Write, Damn It! with Zoe Richards

We each have a motivation preference - some of us are motivate towards something, others are motivated away from something. And what motivates us (to or from) can change depending on our circumstances. In this episode I take you through the way our motivation works, and how you can use this with your writing. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being pu...

Laura Pearson lives in Leicestershire with her husband and their two children. She is the author of four novels, the most recent of which are The Last List of Mabel Beaumont and I Wanted You To Know. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont is a Kindle UK number one bestseller and a Kindle US top ten bestseller. Missing Pieces will be republished in February 2024. Laura's books: The Last List of Mabel...

This week's update on my publishing journey is a reality check - things are not all wonderful and hunky dory, and this final part of my edit is really tough. Listen in to find out what I think the nub of the issue is, and why things have got tough at this late stage in the process. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as min...

This is a fascinating conversation with Sarah around the inspiration and background to her novel, The Treatment. We got into talking about Maslow's hierarchy of needs and psychopathy, amongst other things. Sarah writes speculative crime/thriller novels, and can be seen on Twitter/X in the early hours, as part of the #5amwritersclub Sarah's books are: Witness X The Treatment And you can f...

It's tough at times being a writer - even for those of us who use writing as a form or escape or therapy. So when times do feel tough, such as when you're querying or out on submission to commissioning editors, having a way to develop a little writer's resilience is incredibly useful. In this episode I share a tool I use that helps me - the ABC ... and if you want, you can add in a...

Louise Beech - who also writes as Louise Swanson - has wanted to be an author since she filled notebooks with stories aged eight. She finally got a book deal aged 44. Since then, she has had nine novels and one memoir published. They have won Best magazine Book of the year, shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year and the Polari Prize, as well as being a Sophie Hannah Book of the Year pick,...

More on my publishing journey as I get on with line edits, copy edits, and meeting my publicist. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a c...

In conversation with Jenny / Jenni Bayliss, we get into talking about being 'boujee', not knowing what genre you're writing in, sticking your feet in cold water to feel the cold when writing a winter novel in the summer, and the love hate relationship with reviews. Jenni gives us her tip for dealing with reviews, and I share about the sunshine folder. We also got talking about dusti...

As I come to the end of working on my structural edits, in this episode I share some of the things I've learned, and how I could have done myself favours much earlier in the process with earlier edits. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, includ...

Things are moving along with my publishing journey now as the structural edits are in, and in this episode I share how that's going for me. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you would like to show your lov...

Charlotte Levin has been shortlisted for the Andrea Badenoch Award, part of the New Writers North Awards, and for the Mslexia Short Story Competition. IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU is her debut novel, and her second IF I LET YOU GO is a Richard & Judy autumn book club pick. And in the R&J exclusive copies in W H Smiths, there’s extra material and a short story. https://www.whsmith.co.uk/product...

At the end of every chat I always ask a quick 5 questions, and one of them is about plotting or pantsing, so in this episode I share how I go about plotting the boundaries and allowing myself to be able to do discovery writing within those boundaries. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscri...

Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation -...

Have you ever found yourself looking at other writers and thinking 'you're all more advanced than me'? You're not alone. In this episode, I talk about why that's a good thing for us to spot that, and how we can use it to help ourselves. And if you ARE feeling dejected, get in touch with me on social media, and I'll happily be there to support you on your journey. Supp...

Ivy Ngeow was born and raised in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. She holds an MA in Writing from Middlesex University, where she won the 2005 Middlesex University Literary Press Prize out of almost 1500 entrants worldwide. Her debut, Cry of the Flying Rhino (2017), was awarded the International Proverse Prize in Hong Kong. Her novels include Heart of Glass (2018), Overboard (2020) and White Crane Strikes (...

I didn't expect to share another part of the publishing journey so fast, but things are happening around marketing so I thought I'd share that with you, and things I've learned along the way - plus some tips of what you can do now to help yourself be prepared for when you have a publishing deal. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being p...

In this episode I have a chat with my own writing coach, Stephanie Butland, who is the writer of many books, as well as being a coach, delivers writing retreats, offers manuscript assessments, and more. Stephanie wrote Lost for Words, which got a Reese Witherspoon mention, no less, and which she followed up with Found in a Bookshop, which is a beautiful novel about the importance of community - an...

Come on my journey from getting a publishing contract to launching the novel next June 2023. This will be an irregular series as I share what happens on my publishing journey - I hope you enjoy hearing about it. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, i...

When we set new goals for ourselves, we inevitably fail - and it's not actually our fault. It's all to do with the way our brains are wired. But never fear! There's something we can do about it. In this episode, I take you through how to use the way that your brain works so that you can do habit stacking, and master your mindset so that you can become the productive writer you know...

What story are you telling yourself? Do you know? Listen in to this latest episode to find out what story you are telling yourself, and how you can make that work for you. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you...

I read recently that if we write and don't want negative feedback, it's like saying we're a boxer and don't want to be punched. Ouch! There's a lot of truth in this, though, as we are going to get feedback at some point, be that when we query agents, sub to publishers, or get reviews from readers. In this episode I look at the mindsets that can get in the way of how we res...

Ok, ok I know it's an odd time of year to do New Year's resolutions for your writing, but stay with me here - listen to the episode to find out why I suggest doing your New Year's resolutions now, and get some easy ideas of what to start with. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can...

This is a lovely conversation with Lizzy Barber, whose novel Nanny Wanted is available now. Listen to the end to find out Lizzy's thoughts on the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person. Lizzy Barber is a London-based best-selling author of psychological suspense. Her debut novel, My Name is Anna, was the winner of the Daily Mail / Random House First Novel Prize. Her...

Ever have those times where something is not quite working with your writing? Here's a simple technique I use to help me work through plot points that don't work, scenes that aren't going anywhere, or characters that don't have a sufficiently distinct voice. I'd love to hear how playing with this technique helps your writing, and helps you to become the productive, creativ...

This episode guides you through some coaching you can do for yourself to help you be the productive writer you want to be. I share with you a tool I use in my work life, and you can get a free copy of the PDF to use as you coach yourself by going to zoerichards.co.uk/35 and signing up for my newsletter. In the episode I make reference to other episodes that you might want to go back and listen to,...