So You Want to be a Writer

What effect has the internet, social media and AI had on language? Should you judge a book by its cover? This week, linguistic legend and British OBE recipient David Crystal joins us to discuss all things words, idioms, dialects and the curious facts he found while researching his latest publication, Bookish Words. 00:00 Welcome10:07 Writing tip: ‘Write your Why’12:47 WIN!: Audition by Katie Kitamura14:09 Word of the week: ‘Testudo’16:37 World of Words: ‘One Fell Swoop’18:06 Writer in residence: David Crystal19:19 David’s love of words21:30 The wonders of different dialects22:30 Language and change27:16 Discussing his latest title, Bookish Words33:00 Judging a book by its cover36:05 British and American English differences37:59 The Influence of Sports on Language40:18 David and Dean discuss puns42:11 Nat’s question corner: balancing form and meaning46:33 The role of technology and social media49:30 Language in a world of AI51:34 The impact of COVID-19 on language53:14 Tips on making your writing engaging55:27 David reading preferences01:05:00 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much research is too much when writing historical fiction? This is just one of the topics that bestselling author Emilia Hart discusses in this episode as she shares details of her latest novel, The Sirens – a blend of nautical history and fantasy across two stories separated by time and distance. 00:00 Welcome04:23 Writing tip: ‘The Most Dangerous Writing App’07:25 WIN!: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs08:51 Word of the week: ‘Luthier’11:01 Writer in residence: Emilia Hart12:48 Inspirations for the books two timelines19:45 Writing about Australia during the pandemic20:24 Exploring the themes of distance and journey22:17 Researching convict history25:00 Note taking methods25:59 The importance of her day job in her writing  28:11 Deleting 300,000 words30:00 There’s no such thing as a perfect draft30:32 Learning to sail for the book31:20 The book deal and publishing process32:50 Balancing writing with public engagement35:10 Emilia’s writing tips37:29 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should all picture books rhyme? Why use animals as characters? And what’s the deal with working with an illustrator? Picture book author (of more than 15 books) Rory H. Mather joins the podcast in this episode to discuss all of these things, as well as his own journey into the industry, and his latest titles, Laugh in the Bath and Mumma Bear. 00:00 Welcome04:20 Writing tip: Learn to play an instrument (sort of)08:23 WIN!: The CIA Book Club by Charlie English11:40 Word of the week: ‘Psephology’12:30 The world of words: Capitalising the seasons14:05 Writer in residence: Rory H. Mather15:00 Rory explains his love of writing picture books18:45 How Rory got his start22:55 Where he gets his ideas from26:30 Why writing animals can be a good thing27:47 The importance of curiosity29:40 A discussion about picture books that rhyme31:39 Who is the picture book audience?32:30 Working with illustrators37:00 Selling books to publishers40:48 Remembering the first book he signed41:30 The economics of picture book writing42:30 Telling succinct stories45:05 Writing longer books47:33 More books coming up49:30 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How important is it to have a unique author voice? Hugely important, says author Mandy Beaumont while discussing her late 1980s true-crime inspired novel The Thrill of It. Mandy discusses her inspiration for the book, unique stylistic and narrative choices she made, and more. 00:00 Welcome03:04 Writing tip: What to do while ‘changing eyeballs’06:38 WIN!: The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith08:07 Word of the week: ‘Falderal’11:23 Writer in residence: Mandy Beaumont12:20 Overview of The Thrill of It13:10 Mandy’s true crime inspirations17:55 Choosing a unique narrative style20:13 Researching and organising the details24:50 The publishing journey with Hachette28:17 Mandy’s writing process and routine32:13 Balancing writing with other jobs33:26 Short stories versus novels35:08 Publicity and promotion37:14 Upcoming projects and inspirations38:56 Mandy’s writing tips41:14 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They always say ‘write what you know’, right? Well, authors Gareth and Louise Ward (two British ex-cops who moved to New Zealand and opened a bookshop) fully leaned into it with The Bookshop Detectives series – all about, you guessed it, British ex-cops who move to New Zealand and open a bookshop! The murders are fiction though – and they join the podcast to share their experience writing book 2 in the series. 00:00 Welcome02:56 Writing tip: yWriter app04:47 WIN!: Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers06:04 Word of the week: ‘Moiety’07:26 The world of words: 'Jail' vs ‘Gaol’09:28 Writers in residence: Gareth and Louise Ward10:35 Gareth’s other writing and magician life12:36 Buying a bookshop together15:17 Leaning into ‘write what you know’18:18 The collaboration process21:38 Incorporating local culture and the setting24:12 Real-life inspiration for the book 2 climax25:37 Advice for aspiring cosy crime writers28:24 Tips on co-writing a book30:10 The value of constructive feedback31:27 Future projects and adventures35:15 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What kind of life-spanning damage can parents do to their children? Award-winning author Barry Jonsberg explores this and themes of masculinity in his latest YA novel, Darkest Night, Brightest Star. Barry joins the podcast to share his inspiration for the story and insights into his writing process. 00:00 Welcome04:18 Writing tip: Supporting other writers07:32 WIN!: Best Left Buried by Neil A. White10:04 Word of the week: ‘Hyperborean’11:39 Writer in residence: Barry Johnsberg12:12 Describing of Darkest Night, Brightest Star17:00 Writing quieter characters like Morgan20:54 The theme of toxic masculinity22:04 Understanding Morgan's father23:38 Crafting Three-Dimensional Characters25:10 The writing process from draft to publication27:26 Challenges of commissioned writing30:04 Writing for Young Adults34:09 Balancing full-time writing and life36:50 Current and future projects39:57 Advice for aspiring writers42:34 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lighthouse on the gloomy shores of 1921 is where we take you in this episode, as we meet AWC alumna and author Camille Booker and her gothic historical mystery, The Woman in the Waves. Camille shares her inspirations and experience writing the book and the AWC course that helped her weave the stories together in this specific world. 00:00 Welcome04:25 Writing tip: Pacemaker Planner app05:44 WIN!: My Name is Emelia Del Valle by Isabel Allende09:31 Word of the week: ‘Loquacious’10:56 The world of words: Story vs Storey12:09 Writer in residence: Camille Booker14:12 Camille’s inspirations for The Woman in the Waves15:30 Choosing the timeframe19:55 Techniques Camille used to create the mood22:00 Populating the world of the novel23:20 The mechanics of writing – software and notes24:40 Inspired by Kate Forsyth’s ‘History, Mystery and Magic’ course25:57 Creative writing advice27:44 Camille’s publishing journey her novel30:34 On being a manuscript reader and judge32:14 Promoting the book34:55 Historical fiction writing tips37:00 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is a ‘palate cleanser’ book? Author Lynette Noni has written one – pivoting from writing fantasy to a stand-alone contemporary YA romance Wandering Wild, and in this episode she discusses why she chose to write it, her experience researching its plot, her process and more. 00:00 Welcome03:38 Writing tip: Public Domain Review05:44 WIN!: All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson07:31 Word of the week: ‘Sequacious’08:45 Writer in residence: Lynette Noni09:23 Lynette’s journey to writing Wandering Wild12:23 Moving from fantasy to this book19:32 Writing in dual POV and real-world building22:00 Researching adventure and survival25:18 Balancing fiction and reality26:45 Character development29:57 The importance of writing healthy friendships35:06 Lynette’s full time writing routine37:14 Engaging with readers through events41:18 Upcoming projects43:43 Lynette’s top tips for writers45:38 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does homelessness look like to you? In this episode, author Michelle Prak tells her latest story – thriller novel Barren Cape – through the lens of the housing affordability crisis. Michelle chats to us about the book's inspiration, her own writing beginnings and much more! 00:00 Welcome03:20 Writing tip: Visit museums for inspiration06:24 WIN!: Invisible Woman by Katia Lief08:15 Word of the week: ‘Koan’11:27 The World of words: Compliment vs complement13:31 Writer in residence: Michelle Prak14:33 Overview of the novel Barren Cape16:20 The explosion of the Aussie crime genre17:21 Author inspirations19:32 The little red typewriter21:39 Balancing writing and life responsibilities23:25 Exploring themes of homelessness in Barren Cape27:54 Inspiration behind the setting and characters31:04 Writing multiple perspectives33:10 On writing younger characters36:57 Michelle’s daily writing habits and process39:16 Upcoming projects 40:35 Advice for aspiring thriller writers41:52 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered what an 18th century mashup of two fairytales would look like? AWC alumna and fantasy author Kell Woods did – and the result is her latest adult fantasy novel, Upon a Starlit Tide. Kell discusses her experience writing the book, online tools, research trips and more! 00:00 Welcome04:27 Writing tip: Don’t aim for perfection05:58 WIN!: Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang07:21 Word of the week: ‘Geologise’09:10 Writer in residence: Kell Woods10:15 Describing her latest book, Upon a Starlit Tide12:45 Mixing the ‘Cinderella’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’16:20 A very busy year – book one to book two19:00 Overcoming impostor syndrome20:45 The publishing experience24:22 Balancing writing and promoting25:40 Writing to deadlines28:30 Kell’s research and writing tools 30:44 Becoming a ‘bestselling author’32:31 The impact of book subscription services35:12 Research and using libraries38:54 International research trips and using video43:14 Balancing writing and marketing44:11 Future projects and writing timelines51:08 Advice for aspiring writers53:47 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.