The Word Count

This week on The Word Count , we leaned into life’s big moments — the ones that pull us away from the page and remind us that writing doesn’t always get to be the priority. With less than a month to Fiona’s daughter’s wedding, she’s fully in her Mother of the Bride era 👰💐 (yes, with the t-shirt to prove it!).  Jo opened up about the heartbreaking loss of her beautiful Frankie 🐾, and Jacq talks...

💥 This episode is going to give you ALL the feels! You’ve got 24 hours to listen (it’s only 30 minutes — perfect for your commute, walk, school run, or lunch break) before we share the BIG BIG news with the world. 💛 Pretty please don’t spoil it for others until tomorrow, when we’ll be posting ALL about it! But… if you’ve listened, we’d love you to comment or send us a message. ⚠️ If you haven’t...

We’re already halfway through August, and it’s been a busy two weeks for The Word Count crew - what with it being Fiona’s birthday month (Jacq calls it Fionaugust), beach holidays, plane trips, bookseller dinners, book launches, and workshops - but was any writing done? We tell all! We are also talking about metaphoric sharks in the water - those moments when you’re treading water, trying to stay...

In this episode, we are all doing different things, but we are all writing. Which just goes to show that writing looks different for everyone! 💛 Jacq finishes up her 2-week KSP Fellowship 💛 Fiona is busy writing (and rewriting) 💛Jo is drafting BOOK 4 As always, we have your favourite segments: Accountability and Setting Goals ✨  🔔 Follow us so you never miss an episode. Follow 3 Australian wr...

 In this episode, we talk about what comes after you hit "send"—when the final proofread is done, the manuscript is locked, and the book is officially out of your hands.  💛 Jo shares how it feels to finish Book 3 💛 Fiona contemplates the two-thirds mark 💛Jacq reminds us there’s always another story to tell. Of course, we have your favourite segments: Accountability and Setting Goals...

We probably should have called this episode “The One Where Jo Lets The Secret Out Of The Bag” (listen to the end, you’ll understand 😜😂) 💛 We discuss pitching - what works and what doesn’t  💛 Fiona and Jacq commit to entering Pitchable at @qldwriters 💛 Jo and Jacq talk about doing their nudie solstice swim! Of course, we have your favourite segments: Accountability and Setting Goals ✨  🔔 Fol...

We’re celebrating our 40th episode by answering 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 burning questions — about us, the podcast, writing… and more! PLUS, we announce the lucky dear listener who’s won an 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗼 ’ 𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 – 𝗔 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝘁 – along with 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵 , 𝗮 @ 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝘀 . 𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 , and the newest obsession: 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀! And of course, your favourite segments: Accountability and Setti...

Aaaannnddd… we’re back! It’s been SEVEN LONG WEEKS since we were last in your ears, dear listeners - and we hope you missed us! 😉  We've chatted a little longer than usual because it's been so long since the last episode, but it's still under 40 minutes!  This episode is (fittingly) all about Brainstorms : 💛 Jo shares how her brain surgery went  💛 Fiona tries to brainstorm her wa...

Learning how to manage the messy middle of your manuscript is all part of writing a novel. Fiona is at 55,000 words and calls on Jo and Jacq this episode to share their wisdom on managing writing forward when feeling lost.  🔔 Don’t forget to follow us so you never miss an episode. Huge thanks to Postie for producing this ep, and to Phil for lending his fabulous voice to our intros! 🙏 Follow 3 Au...

We’ve had a one-week medical break but… we’re baaaack! And you know we’ve always promised to keep things real on THE WORD COUNT —so this episode is all about why we needed the break and what it means for us going forward. 💛 WHO ended up in hospital?  💛 DID we hit our creative goals?  💛 WHAT are our Easter plans? 🔔 Don’t forget to follow us so you never miss an episode. Huge thanks to Postie fo...

This episode of 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 takes us the furthest apart we’ve ever been — 𝟰𝟰,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗸𝗺, 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁! ✈️ Jo & Jacq are on their idyllic island (𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘛𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘦), while Fiona is in Perth for her KSP Fellowship writing retreat. As always, we check in on accountability, set new writing goals for the next fortnight, and dive into the routines & rituals that shape our writing lives. ✨ In This Episod...

 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟯𝟱: 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑆𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 🎙️ Well… after recording this episode, things went south - and not just because we were all in Tasmania at the same time. 😅 One of Fiona’s cats got very sick, and she had to fly home the day after recording . So, some of what we talked about? No longer true. (Spoiler: Fiona did not get to stay at Jo’s for a writing retreat sad) BUT! We 𝑑𝑖𝑑 share our tips for prepa...

In 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟰, 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟯𝟰, we dive into how comparison can steal your joy - and how to stop envy from turning into jealousy. Plus:  💛 Jo has some exciting news!  💛 Fiona shares a MOTB update  💛 Jacq has been scrumping (big time!) As always, we check in on our goals from the past fortnight and set new ones. 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟯𝟰 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 - 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 !  🔔 Follow us so you never...

💛 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 In 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 4, 𝘌𝘱 33 we talk about writing through the doubt. Imposter syndrome affects us all - whether emerging writers or bestselling authors. We discuss how we choose to be “trickster goddesses” and suggest strategies to keep you writing when you doubt yourself or feel like a fraud. In other news… we’ve merged our Last Two Weeks recap with Accountability into...

𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗪𝗘’𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗖𝗞! 💛  Did you miss us dear listeners? We definitely missed you! It’s a new year, it’s a new season and we have new year goals to share! 💛 Jo tells us Book 3’s TITLE & PUB DATE!!! 💛 Fiona almost sounds confident  💛 Jacq has a writing goal! crazy 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚: We got overexcited & forgot to set our goals for the next 2 weeks in this episode - oops!  Along with only two favourite...

It’s our last episode for 2024 as we 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘶𝘱 for Christmas (see what we did there? 😂)  We share what we learned this year as writers, and make some BIG goals for our summer break ✍️  AND we draw the winner of our 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 LIVE!!! 🎉🎉🎉 If you listen to the very end you’ll hear a special message to Phil, who hit this episode’s intro out of the park! 🙌 Wishing all our dear listeners...

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 💛 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟯𝟬: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 We celebrate and give shout-outs to the writing community every episode, but we’ve never given an entire episode to discussing it… until now! In addition: 💛 Jo overcomes her party disaster to reach yet another Book 3 milestone  💛 Fiona talks about her first mentorship meeting with Hayley Scrivenor 💛 Jacq goes to the Australian Podcast Award...

Today’s episode did not go to plan. You’ll understand once you listen. 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲: ✅ Tied the topic to exciting news ✅ Recorded before Jo’s fab party ✅ Created an engaging title We did NOT check whether any of us had EVER been professionally mentored for their writing 🤦🏻‍♀️😩🤯 Let the hilarity ensue 😂🤣😂 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗗𝗢 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲: 💛 Fiona’s exciting news! 💛 A competition you’ll want...

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮𝟴: 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 The Word Count hosts have all received writing feedback recently so this episode we are chatting about feedback - where to get it from, how we feel about it and what works for us. BUT most importantly, Jo discusses what happens when you receive publisher feedback and the next steps in Book 3’s journey to publication! Along with your favourite regular features: ✍️ 𝘼𝙘...

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮𝟳: 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘶𝘯 & 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 We’re baaaaack! After two weeks of illness we were finally all well enough to record an episode, and what an episode it is!!! To make up for lost time it is a longer episode than usual but you can’t miss it  if you want to know: 💛 Fiona’s HUGE news! 💥  💛 Jacq’s HUGER news! 💥💥 💛 Jo’s HUGEST news! 💥💥💥 Along with your favourite regular features: ✍️...

Don’t miss this episode if you want to know: 💛 Has Jo written THE END for Book 3?  💛 What did Fiona get up to at BAD? 💛 Did Jacq write us the best intro ever?  Along with your favourite regular features: ✍️ 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠-𝙞𝙣 ✍️ 𝙎𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨 for the next 2 weeks ✍️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 - What has a year of podcasting together taught us? We talk the highs, the lows and septi...

Don’t miss this episode if you want to know: 💛 How close Jo is to writing THE END? 🤔  💛 Did Jacq plant her Christmas potatoes? 🥔  💛 Is Fiona still on Fiji time? 🍹🏝️ Along with your favourite regular features: ✍️ 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠-𝙞𝙣 ✍️ 𝙎𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨 for the next 2 weeks ✍️ 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐴𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑀𝑒 Follow 3 Australian writers step-by-step as they write toward publication...

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮𝟰: 𝘎𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘤𝘬! Join us as we chat about all things writing-related - courses, masterclasses, festivals, workshops - and which gives you value for money, as well as 💛 Where Jo is up to with Book 3  💛 Why Jacq is preparing for Christmas now 💛 What Fiona saw on her birthday  Along with your favourite regular features: ✍️ 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠-𝙞𝙣 ✍️ 𝙎𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨 for the nex...

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮𝟯: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 No this isn’t a thriller horror title 😱😂… we are chatting about writing v writers’ retreats this episode because… 💛 Fiona just went on a writing retreat  💛 Jo is planning a writing retreat 💛 Jacq is joining us on a festival retreat Along with your favourite regular features: ✍️ 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠-𝙞𝙣 ✍️ 𝙎𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨 for the next fortnight ✍️ 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵...

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 💛 Aaaand… We’re back for Season 3 of @thewordcountpod 🙌 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮𝟮: After a 4-week break we have emerged blinking from our writing caves rested, refreshed and reinvigorated to talk about our writing, what else we’ve been up to & where we are headed next. 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺? 🤔😂 💛  Jo - write, write, write and write… and finish book 3 💛  Fio...