So You Want to be a Writer

How writing crime has changed in the last ten years and the increasing demand for content writers. We ask if an app can improve your writing plus give you tips on how to survive writing envy. Meet picture book author Emma Allen. Plus, the most dangerous writing app. What are the benefits of editing a printed manuscript over editing on screen? Read the show notes .  Connect with Valerie, Allis...

An intriguing memoir, how to become an Amazon 'best-seller' for $3 and 40 words for emotions you've felt but couldn't explain. Plus: confessions of a ghost writer and the trouble with using fashionable words. Meet successful children's author Jen Storer. Also: a writing device for nostalgic tech geeks, whether you should put your writing on your website, and more! Read the show notes .  Conne...

Book 2 of Allison Tait’s The Mapmaker Chronicles is shortlisted for the Aurealis Award, punctuation in famous novels and a poem that shows how tricky English can be. Would you write differently if you were anonymous? Also: what NOT to do when you start a novel, the book “Shady Characters: Ampersands, Interrobangs and other Typographic Curiosities” by Keith Houston and meet thrill...

What was left out of Seven Little Australians, the life of a Hallmark card writer, fewer vs less, and how to write a fab press release. Also check out the the book “Wordburger: How to be a champion puzzler in 20 quick bites” by David Astle and meet author Hazel Edwards. Plus: become a word-nerd like Valerie by browsing the Online Etymology Dictionary. Read the show notes .  Connec...

The number one problem with backstory and how to fix it, old English insults, and writing tips from the indomitable Chuck Palahniuk. Plus: 10 questions to ask yourself before launching your author website, the 100 best websites for writers, and how to win a copy of The Waiting Room by Leah Kaminsky. Also: meet novelist Tim Baker on his blog tour of his book Fever City , learn how to motivate yours...

Go inside the world of things that look like books but aren’t, writing in a foreign language, a re-usable notebook, how to avoid distractions from writing, and meet slayer of weasel words Don Watson. Also: an app that distills non-fiction works into short reads, giving you the main concepts of an entire book in 15 minutes, how to equip yourself to be interviewed as an author, win a signed co...

What writers need to know about defamation when writing memoirs, win a writer's residency in a bridge, a writer is arrested after winning illegal narcotics in a writing competition and a tax return is hailed as a masterpiece of contemporary fiction. Plus: advice on how to juggle multiple writing projects, meet thriller author Jaye Ford, who moonlights as a romance author, and more! Read the show n...

CLEO magazine is closing, Penthouse drops print magazines, copyediting and grammar mistakes to avoid, the book The Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe, and Allison’s top blog posts about blogging. Meet journalist-turned-author Holly Seddon, whose new book is the psychological thriller Try Not to Breathe. Also: the clever note taking app Notability, when to pitch to magazines, and more! Read th...

CLEO magazine is closing, Penthouse drops print magazines, copyediting and grammar mistakes to avoid, the book The Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe, and Allison’s top blog posts about blogging. Meet journalist-turned-author Holly Seddon, whose new book is the psychological thriller Try Not to Breathe. Also: the clever note taking app Notability, when to pitch to magazines, and more! Read th...

Margret Atwood is writing a graphic novel, writing rituals and why they work, tips on how to get to know your characters and the intricacies of naming them well, and the book Worst Words by Don Watson. PLUS: our 12 Days of Christmas giveaway, we look back at the best of 2015, and the Summer Reading Club Lost Worlds competitions. See you in 2016! Read the show notes .  Connect with Valerie, Al...

Do you mourn the loss of a character? How to write a killer elevator pitch for your book, 10 over-writing traps to avoid, tell us your 2016 writing goal, and how to enter our “12 Days of Christmas” giveaway. Also: tips on pitching to a blogger, and meet Writer in Residence epic fantasy novelist Mitchell Hogan, author of “Blood of Innocents”. Plus: a free screenwriting app f...

Why publishers are giving million dollar advances to debut novelists. Should you write for love or money? Book hotels are now a THING. Also: why a female author wanted a male voice actor to narrate her books. WIN a copy of "The Man With the Golden Typewriter" by Fergus Fleming. Plus: great books about writing, Writer in Residence Ellie Marney, vehicle log app, advice on splitting your personal bra...

Congrats to our presenter Judith Rossell for making the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards shortlist. Allison Tait’s “The Mapmaker Chronicles 2: Prisoner of the Black Hawk” is one of the best middle grade books for 2015! Also: would you want to write a novel in a castle? Why you need a professional book cover for your self-published book, phrases to cut from your writing, pat...

Allison’s “The Mapmaker Chronicles” optioned for a film, new words in the Merriam-Webster dictionary (YAAAS!), the author who assaulted a reviewer, book promotion minus the misery, “China Rich Girlfriend” giveaway, and the book Dictionary of “English Down The Ages” by Linda and Roger Flavell. Meet novelist and film director Shirley Barrett and find out if...

Reprint of book one of Allison Tait’s “The Mapmaker Chronicles”, how freelance writers price their work, why you don’t need tragedy in your story, things you can do to save money on editing, #NaNoSix - inspirational six word writing tips, win a copy of Larissa Dubecki’s hilarious book “Prick with a Fork”. Also: 10 novels that were written in about a month,...

The rise of freelance writers, is a co-working space better than working from home? How to trim your manuscript to a workable size, the book “Story” by Robert McKee, writing advice from AWC presenters, Writer in Residence children’s author Tristan Bancks, a new writing app to inspire flow, further advice on writing your author bio, download Allison’s top ten tips, and more!...

Australian self-publishing success Beau Taplin, a vending machine that dispenses short stories, how to write your author bio, super prolific author caught in a plagiarism scandal, and the book “Content Inc.” by Joe Pulizzi. Also: how Candice Fox writes two books at once and keeps them distinct, how to DIY book publicity with uber-publicist Emma Noble, the writing app Novlr (free until...

Why reading a Kindle is different from reading a physical book, the strange phenomenon of bestselling colouring books for adults, mistakes new screenwriters make, how to pick one idea for NaNoWriMo when you have too many, and the perils of writing the confessional personal essay. Writer in Residence is freelance corporate writer Kate Hennessy. Also: an app to easily book people into your calendar,...

Australian women authors are making tech work for them, win a $4000 writing scholarship, changing careers to become a writer, Girlfriend and Total Girl magazines are merging, apply your feature writing skills to fiction. Writer in Residence picture book author Danny Parker. Resources to discover what agents really think, listener question: “Should I use a pen name?”, and more! Read the...

One Direction releases a children’s book (say what?), how to use author events to grow your fan base and sell more books, why dads reading to kids is important, things to think about when co-authoring a book, it’s time to begin prepping for NaNoWriMo (eek!), and starting a blog. Our Writer in Residence this week is Mary-Rose MacColl, who has just released her fifth book “Swimming...

What writers should’t do on social media, a typewriter that pours beer (instant writing reward!), protecting your freelance identity, how to capture someone else’s voice and be a kick-butt ghostwriter, fashion bloggers are now powerful, the new book “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, Writer in Residence Robert Hoge, author of the memoir “Ugly”, an app that transl...

Valerie reads 270 short stories, book 3 of Allison Tait’s “The Mapmaker Chronicles”, Bauer Media shutting down Zoo Weekly magazine, what skills a Vogue editor needs, do you agree with brand journalism? Faulty freelance writer assumptions, how to fit freelance writing around a full-time job, kidlit blogger Tara Lazar, Writer in Residence Kevin Kwan, author of “Crazy Rich Asi...

What literary agents want to see before signing you, ten cool tech tools for writers, grammar mistakes you want to avoid, beware of vanity publishers, and some of the best advice from writing veteran Stephen King. Meet food critic and Writer in Residence Larissa Dubecki, author of the hilarious memoir “Prick with a Fork”, find out how long it takes to write an article, and more! Read t...

Australia’s podcasting boom, 51 words you might be mispronouncing, freelancing mistakes newbies make, the book “Woe is I” by Patricia O’Conner, a magazine for cats by cats (yes, you read that correctly), Writer in Residence Stephanie Clifford, author of “Everybody Rise”, a one-word writing prompt app, how to write when you’re sick, and more! Read the show...

Tourists pay to run a Scottish bookshop for a week, who exactly is an “emerging” writer, manspreading, fur baby, and other terms that have made it into the Oxford Dictionary, the ballpoint pen’s role in the demise of cursive handwriting, revisiting The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, do writers need self-belief or self-discipline? Five Aussie author blogs to watch, Writer in...