helped thousands of writers take their stories seriously — many of whom have gone on to publish award-winning work. For fifteen years, I lived for months each year on my narrowboat, Patience, navigating the rivers and canals of England and Wales. From that watery vantage, I wrote more than 500 motivational essays about writing and life. Now based on a houseboat on the River Great Ouse in Bedford, UK, I continue to write my Monday Writing Motivations — delivered fresh every Monday.
Richard Beynon's books
Genres: Essays, Memoir, Writing & Publishing
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
What separates stories that grip readers from those that lose them by page two? In Inside Story storyteller and writing mentor, Richard Beynon, shifts his attention from the writing life to the art of storytelling itself - the architecture that transforms inspiration into compelling narrative. Whether you're crafting fiction or memoir, a short story or a sprawling novel, certain fundamentals remain essential: creating tension that keeps readers turning pages, developing characters who feel authentically human, structuring scenes that build toward something meaningful. Through essays exploring everything from Hilary Mantel's 22-word guide to storytelling to the mechanics of "suburban noir," this collection examines what makes stories work. Beynon, doesn’t prescribe rigid rules but offers frameworks and observations drawn from decades of writing and teaching. You'll find practical advice alongside philosophical insights, technical guidance woven through with creative inspiration. Stories are how we make sense of our world. Inside Story helps you...
Genres: Essays, Memoir, Writing & Publishing
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
What happens when a storyteller trades land for water — and lets the slow rhythms of a narrowboat teach him how to write, live, and listen? Every writer seeks the perfect balance: mastering craft while keeping the joy alive. Aboard Patience, his narrowboat on England’s canals and rivers, Richard Beynon reflects on how the patterns of water, weather and narrative intertwine, revealing how the craft of writing often mirrors the currents of the world around us. Waterlines gathers the lessons of that life afloat — patient herons teaching the art of attention, stubborn locks revealing the power of persistence — into a lyrical blend of memoir, storytelling craft, and inspiration for writers and creatives. Each short essay explores how observation becomes description, how patience shapes voice, and how story grows from stillness. Whether you write with publication in mind or simply for pleasure, Waterlines will remind you that great stories...