Podcast: So You Want to be a Writer – Australian Writers' Centre

Writing Podcast Episode 610: Meet Kyra Geddes, author of ‘The Story Thief’

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 20:00:30 +0000

Meet Kyra Geddes, author of The Story Thief. Kyra discusses her journey from idea to publication, the importance of research, and the challenges of editing her manuscript. The episode concludes with writing tips and a book giveaway: The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Introduction
01:33 Nat Newman’s writing tips
09:10 Book giveaway: The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe
11:20 Word of the week: Fuscous
11:54 Interview with Kyra Geddes
28:48 The journey to starting the manuscript
29:53 Overcoming the fear of the blank page
30:56 The long writing process
31:54 The path to publication
32:51 Facing rejections and manuscript assessments
34:06 Pitching to publishers
35:45 The epiphany: Switching to first person
37:58 Securing a publishing deal
42:38 The structural edit challenge
50:01 Future writing plans
51:33 Top tips for aspiring writers
53:28 Conclusion and final thoughts

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Kyra Geddes

Born in Adelaide as the daughter of German immigrants, Kyra Geddes spent her infancy in the South Australian opal fields before moving to Sydney. Following a successful career in marketing, Kyra returned to university to study English and pursue her life-long dream of writing, publishing two short stories and earning the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Academic Excellence. The Story Thief is her debut novel, and the culmination of almost a decade of research and writing. When not at her desk, Kyra can often be found visiting one of Sydney's many art galleries or daydreaming about future travel with her husband and two children.

Follow Kyra on Instagram.

Follow Affirm Press on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Write Your Novel.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 609: Hachette’s Vanessa Radnidge on why you should enter the Richell Prize.

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 20:00:16 +0000

In this special time-sensitive episode of ‘So You Want to be a Writer,' Valerie Khoo discusses the prestigious Richell Prize with Vanessa Radnidge, Head of Narrative Nonfiction and Literary at Hachette. The episode dives into the details and benefits of entering this unique prize, which offers a $10,000 reward and a year-long mentorship with a Hachette publisher.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Introduction and special episode announcement
00:35 The Richell Prize: An overview
01:47 Interview with Vanessa Radnidge, Head of Narrative Non-Fiction and Head of Literary at Hachette.
03:05 Details of the Richell Prize
06:08 The mentorship experience
10:53 Advice for aspiring writers
16:59 Encouragement to enter literary competitions

Links mentioned in this episode

Guest in residence: Vanessa Radnidge

Vanessa Radnidge is the Head of Narrative Non-Fiction and Head of Literary at Hachette and her passion is for connecting great storytellers and great stories with readers. She began her publishing career at the Law Book Company. She worked at HarperCollins as an editor and acquisitions editor before joining the team at Hachette Australia. At Hachette, she has published fiction and non-fiction and is very proud to have worked with Favel Parrett, Mark Brandi, Stephanie Bishop, Brooke Davis, Catherine Therese, Deng Adut, Michael Brissenden, Madonna King, Hilde Hinton, Miranda Tapsell, Sean Doherty, Future D. Fidel and Connie and Samuel Johnson to name just a few.

Follow Hachette Australia Books on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Creative Writing Stage 1.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 608: Meet Michael Brissenden who chats about his novel ‘Smoke’

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 20:00:20 +0000

Meet Michael Brissenden who chats about his latest novel Smoke. He discusses his research process, where he gets his ideas, how he uses a whiteboard in his writing process and transition from journalism to fiction writing.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Introduction and welcome
00:23 Success story: Sarah Speedie
03:40 Nat Newman's writing tips
05:58 Finding beta readers
12:41 Competition: Win Death in the Air by Ram Murali
14:52 Word of the week: Embrocate
17:55 Interview with Michael Brissenden, author of Smoke
23:30 Facing rejection and finding inspiration
24:25 From journalism to fiction writing
25:13 Crafting a nuanced story
26:42 Developing characters and plot
27:36 The writing process and challenges
28:35 Exploring themes in Smoke
32:45 Research and authenticity
34:30 Daily writing routine
36:18 Planning and structuring a novel
41:23 Journalism skills in fiction writing
46:00 Creating a strong female protagonist
51:22 Top writing tips for aspiring authors
53:54 Conclusion and final thoughts

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Michael Brissenden

Michael Brissenden is an author and journalist. His first book of fiction – The List was published in 2017. A second thriller – Dead Letters also features the Federal investigator Sidney Allen and was published by Hachette Australia Books in March 2021. His latest novel, Smoke, is out now.

Michael was a journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for 35 years. He was posted to Moscow, Brussels and Washington and worked in Canberra for many years in various roles – including as the Political Editor for the daily television current affairs program – The 7.30 Report, as the ABC’s defence and security correspondent and as the presenter of the ‘AM’ Current Affairs program on ABC radio. From 2017 to 2021 he was a reporter with the ABC’s investigative television documentary program – Four Corners.

Follow Michael on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Affirm Press on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Creative Writing Stage 1.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 607: Author Pamela Freeman and illustrator Liz Anelli on how they collaborated to create ‘Seed to Sky: Life in the Daintree’

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:00:40 +0000

Meet author Pamela Freeman and illustrator Liz Anelli. They discuss their collaborative process in creating the picture book Seed to Sky: Life in the Daintree. They talk about the research, writing, and illustration process, how they balance text and visuals, and the importance of accuracy in children’s non-fiction.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Introduction and welcome
03:00 Nat Newman’s writing tip
11:48 Book giveaway: The Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada
14:02 Word of the week: chatoyant
15:40 Interview with Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli
27:37 The art of bringing colour and tone
28:41 The roughs: what are they?
29:32 Fiction vs. non-fiction the writing for kids
33:01 The journey of an illustrator
36:46 The collaborative process

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Pamela Freeman

Pamela Freeman is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 40 books and novellas, plus short stories and scripts.

She writes under two names: Pamela Freeman for children’s and fantasy, and Pamela Hart for mystery novels and historical fiction.

Her most recent novel as Pamela Hart is An A-List for Death. This follows Digging Up Dirt, the first in the Poppy McGowan mystery series. She also publishes Regency romance novellas with Escape Publishing. Prior to this, she’s published a number of historical novels, mostly set in the first part of the 20th century (WWI and the Roaring Twenties).

As Pamela Freeman, her non-fiction picture books are multi-award winners, especially those she has created with illustrator Liz Anelli, Desert Lake and Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu. Pamela is also well known for her children’s fantasy, such as Victor’s Quest and Victor’s Challenge, and the associated Princess Betony books.

Pamela writes fantasy for adults as well; her Castings Trilogy was published world-wide and was followed by Ember and Ash, an Aurealis Award winner.

Pamela started writing as a scriptwriter for ABC Kids. She has a Doctorate in Creative Arts (Writing) and has taught writing at UTS and the University of Sydney, as well as conducting workshops at writers festivals, schools, and libraries Australia-wide. She is Director of Creative Writing at the Australian Writers' Centre.

Follow Pamela on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Hachette Australia Books on Twitter and Instagram.

Illustrator in residence: Liz Anelli

Liz was born in Essex, England and has been scribbling away since she could first hold a pencil. Liz began by lying under the dining-room table and drawing endless epic horse adventures. Now Liz generally works at a desk – but sometimes she draws the view looking down from something very tall, or sitting on a train or out for a coffee. Liz has stacks of sketchbooks packed with drawings, plane tickets, receipts and food wrappers with interesting type on them, jumbled between jotted down snatches of conversation. All this stuff is very handy for Liz's multi-media illustrations. Liz mostly uses a computer to put all the bits together. Mostly Liz illustrates picture books. Liz's latest sketches, projects and discoveries can be found (sometimes on her blog) and always on Instagram.

Follow Liz on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Writing Picture Books.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 606: B.M. Carroll on her latest novel ‘One Of Us Is Missing’

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 20:00:26 +0000

Valerie interviews B.M. Carroll, whose latest thriller, One of Us Is Missing, revolves around a family dealing with a mysterious disappearance of one family member during a concert. The conversation also touches on B.M. Carroll's writing process, character development, and the importance of feedback and rewriting.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Introduction and shoutout to AWC graduate Richard Pritchard on this third book
01:55 Nat Newman’s writing tips
02:50 Words at Dawn writing group
05:19 Avoiding info dumps
09:32 Book giveaway: Blackwater by Jacqueline Ross
15:49 Interview with B. M. Carroll
22:44 The creative process and panic
23:32 Editing and major rewrites
25:59 Timeline of writing and rewriting
30:18 Character development and authenticity
37:27 Writing routine and word count goals
40:09 Name change and genre shift
42:35 Top tips for aspiring writers
46:34 Conclusion and fun fact

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: B.M. Carroll

Ber Carroll (also known as B.M Carroll) was born in Blarney, a small but famous village in Ireland. The third child of six, she often retreated from the chaos of family life by immersing herself in books. She has fond memories of the mobile library bus that used to pull up outside their house in Blarney and the dozen or so books she would borrow at a time, some quite inappropriate for her age.

Ber moved to Sydney in 1995 with her boyfriend (now husband) Rob. She got a job as a finance manager in the IT industry and began to climb the corporate ladder. The exciting and dynamic work environment captured her imagination and inspired her first novel. When Executive Affair was published, Ber flatly denied it was in any way auto-biographical. She now admits that the novel did have a lot of her in it, and suspects that half the people who purchased the book were her ex colleagues, to see if they were in it too. Ber gave up her finance career when she realised that she couldn’t hold down a demanding job, be mum to two small children and write books to contractual deadline. She now writes fulltime, but says that she misses getting dressed up for work and being around people who listen to what she has to say, unlike her kids!

Ber is the author of eleven novels. Her most recent novels The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy, Who We Were, You Had It Coming, and The Other Side of Her are published under B.M. Carroll. You Had It Coming was shortlisted for the 2022 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction and the 2022 Davitt Award for Best Adult Novel.

Follow Ber on Instagram.

Follow Affirm Press on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Creative Writing Stage 1.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 605: Amy Hutton on her novels ‘Love From Scratch’ and ‘Sit, Stay Love’.

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 20:00:06 +0000

Amy Hutton, author of Love From Scratch and Sit, Stay, Love. Amy discusses her journey from TV producer to successful romance novelist, the importance of social media presence for authors, and practical tips for aspiring writers. Host Valerie Khoo also chats to author Nat Newman who shares her experience with the Meisner acting technique, and provides valuable advice on dealing with rejection as a writer.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Introduction
00:46 Deep dive into chapter structure
02:43 Nat Newman’s writing tips
03:01 Drama workshop insights
07:45 Dealing with rejection
11:55 Book giveaway: The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
14:56 Word of the week: cynosure
16:25 Interview with Amy Hutton, author of Love From Scratch and Sit, Stay, Love
27:19 Pitching through virtual literary speed dating
27:58 Romance Writers of Australia conference experience
29:32 The chaotic offer moment
31:06 Working on multiple projects
34:31 Developing ‘Love From Scratch'
39:35 Daily writing routine and discipline
42:17 Engaging with social media as an author
47:14 Courses and continuous learning
51:37 Future plans and traditional publishing
53:56 Top tips for aspiring writers
56:33 Conclusion and fun fact

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Amy Hutton

Amy Hutton is an award-winning television producer and writer of contemporary romance, living on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with a rescue dog named Buffy. Her short stories, ‘Love is the Icing' and ‘Hot Like Chocolate', feature in the 2020 and 2021 Romance Writers of Australia Sweet Treats anthologies. When not plotting delicious romantic trials for her characters, Amy is an enthusiastic traveller, an animal advocate, a Disneyland aficionado, and a lover of tattoos.

Follow Amy on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Simon & Schuster AU on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Creative Writing Stage 1.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 604: Valerie talks to copywriting guru Bernadette Schwerdt on how she co-wrote entrepreneur Radek Sali’s memoir, ‘How to Build a Billion Dollar Business’.

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 27 May 2024 20:00:37 +0000

Explore the world of co-writing and collaboration with Radek Sali and Bernadette Schwerdt. They explore the collaborative effort behind writing Radek’s book, How to Build a Billion Dollar Business, discussing challenges, the process of co-writing, the importance of capturing emotional depth in storytelling, and the profound impact of building a purpose-driven business. The episode touches on effective writing strategies, including the importance of starting your day with creative work and offers listeners a chance to win three copies of The Underhistory by Kaaron Warren.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Welcome to the podcast & upcoming seminar announcement
00:16 Deep dive into writing chapters
02:24 Nat Newman's writing tips & personal journey
13:29 Win The Underhistory by Kaaron Warren.
17:57 Meeting Radek Sali and his co-writer Bernadette Schwerdt
21:50 From idea to co-writer
22:32 Challenges, editors, and finding the right partner
24:02 Bernadette's approach: From manuscript assessment to starting fresh
24:57 Crafting the narrative via nterviews, structure, and voice
37:01 The business of co-writing: Financials and working with publishers
40:08 Insights on co-writing
47:38 Reflections and future directions

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Radek Sali and Bernadette Schwerdt

Radek Sali is a serial entrepreneur in the health and wellness sector and one of Australia’s most successful business people. He is also a founder and director of Light Warrior, a leading player in the impact fund sector.

Bernadette Schwerdt is a TEDx speaker, best-selling author and ghost-writer with a track record of producing award-winning books and business biographies for some of Australia’s most successful CEO and corporate titans. Her expertise in storytelling, creativity and innovation has helped these rock star CEOs unlock their secrets to building a successful business, and enabled them to share that wisdom with the world.

Follow Bernadette on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Copywriting Essentials.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 603: Picture book author Megan Daley on how to nurture your children to become readers.

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 20 May 2024 20:00:44 +0000

Meet Megan Daley, author of The Beehive. Megan talks about her passion for children’s literature, her role as a teacher librarian, and her picture book The Beehive. She also discusses her book Raising Readers, which emphasises the importance of instilling a love of reading in children from a young age and offers practical advice for parents.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Welcome to the world of writing and publishing
00:22 Unlocking creativity with story seeds
03:48 Nat Newman's writing tip
07:54 Crafting engaging openings in writing
14:58 Megan Daley: A passion for children's literature and bees
21:30 The journey from blog to book: Unveiling a love for reading
23:01 Empowering reading habits: Tips for parents and educators
23:48 A creative approach to encouraging reading
29:34 Encouraging savvy teen readers in a digital age
32:41 The path to becoming a teacher librarian
34:02 From educator to children's book author
36:28 Strategies for busy creatives
42:34 From writing dreams to picture book reality
44:22 A dive into the history of the exclamation mark

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Megan Daley

Megan Daley is a multiple award-winning teacher librarian, author, speaker, podcaster, and literary judge, who loves wandering literature festivals. Megan’s best subjects at high school were English and Agriculture and she still adores reading, writing, small-scale farming, growing green things, chickens and bees. Megan lives in humid Brisbane where she waits for it to be cool enough to split her hives and lives with her partner, a commercial beekeeper, and their four children.

Follow Megan Daley on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Walker Books Australia on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Writing Picture Books.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 602: Meet Jo Peck, author of the memoir ‘Suddenly Single at Sixty’.

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 13 May 2024 20:00:41 +0000

Meet Jo Peck, whose memoir Suddenly Single at Sixty details her journey through divorce and rediscovery. Jo discusses her writing process, the therapeutic value of journalling, the challenges of constructing a memoir , and her inspirations. She also offers advice for writers on being honest in their writing and the importance of self-analysis.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Welcome to the podcast & updates
02:03 Nat Newman’s writing tip
05:15 Crafting secondary characters
07:44 Book giveaway: Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
10:39 Word of the week: Desultory
11:26 Writer in residence: Jo Peck on Suddenly Single at Sixty
24:23 The journey of writing a memoir
25:58 From school gate to bookshelf
29:12 Structuring a memoir
34:16 Jo’s writing process
38:18 Exploring future writing projects and reflections
41:09 Receiving feedback and sharing advice for aspiring writers
46:27 Closing thoughts and fun facts

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Jo Peck

Jo Peck grew up in Healesville, Victoria. She worked in advertising for thirty-five years, co-running her own ad agency, Working Girls Advertising, for twenty of those years. She lives in Melbourne with her new partner.

Follow Text Publishing on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Novel Writing Essentials.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

Writing Podcast Episode 601: Meet Deborah Abela, author of ‘The Kindness Project’, her 29th book!

Australian Writers' Centre Team — Mon, 06 May 2024 20:00:01 +0000

Meet Deborah Abela, author of The Kindness Project. Deborah is one of Australia’s most beloved children's authors. Her latest middle grade novel is The Kindness Project, which is her 29th book. Recently, she also released the Book of Wondrous Possibilities. While Deb writes mainly in middle grade, she has also written chapter books and picture books, such as Bear in Space and the upcoming No More Room in the Bed. Also hear about ‘Words at Dawn', a writing initiative for students of the Australian Writers’ Centre. And your chance to win the novel The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

00:00 Welcome to the world of writing and publishing
01:09 Busting myths about writing for kids
02:30 Guest spotlight: Nat Newman's writing tips
04:38 Words at dawn: A creative writing initiative
15:27 Deborah Abela: A deep dive into middle grade novels
27:12 The Kindness Project: From concept to creation
29:57 Exploring kindness through storytelling
31:38 The creative process and writing in verse
32:05 From pitch to publication
34:06 Character development and creative inspiration
37:55 Rejections and successes in the publishing world
39:16 From film to children's books: A career journey
43:21 The art of writing across different formats
50:51 Engaging with young readers: The importance of school visits
55:13 Top tips for aspiring middle grade writers

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Deborah Abela

Deborah was born very short and had funny ears, but that didn't stop her being a very smily baby. When she grew up, she was still short, a bit clumsy and not very brave, which may explain why she writes books about spies, ghosts, soccer legends and children living in a flooded city, battling sea monsters and sneaker waves.

Deborah's family never had a lot of money, but every week her mum would buy a Little Golden Book at the supermarket for 40 cents, until slowly Deborah had her own library of books. Some of her favourite books at school were The Lorax and Professor Branestawm.

Deborah was always an adventurous kid and lived in her head a lot. It was there she went on brave adventures as she swung from the swings in the park pretending she was dangling from planes. She once even jumped off the garage roof thinking if she ran fast enough she could make it all the way to the pool. It wasn't a happy ending.

Follow Deborah on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Penguin Kids Aus on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Penguin Teachers on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow PuffinBooks on Twitter and Instagram.

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Writing Children’s Novels.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).