Writing Podcast Episode 679: Laila Lalami discusses her latest novel, 'The Dream Hotel'

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 Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.