In this special bonus episode of 'So You Want to Be a Writer,' Valerie is joined by her original podcast co-host Allison Tait in a live-streamed event celebrating 20 years of the Australian Writer Centre. Together, they discuss important topics for all writers – including goal-setting, overcoming writing obstacles, and structuring one's writing career. They also reflect on their own writing journeys, give writing tips, and offer valuable advice on managing impostor syndrome, planning writing schedules, understanding genre requirements and MORE!

00:00 Welcome
02:24 Reunion with original co-host A.L.Tait.
08:55 Writing Roadmap: Setting Goals and Overcoming Obstacles
19:00 Giving yourself writing rewards
21:44 Overcoming common obstacles
26:46 The importance of discipline in writing
31:04 Networking and community in writing
34:41 Understanding your genre
37:15 The role of revision in writing
41:54 Flexibility and pivoting in writing
48:48 Q&A session
52:53 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.

If you found yourself newly single after not dating since being a teenager, what would you do? Author and AWC graduate Holly Brunnbauer asks that question in her award-winning romance novel, What Did I Miss? –and in this episode she shares what inspired her to write it, her exciting story about getting an agent and book deal, plus the unusual window of time she writes in during each day!

00:00 Welcome
02:00 Our SALE is on
05:21 WIN!: ‘Every Day I Read’ by Hwang Bo-reum
06:54 Word of the week: ‘Orrery’
07:58 Writer in residence: Holly Brunnbauer
09:07 What is What Did I Miss? about?
10:20 What inspired Holly to write the book
12:50 The experience writing it
14:55 Holly’s year of writing a novel
16:27 Discovering the AWC courses
17:15 Getting an agent and a book deal
21:44 Pitching to screen professionals
24:00 Balancing writing with a busy life
26:24 Planning and Structuring a Novel
28:55 Documentation
31:50 The joy of writing and future plans
33:53 Publication surprises and realities
35:28 Bonus short interview with Charlotte Barkla
38:09 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.

When Ian Scott and Kirsty McHugh – curators at the National Library of Scotland – created an exhibition on pen names, they never imagined it would become a book. But that’s exactly what happened, and in this episode, Ian joins to discuss some of the curious motivations and stories behind some of the world’s most famous and infamous pseudonyms in their book Pen Names – including examples of authors who fully immersed themselves in their imaginary personas!

00:00 Welcome
00:18 Rewriting your personal narrative
07:06 Writing tip: Tracking your time
10:05 WIN!: The Funeral Crashers by Joanna Nell
13:33 Word of the week: ‘Edentulous’
14:14 The world of words: Short forms of ‘until’
16:10 Writer in residence: Ian Scott
16:57 The inspiration for the book Pen Names
18:42 An exhibition on pen names
23:00 The stories behind the stories
27:00 Common reasons for pen names
27:58 Gender bias in literature
31:55 Other reasons for not using your own name
32:10 Famous examples
34:55 Authors wanting to be judged independently
38:47 Deceptive use of a pen name: Fiona Macleod
40:55 Modern pen names and marketability
43:19 Collaborative writing under one name
45:01 Authors like Lee Child and book cover real estate
46:49 Would Ian choose a pen name for himself?
48:45 Wait – is his co-writer Kirsty McHugh even real?
50:30 Is his book in his own library?
53:02 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.

Author Zanni L. Arnot has carved out a prolific career as a children's author – publishing more than 40 books in the past decade as ‘Zanni Louise’. In this episode, Zanni discusses how she got into writing children's books and her first YA novel, A Guide to Falling Off the Map. She also shares the differences between different age range stories, juggling multiple projects, plus provides insights and advice for aspiring authors.

00:00 Welcome
00:28 How a setting can become a character
07:53 Writing tip: Learn to love grammar and punctuation
13:42 WIN!: Reacher by Lee Child
17:14 Word of the week: ‘Headwork’
17:48 Writer in Residence: Zanni L. Arnot
18:46 An overview of her new book
21:03 Why a YA novel?
23:43 How Zanni got into writing
26:52 Discovering a passion for writing
27:30 Building a writing community
28:16 On creating 41 books in ten years!
30:47 Crafting stories for different age groups
32:57 Balancing writing with a busy life
34:15 Navigating the multiple projects
35:33 The process of writing the story
39:42 Is adult fiction next?
41:11 Advice for managing your time
43:30 Zanni’s approach to social media
45:44 Keeping track of ideas and choosing the next one
48:19 Promoting books from overseas
50:15 Advice for authors looking to try YA
53:16 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.

The Iranian Embassy siege that unfolded in the UK in 1980 was a huge world event at the time, although perhaps lost in the fog of history today. Prolific British author Ben Macintyre brings it back into focus in his latest book, The Siege: The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama and he joins us to discuss his writerly beginnings, turning real-world espionage into captivating reads and how he balances the personal and factual details in his stories.

00:00 Welcome
00:48 The power of constraints in writing
11:30 Writing tip: The iceberg theory
13:52 WIN!: Torn by Nicole Madigan
15:26 Word of the week: ‘Nonpareil’
16:11 Writer in residence: Ben Macintyre
17:05 Ben gives an overview of The Siege
21:00 His personal experience with the events
25:43 Ben’s background in writing
28:33 Exploring the SAS archive
32:05 The TV series Rogue Heroes
33:20 Character depth and authenticity
35:20 Challenges of taking an oral history
37:40 Pacing and structuring the book
40:15 Real life being stranger than fiction
42:18 Research and writing process
45:27 From book to screen
51:05 Advice for aspiring writers
54:22 Balancing sensory and factual details
57:12 Ben’s upcoming project
58:13 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.

The search for ‘a better life’ is the classic motivation for immigrants arriving in a new country and so often we hear about the success stories. But author Moreno Giovannoni wanted to tell the more overlooked migrant stories for his latest novel, The Immigrants – drawing on his family’s own experiences in Australia. Giovannoni shares his approach to writing, his thoughts on translating, as well as past and future projects.

00:00 Welcome
04:47 Writing tip: Creative Mottos
07:46 WIN!: The Watervale Ladies’ Writing and Firefighting Society by Mette Menzies
10:20 Word of the week: ‘Gibbous’
11:46 Writer in residence: Moreno Giovannoni
12:20 What his new book The Immigrants is about
16:30 Fiction versus the real life inspirations
20:10 Bringing his style to the Australian setting
23:25 The research and notetaking
26:20 Structuring the book
29:31 Fitting the seven key events into the story
31:35 The publishing journey
33:22 The writing process and challenges
34:56 A typical writing day
37:40 Balancing writing and translating
41:33 Publicising the book
43:33 Future writing plans and pure fiction
50:32 Moreno Giovannoni’s writing tip
52:48 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.

Halloween is just around the corner, so what better way to mark the occasion than by celebrating AWC grad Amy Hutton’s latest book – a paranormal romance novel, Ghosted! In this episode, Amy shares her writing process, how she wound up writing paranormal romance, afterworld-building and much more!

00:00 Welcome
06:39 Writing tip: Work with teachers and mentors
10:06 WIN!: Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan
12:29 Word of the week: ‘Bodacious’
13:52 Writer in residence: Amy Hutton
15:09 What her latest book Ghosted is about
16:30 What inspired this topic of paranormal romance?
19:48 Edits to the story
21:05 Amy’s approach to (after) world building
23:13 Pacing the story and unravelling the mystery
24:16 Writing short stories as a writer’s block strategy
28:10 Amy’s first break
29:22 The thing she didn’t know when she started
32:45 The one thing you can control
33:38 Amy’s average writing day and how it has differed over time
37:25 Freaking herself out in her own writing
39:54 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.

If there were ever a decade that evoked such a strong emotional resonance, the 1980s would surely be it! Author Tegan Bennett Daylight channels this in her new time-travelling YA novel, How to Survive 1985, in all its neon-coloured, acid-washed glory, and in this episode, she shares her experience bringing that time period to life and some tips for aspiring writers.

00:00 Welcome
06:52 Writing tip: Grounding details in world-building
09:31 WIN!: The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation edited by Jennie Orchard
11:20 Word of the week: ‘Noisome’
13:22 Writer in residence: Tegan Bennett Daylight
14:18 Describing her book How to Survive 1985
17:13 Research vs lived experience of the time period
20:00 Why 1985?
21:59 Writing about motherhood now and then
25:51 Navigating the publishing world
26:33 Early writing experiences
28:14 Tegan’s first children’s book
29:42 Challenges and successes in writing
31:49 The reality of being a writer and inspiring new writers
36:25 The appeal of writing for young adults
40:43 Tegan’s writing routine
43:10 An easy early morning tip for writers
44:38 Engaging with the writing community
45:45 Upcoming projects
47:40 Writing tip and the Spotify playlist
50:17 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.

Would YOU do anything to protect your 18-year-old child? That’s core to the premise behind AWC graduate Alex Dook’s outback thriller novel, Gunpowder Creek – and in this episode, he shares the milestones and research that led to this latest successful book.

00:00 Welcome
07:12 Writing tip: Turn jealousy into inspiration
13:11 WIN!: The Occupation by Chloe Adams
14:56 Word of the week: ‘Cynosure’
18:34 The world of words: ‘Bated vs baited’
19:59 Writer in residence: Alex Dook
20:38 Describing his debut book, Gunpowder Creek
22:15 Alex’s writing history
25:30 The reason to keep persisting
27:10 The pitching process
29:33 The invisible threshold of becoming published
31:00 Editing and polishing tip
32:08 Advice for aspiring writers
33:54 Using AWC’s‘Anatomy of a Crime course
36:44 Research road tripping
38:00 Discovering the titular Gunpowder Creek town
42:40 Alex’s writing process
46:20 The second book experience
48:30 Alex’s book recommendation
49:34 Thoughts on persistence and passion
51:06 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.

We’ve all been to a pub. They’re places to meet friends, meet lovers, to celebrate, commiserate and even do weekly trivia. But do you REALLY know pubs? This is the question author Philip Howell poses and attempts to answer in his latest book, the aptly named Pub. Philip joins us to discuss the inspiration for this book, the pitching process, researching topics and his overwhelming love of one particular app!

00:00 Welcome
05:12 Writing tip: Night-time whiteboards
07:49 WIN!: The Butterfly Thief by Walter Marsh
10:09 Word of the week: ‘Vexillology’
12:10 Writer in residence: Philip Howell
12:55 Describing ‘Pub’ as a concept and book
14:00 History vs Geography in this book
15:33 Inspirations for writing this book
19:06 The pitching process
21:53 The structure of the book
23:30 Choosing what to leave out
28:05 Range of writing topics and side hustles
30:42 The social dynamics of pubs
32:52 Writing popular geography vs academic
34:49 Research methods and tools
36:53 The importance of readability in writing
37:21 Love of Scrivener
40:35 Repurposing cut content
42:41 Australian pubs?
43:20 On being an expert in ‘pubs’
45:40 Future projects
48:31 Philip’s writing tip
52:17 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.