So You Want to be a Writer

With a mountain of rejections, AWC grad Leearna Shaw was ready to throw in the proverbial towel with her dream of novel writing. But just a few years later, her rural romance A Farm in Golden Clouds wins the Romance Writers of Australia’s Emerald Award and she lands a 2-book publishing deal! So what happened in the middle to set this success story in motion? In this episode, Leearna shares it all.
00:00 Welcome
09:10 Writing tip: Help other writers
11:48 Writers in the wild
13:08 WIN: Realms of Gold by A.J. MacKinnon
14:48 Word of the week: ‘Heirophant’
15:40 Interview with: Leearna Shaw
17:00 Description of A Farm in Golden Clouds
18:15 Inspirations for the book
20:22 Her early writing dreams
22:20 Getting rejections
24:00 Discovering AWC courses
28:40 Winning the Emerald Award
32:00 Scoring a 2-book deal
38:00 The importance of the writing community
41:10 Advice for writers
42:46 Book recommendations
45:28 Promotion experiences
47:50 Final thoughts
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Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com
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Have you ever sat on a train and wondered about the lives of the other passengers? Author Samantha Sotto Yambao certainly has. In fact, she’s written a book based on that very concept! In this episode, Samantha shares her experience crafting and publishing her new novel, The Elsewhere Express, the unique lit scene in the Philippines and the manuscript that ended up becoming a donor for her other books!
00:00 Welcome
09:40 Writing tip: Doodling words
12:02 Writers in the wild
13:16 WIN: She Lied First by Dinuka McKenzie
15:00 Word of the week: ‘Noctambulism’
15:57 Interview with: Samantha Sotto Yambao
16:33 Describing The Elsewhere Express
18:00 Crafting the characters
22:00 Using an ambiguous location
23:40 Samantha’s writing and publishing journey
27:40 Getting an agent and published
35:30 Paralysed by fear
39:00 Current book experience: reboot
47:10 The unique Philippine literature scene
51:00 Thoughts on other genres
52:07 What’s next?
55:20 Writing tip
56:28 Final thoughts
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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comk
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wanted a step-by-step insight into building a novel? Well, in this episode, you have access to bestselling author Kate Forsyth’s note-taking, research and writing process in the creation of her latest novel, The Changeling! It’s a fascinating look into the actual nuts and bolts of crafting a story, from idea to finished edit – including mistakes made along the way! Kate generously shares her methods in this special episode and a bonus Q&A session, with a link to the video available in the show notes.
00:00 Welcome
05:44 Writers in the wild
06:56 WIN: Bad Neighbours by Joanna Jenkins
08:25 Word of the week: ‘Pyroclastic’
09:22 Kate Forsyth: Behind the scenes of The Changeling
12:56 Beginnings
14:10 Stage one of the process
18:58 Timelines
23:00 Building the protagonist’s story
26:01 Relevance to today
27:00 Asking questions
30:32 Key dates and weaving the story into them
31:48 On location research
34:06 New beginnings
36:38 Narrative structure
40:00 Thematic structure
41:48 Building the word count
43:55 The editing process
48:03 Q&A
62:35 Final thoughts
You can access a free video version of Kate’s session, go here.
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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com
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Train platforms are fascinating people-watching locations. And if you’ve ever sat and imagined the lives of the strangers standing next to you, UK-based author Ilona Bannister’s new psychological thriller Five may be for you. In this podcast episode, Ilona discusses her inspiration for the book and her own path to writing, along with insights into her daily writing practice.
00:00 Welcome
03:09 Writing tip: Hobbies help you write better
07:38 Writers in the wild
09:06 WIN: Nutcote: Home of May Gibbs by Fiona Starr
11:45 Word of the week: ‘Irredentism’
12:42 Interview with: Ilona Bannister
13:16 The premise of Five
15:56 Why a train platform?
18:15 Building the five characters
20:20 Creating a strong narrative voice
23:30 Morally ‘grey’ characters
24:52 Writing for readers
26:33 London versus New York
28:20 Finding the ending
30:21 Ilona’s path from lawyer to novelist
36:09 Publishing during lockdown
38:10 Writing routines as a parent
39:48 Networking and its benefits
43:10 Final thoughts
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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com
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Same-sex couples fought long for marriage equality, but finally getting it didn’t necessarily equate to ‘happily ever after’. That’s the area UK-based bestselling author Tom Rob Smith explores in his new novel Twenty Years Together – inspired by how legalisation of gay marriage changed the psychology of long-term relationships. In this episode, Tom discusses the inspiration behind telling this nuanced love story and his own journey as a writer.
00:00 Welcome
04:24 Writing tip: Active vs. Reactive characters
10:04 WIN: The Warrumbar by William J. Byrne
11:48 Word of the Week: ‘Incrassate’
12:37 Interview with: Tom Rob Smith
13:45 Twenty Years Together premise
15:24 Defining the genre
19:17 Plotting and outlining process
21:54 Finding the right ending
23:24 Queer love story influences
26:48 Midlife marriage thought experiment
31:50 Publishing his debut Child 44
35:45 Success and self doubt
39:02 Balancing books and TV
43:37 Disciplined writing routine
46:55 Connecting with readers
48:50 Tom shares a writing tip
51:33 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.