So You Want to be a Writer

Winner of the HarperCollins Australia Banjo Prize and AWC alumni Dinuka McKenzie needs no introduction – both because her growing body of work has found such acclaim, and also because we have chatted with her twice before on the podcast! In this episode, she is back to share the experience of creating her latest psychological suspense novel, She Lied First – with insights into her process as well as her thoughts on using social media in the author space. Listen now:
00:00 Welcome
15:51 Writing tip: Get a supportive inner coach
18:21 WIN: Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson
19:33 Word of the week: “Aptronym”
20:30 Interview with Dinuka McKenzie
21:51 Explaining She Lied First
23:10 Sisterhood origins
25:13 Writing toward the twist
27:39 Subverting South Asian stereotypes
29:04 Timelines without confusion
34:05 Developing the distinct POV voices
37:08 Career longevity through feedback
41:40 Dinuka’s experience building her platform
46:15 The course tools that helped her
48:42 Final thoughts
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Real-life pharmacist and acclaimed British author Amit Dhand says the only difference between medicine and poison is the dose – a fantastic backdrop for his most recent books, of which The Kingpin is his latest. In this episode, Amit (writing as A.A. Dhand) explores the world of crime/thriller, his singular approach to writing and his own slate as a storyteller.
00:00 Welcome
11:45 Writing tip: Finding adverbs
14:47 Writers in the wild: Annika
16:20 WIN: The Centre by Hannah Tunicliffe
17:48 Word of the week: “Dudgeon”
18:38 Interview with A.A. Dhand
19:21 What The Kingpin is about
20:40 Setting and pharmacy authenticity
26:19 Write what you emotionally know
28:00 Why crime stories?
29:22 Research and realism
35:15 Pharmacy as a thriller world
40:37 Writing routine and process
46:18 What’s next?
49:08 Writing tip
50:35 Final thoughts
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Are YOU a middle child? Author and AWC grad Seetha Dodd is, and that’s just one of the parallels between her life and the characters in her debut junior-fiction novel, Myra in the Middle – a fabulous take on finding your place in your family, and the world. In this episode, Seetha discusses how she found her way back to writing and her experience bringing this book and its characters to life.
00:00 Welcome
06:28 Writing tip: Take part in Furious Fiction!
09:02 WIN: Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli
10:18: Word of the week: “Darkle”
11:11 Interview with Seetha Dodd
13:55 Furious Fiction beginnings
19:23 Courses and confidence
24:28 The importance of community
27:25 About her book, Myra in the Middle
28:53 Culture on the page
31:05 The book’s themes
32:42 Working with an illustrator
34:03 The pitching, editing and publication timeline
38:56 Writing picture books
43:20 Writing advice
44:34 Book recommendations
47:00 Final thoughts
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Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com
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Glasses are a necessity for some, a curiosity for others, and even a status symbol in other contexts. So when Sydney-based academic Adam Geczy was tasked with writing about this ubiquitous item for the Object Lessons book series, how did he go about it (without making a spectacle of himself)? In this episode, Adam discusses the experience researching and writing Glasses, along with insights from an academic POV on the craft of writing in general.
00:00 Welcome
09:08 Writing tip: Make time to read
12:26 WIN: Garden of Lost Girls by A.L. Tait
13:46 Word of the week “Adsorb”
14:36 Interview with Adam Geczy
15:15 What Glasses Is about
17:49 Pitching for the Object Lessons series
22:11 Adam’s writing process and editing
28:38 Style and voice shifts
30:57 Staying adaptable
32:55 Writing without fear
35:40 Time discipline ‘hacks’
38:34 Linear drafting method
41:59 Manual research workflow
43:09 Owning your craft
45:09 Publicity and marketing
46:25 What’s next?
49:52 Final thoughts
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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
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Some authors dream of writing when they’re young but leave it behind to focus on another career. But not Bridie Blake, who instead quit university and made her work fit around her publishing aspirations. After pivoting from YA to romance, she published her debut rom-com novel, The Boyfriend Clause, and in this episode, AWC grad Bridie shares the writing courses that changed her fortunes and her experience seeing her book on the shelves.
00:00 Welcome
10:23 Writing tip: Explore art
13:16 WIN: The Lady with the Dog by Carrie Tiffany
14:32 Word of the Week “Reify”
15:20 Interview with Bridie Blake
16:42 Explaining The Boyfriend Clause
17:49 Early writing dreams
20:12 Day jobs and persistence
22:09 AWC courses and getting feedback
25:36 Pivoting to adult rom-com
27:25 Romance course lessons
29:47 Bridie’s writing process
30:59 Morning writer mindset
33:15 Balancing humour and heart
34:12 Choosing Australian publishing
37:33 The “yes” email moment
39:45 Promoting her books
40:52 What’s next?
41:49 Her writing technique evolution
45:51 Bridie’s writing tip
47:15 Theme of the book
48:13 Book recommendations
49:57 Final thoughts
Read the show notes
Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.