In the course of their discussion, Sara also reflects on her own decision-making journey, transitioning from law to writing and finding the right story to tell.

Listen in to get her take on balancing subjectivity, fairness, and instinct in high-stakes decisions.

Chapters:

1. [02:10] Who Decides Who Wins?
   • The process of judging the Booker Prize
   • The responsibility of selecting the best book out of 156
2. [06:05] A Lawyer’s Turn to Literature
   • Sara Collins’ career shift from law to writing
   • The influence of life events on major decisions
3. [10:30] The Science (or Lack Thereof) Behind Judging Art
   • The challenge of making subjective decisions
   • The role of fairness and personal bias in literary judgment
4. [14:20] The Emotional Toll of Choosing a Winner
   • The agony of leaving great books behind
   • Why the final choice must feel inevitable
5. [18:15] Finding the Right Story
   • How Sara decides what to write about
   • The feeling of falling in love with an idea
6. [22:05] Advice for Writers and Decision-Makers
   • The importance of passion and intuition in storytelling
   • The necessity of disagreement in reaching the best outcome
7. [25:00] Closing Thoughts: The Power of a Well-Made Decision
   • Reflections on the decision-making process
   • Bruce’s final takeaways on choosing wisely

Key Takeaways:

• There is no scientific process for judging art—subjectivity is inevitable.
• A fair judging process must create an open space for disagreement and discussion.
• The best stories are the ones that give you butterflies—you have to love what you write.
• Life is short—choose the path that truly excites and fulfils you.

Notable Quotes from Sara Collins:

• “A certain amount of tension is necessary to arrive at a decision that has interrogated all possibilities.”
• “You really do have to feel the regret and then move on with the decision you’ve made as if that had always been the only one.”
• “The authors I admire are the ones who go where their psyche and imagination take them, not where commercial success dictates.”
• “Great literature asks the big questions—what does it mean to be human?”

References & Mentions:

• Confessions of Franny Langton by Sara Collins (Winner of the Costa First Novel Award)
• The Booker Prize https://thebookerprizes.com/
• Orbital – The 2023 Booker Prize winner 
• How to Write a Book podcast with Elizabeth Day 
• The impact of authors like Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison

The Art of Deciding has been featured in The Guardian Podcast Newsletter, Podnews, The List, and the Podbible newsletter, amongst others. 

The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart – https://www.podcart.co.uk/

Series Producer: Jayne Morgan

Bruce Whitfield is an award winning journalist, best-selling author and speaker https://www.brucewhitfield.com/