The Word Count

This one’s for every writer who hasn’t cracked the 3% club — because only 3% of people who start a book actually finish… and right now, Fiona is trying to become one of them. 

In response to her honest and relatable cry for help, Jo and Jacq share their best advice on getting to the end, drawing on their own writing experiences and what’s worked for them.

Plus our usual segments — 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Follow us from 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 — and everything in between 💛

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

After three weeks of R&R, we’re back in your ears, dear listeners!

In this episode:
 💛 Jo returns from her idyllic island interlude
 💛 Jacq shares her publishing date!
 💛 Fiona has recovered from surgery… but how close is she to finishing?

Plus our usual segments — 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 — as we talk about getting back to the writing after a break.

Follow us from 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 — 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 💛

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

It’s been a big few weeks here at The Word Count… we hosted our inaugural Writers Retreat — and it was nothing short of incredible.

In this episode, we’re sharing all the highlights (and yes, we’re still riding the post-retreat glow) — along with our usual segments: 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

If we sound a little worn out, it’s because we are… which may explain why this is the shortest episode we’ve ever recorded 😂

Follow us from 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 — 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 💛

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

One of us has finished a 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁!
You’ll need to listen to find out who.

This episode, we’re getting ready to host our inaugural writing retreat down in Tassie, sharing book recommendations (many in the case of Jacq!) and talking accountability, goals, and the realities of writing life.

✍️ Are you drafting, editing or stuck right now? Follow us from 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 — 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 💛

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

Dear Listeners,
 
 We owe you an apology 😬
 
 This episode was inspired by Jo sending a message to our group chat that read:
 
 “𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨… 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘺!”
 
 Now that is an episode we’d listen to!
 
 Unfortunately, we didn’t arrive with a tidy list of solutions to getting unstuck. But misery loves company, so if you’re feeling stuck too, welcome to the gang 😜
 
 In Episode 54, we talk about creative blocks, second-guessing, plotting panic, and the various (questionable) methods we’ve tried to move forward.
 
 And if you have any brilliant ideas for getting unstuck — besides walking, crying, drinking, or eating chocolate — please tell us in the comments.
 
 We genuinely need to know 😂

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

In this episode...

🎧 Listen to Jo confess that she has 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 where her book is going after throwing plotting — and her beloved Post-it notes — out the window.

🎧 Listen to Fiona admit her book is 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 not finished, and that she’s seriously considering rescuing Jo’s abandoned Post-its and actually doing some plotting.

🎧 And Jacq? Well… Jacq tells a story about when beloved Tassie series Rosehaven filmed in her street — and she got caught doing something she probably shouldn’t have been doing! (You’ll have to listen to find out 👀)

Is it inspirational?
Maybe not in the way we hoped 😂

BUT we 𝘥𝘰 get properly stuck into what we’re doing to fix things — and that might help you too.

From blank page to publication — and everything in between 💛

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝟱𝟮

Annnnd… we’re back, dear listeners!

After a restorative holiday break, we’re back at our desks, in front of our microphones, and ready for another year of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩.

💛 Did Jo finish a first draft of Book 4?
 💛 Did Fiona finish a first draft of Book 1?
 💛 Did Jacq… well, Jacq was just going to see what happens — so maybe that’s a given 😄

Along with accountability, we’re sharing our word for 2026, what we’re reading, and what we’re going to do differently this year as we wrangle 2026 into shape and give ourselves the best possible chance of achieving our writing dreams.

So sit back, grab your beverage of choice, and enjoy Episode 52, available wherever you love to listen 🎧

🔔 Follow us so you never miss an episode! 

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

✨ Closing The Book on 2025 ✨

Our final episode of the year is live, and it’s a big, heart-squeezy one.

We kicked things off with our usual accountability chat and set some bold (and slightly terrifying) goals for our six-week break.

Then we reflected on the year that was — our favourite moments, our lowest moments, and the one thing each of us absolutely wouldn’t change.

It’s equal parts honest, chaotic, and cheering each other on… in true Word Count fashion.

Thank you for sticking with us on this journey to publication dear listeners — you will never know how much you truly mean to us 💛

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

🎉 It’s our 50th episode!!! 🎉

To celebrate this glorious milestone, we’ve thrown the rulebook out the window. Jo and Jacq have staged a hostile (but fabulous) takeover, while Fiona takes a well-earned back seat after moving house the day before.

What follows is pure, unfiltered chaos — gin, bubbles, and a whole lot of fun, with our signature touch of honesty.

We had an absolute blast recording it, and we hope you love listening just as much.

Thank you, dear listeners, for sticking with us for 50 episodes. We’re pinching ourselves that we’ve made it this far… here’s to the next 50, and the books that will get written because we keep showing up, sharing our goals, and staying accountable ✨

And special thanks to Phil and Postie who help make us sound far more professional than we actually are!

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens before, during, and after a book launch, Jo spills all the behind-the-scenes details from her tour for A Disappearing Act.

💛 Did we hit the goals we set last episode?
 💛 What are our new ones?
 💛 And why is getting three co-hosts into one promo photo basically an Olympic sport? 😂

All this and more in this episode.

Follow @𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙥𝙤𝙙 so you never miss an episode 🔔 

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙-𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟, 𝐽𝑜 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑞 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷.

𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛-𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 30 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 💛