Writing Historical Fantasy and the "Crafter Not a Drafter" Process with Pippa Dunn

In this episode of The Write and Wrong Podcast, host Jamie sits down with English teacher turned historical fantasy author Pippa Dunn. Pippa discusses the upcoming release of her debut YA novel, The Sign of the Raven, her journey from a theatrical background into prose writing, and how she navigated the shift from writing a debut novel over four years to writing a second novel on a strict six-month deadline.   

Key Takeaways:

• The Sign of the Raven is a YA historical fantasy set in 1889 London, described as "George Orwell's 1984 meets Christopher Nolan's Inception".   

• Pippa's background in theater as an aspiring director helped her transition to novel writing, allowing her to view herself as the "director pulling the strings" of her characters.   

• She describes herself as a "crafter, not a drafter," preferring to polish and perfect individual chapters as she goes rather than rushing through a messy first draft.   

• Writing her first novel took four years without a deadline, but her second book—part of a two-book deal—had to be written in just six months, teaching her about her capacity to create under pressure.   

• She utilizes a hybrid writing method she calls "architecture and gardening," setting up the key structural tentpoles of the plot before allowing the characters room to organically grow and change the story.

  
  

1984 Meets Inception in 1889 London

Pippa’s debut novel, The Sign of the Raven, is a YA historical fantasy set in late-19th-century London. It follows 16-year-old Ashlyn Threadneedle, who works by day as a bicycle messenger delivering classified documents for the sinister Lord Whittaker. By night, however, Ashlyn is a member of a secret society of lucid dreamers headquartered in an ancient London tavern.   

When government propaganda begins infiltrating the dreams of London citizens—essentially turning thoughts into crimes—Ashlyn and a charming journalist must stop the tyrannical politician from seizing power. Pippa, a frequent lucid dreamer herself as a teenager, pitched the book to her agent as a blend of George Orwell’s 1984 and Christopher Nolan’s Inception. She was inspired to write it by the history of London itself, fascinated by the feeling of thousands of years of history sitting just beneath the city streets.

From Theater Director to Novelist

While Pippa has always been a massive book nerd, she spent much of her youth and university years focused on the theater. She originally wanted to go to drama school to become a director, but life took her into arts administration in London instead. It wasn't until her mid-thirties that she realized a vital creative part of her life had faded.   

When the idea for The Sign of the Raven struck, she found that writing prose perfectly married her love of literature with her theatrical background. Writing a novel allowed her to inhabit the characters like an actor while simultaneously pulling the narrative strings like a director.

Architecture, Gardening, and "Crafting" a Novel

Pippa's writing process is a hybrid method she refers to as "architecture and gardening". She begins by establishing the architecture of the book—the key plot structures, turning points, and narrative tentpoles. Then, she switches to "gardening," placing characters into situations and allowing the story to grow organically. Once the narrative begins to sprawl, she pulls back to the architectural phase to wrestle the story back into shape.   

She also proudly describes herself as a "crafter, not a drafter". Unlike authors who rush through a messy first draft, Pippa prefers to craft and polish each chapter as a complete piece before locking it into the manuscript.

The Challenge of the Second Book

Pippa spent over four years writing The Sign of the Raven for herself, with no deadline. However, because she signed a two-book deal, her second novel—a standalone set in the same 1889 London world—had to be completed in just six months.   

This compressed timeline forced her to be faster and looser with her drafting. While the pressure was intense (even resulting in panicked phone calls to her agent), she discovered a profound joy in writing furiously toward the deadline. She also noted that writing the second book under contract meant she could rely on her editors to help pull the novel apart and sew it back together during the developmental edit stage.

A Highly Anticipated Cabin Read

When asked what book she would take if snowed in at a cosy woodland cabin, Pippa chose an unreleased novel: Traitor's Nest by Frances Hardinge. Hardinge is Pippa's biggest inspiration as a writer, and she noted that she would happily isolate herself to read a proof of the highly anticipated historical fantasy.