So You Want To Be A Writer With Valerie Khoo And Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre Podcast

Vanity book awards and why you should think twice before buying one. Mistakes made by newbie authors and things you can learn from Man Booker Prize shortlisted authors. Win a pack of books to regift for Christmas (or keep all to yourself). Meet songwriter and novelist Holly Throsby. Plus: the Get Pocket app which makes saving things for later a whole lot easier, and much more! This episode is brought to you by Travel Writing at the Australian Writers' Centre. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover famous writers who had totally unrelated day jobs. Get yourself ready for NaNoWriMo success, and how to say “YES” to your writing career. Valerie digs up the origins of the word “dinosaur”. Meet actor, children’s book writer and illustrator Richard Roxburgh, and much more! This episode is brought to you by Writing Books for Children and Young Adults at the Australian Writers' Centre. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover celebrities reading audiobooks, why you should write a “zero draft”, and how to sell 100 million copies of your book. Find out how Australian crime writer Candice Fox ended up co-writing with James Patterson. Meet Giuseppe Poli, IT guy by day, children’s book illustrator by night. Plus, how to recover after receiving some bad feedback, and much more. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover if you can turn your short story into a novel and how to write when life is nuts. Tips for setting yourself up as a full-time writer. Your chance to win a graphic novel pack. Meet Katherine Johnson, author of “The Better Son”. Learn the number one tip for building your author platform, and much more. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover why John Green might not write another book and get tips on how to write better dialogue. Do you know what writers really earn? Also: how do you know when your writing is “good enough”? Meet author Jay Kristoff. Plus: a serialised publishing website, and much more! Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The main factors that stop readers from finishing books. Effective strategies for surviving working alone. How to avoid being sued when writing your memoir. Finding good words for body parts. Impress your friends with the word "ineffable". Meet memoirist Toni Tapp Coutts, how to be interviewed as a writer, and much more! Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can you be a successful freelance writer with a pen name? Submission tips from Curtis Brown agents; Discover which six of Roald Dahl’s words are now in the dictionary and find out what's happening in Allison Tait's world. Meet science writer Sarah Keenihan. Plus: the one marketing move authors get wrong, and much more. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover the biggest mistake writers make when applying for jobs and 5 common plotting errors. What happens when a client wants you to deliver more than what was agreed on? Moleskin have opened a Moleskine café! Win a copy of "Rebellious Daughters" and learn the meaning behind antediluvian. Meet debut novelist Nathan Besser, author of “Man in the Corner”, who shows that you should never give up. Plus: find out what works for your author platform, and much more! Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gawker is closing down, discover why you’ll never finish your novel and how to write a memoir about a painful experience. Meet Louise Doughty, author of “Black Water”. Plus: writing tools for authors, great content marketing examples for author blogs, and much more. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You have written your first draft: now what? Indie magazines are flourishing and reading will help you live longer. We touch on resume writers and reasons why someone will stop reading your novel. Meet AWC graduate Fleur Ferris whose second novel Black has been published by Penguin Random House. Plus: our latest platform building tip and much more. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What other writers can teach you about writing, why no writing is wasted, Michelle Field’s plagiarism scandal, and the lost art of letter writing. Impress your friends and readers by using inchoate correctly. Meet James Phelps, author of “Australia’s Toughest Prisons: Inmates”. Plus, our latest author platform building tip and much more! Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover the art of translating foreign language fiction, a competition for children, how to write for magazines, and why we need teacher librarians. Our word of the week is preternatural. You’ll also meet Alan Baxter, author of the dark, weird and fantastic. Plus: we share the basics of what you need on your author platform, and much more! Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you should submit to literary journals and how to give your writing rhythm. Smart ways to publicise your book, how to cope when your freelance writing client dumps you, and tips for surviving a structural edit. Meet L.A. Larkin, author of the new thriller “Devour”. What’s wrong with your author website, should you call yourself an “author” or a “writer”, and much more! Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you writing a hybrid book? Discover the people writing poetry as a service and the predictive text generator writing fan fiction. We dive into the huge self-publishing success of romance writers and share the meaning of ineluctable. Our writer in residence is author John Birmingham. Find out how a literary agency discovered a writer on social media, and much more. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new documentary on the romance writing industry, scientists discover what causes writer’s block and seven ways to make yourself a better editor. Scrivener fans rejoice: Scrivener is now on iOS. Plus: discover what editors look for on an opening page, and meet Young Adult and Middle Grade author Nova Weetman. A parenting hack for writers with kids, six tips for getting more traffic on your author blog, and much more! Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A book of tweets from writers who should be working on their novels and a history of wordprocessing. Discover some commonly misused words. We ask why do romance authors get a bad rap? Meet Kimberly McCreight, bestselling author of “The Outliers”. The app Cold Turkey Writer which will not quit until you’re done, like, literally will not quit. Find out if writer regression is a thing and why you need to be working on your NEXT book now. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five entrepreneurial tips for authors who want to up their game and an English teacher’s hip hop curriculum is encouraging appreciation of literature. Discover the art of video game writing and and some tips on querying agents and publishers. Wow your readers by using “predilection” and “propensity” correctly. Meet author and journalist Jennifer Hansen. Also: have fun with an automatic story generator, figure out which book you should write first, and when less is more on social media. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover which author broke through after four flops and the author afraid to listen to her own audiobook. We discuss if cursive writing is now obsolete and more reasons to occasionally write by hand. Impress (or tire) your friends with the meaning of soporific and meet Australian graphic novelist Shane W Smith. Is Livescribe or Microsoft Surface better for writers and are you making these author blog mistakes? Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was the defining moment that made you become a writer? Find out why women are killing it in crime writing and the reason essay writing services are booming. Impress your friends with the origin of the word "nicotine". Meet bestselling children's author Belinda Murrell. Also: when should you call in a freelance editor and why author manners are important. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grammar mistakes you should correct, visit a book store with no books, and Chuck Palahniuk releases a colouring book for adults. Find out which six dialogue habits are killing your story and discover the meaning of milquetoast. Also: meet romance writer Kylie Scott, find out if it's worth pitching to overseas publishers, and discover how to make an editor happy. Read the show notes.  Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.