This week on Writers Behaving Badly: We welcome New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth! She joins us to chat about her incredible career, from the book that changed everything (The Mother-in-Law) to billboard moments in Bourke Street Mall, optioned screen adaptations, and why resilience beats luck every time. She also confesses to once dictating Lisa’s plotting process with a stack of index cards (but she might have won that argument in the end 👀)Plus: Sally and Brooke bond over ‘town water’…This week’s write-along winners 🏆👏KylieCaseyErinCath PCath GLindaLucindaSue AnnAthenaWhat You'll Learn:How to write (and survive) through personal upheaval.The role of consistency in building a career and a brand.How it’s okay to experiment with process.How to handle bad reviews, awkward encounters, and emails from Estelle in Wisconsin.Segments Inside:✍️ Sins & WinsLisa smugly climbs back on the podium with scene cards in hand, Brooke battles the corporate commute, Annie claims ‘it’s all sinny in Philadelphia’ and our community of writers bring their A-game to the page.📚 Author Interview – Sally Hepworth Part OneFrom resilience to screen adaptations and The Mother-in-Law changing everything—Sally tells us the truth about publishing highs and lows, her flexible process, and why the most successful authors often struggle the most to give writing advice…Our next Badly Behaved Write-Along is on Tuesday 23rd September @ 7:30pm. Come and join us! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com/subscribe
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✍️Complexity vs. Depth: are you writing layers or just noise?
This week on Writers Behaving Badly: The hosts sin in varying degrees (and one of them blames it on their husband 👀). Brooke dusts off her shiny flirtation of a manuscript, Bad Boy Lessons and is given Lisa’s toughest roast yet. We tackle a curly question on story complexity versus depth and spill the tea on a Bookstagrammer who admitted to pirating books…Plus: Hotel hijinks, write-along confessions, and Lisa pushes the GCM…again 😉What You'll Learn:How to tell if your story is truly complex, or just unnecessarily complicatedWhy depth (not endless subplots) is what keeps readers hookedPractical ways to strengthen character voice so readers fall in love with your heroSegments Inside:✍️ Sins & WinsBrooke confesses to a zero-word week (saved only by a memoir client), Lisa manages a chaotic small number of words (and blames her husband), and Annie keeps her manuscript alive thanks to write-alongs.🔥 Roast or ToastBrooke dusts off “Bad Boy Lessons” for Lisa’s critique. Cue hair plugs, gold teeth, and a neighbour with a ficus—and a whole lot of banter.📚 Curly QuestionIs your novel too complicated—or not deep enough? We unpack Michael Hauge’s advice and revisit Pride and Prejudice to explore why simple stories endure.🍵 Tea Time A bookstagrammer recently confessed to pirating books she reviews…we spill the tea.Our next Badly Behaved Write-Along is on Tuesday 9th September @ 7:30pm. Come and join us! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com/subscribe
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✍️Tess Woods On Why Overnight Success Takes Years
This week on Writers Behaving Badly: We interview the incredible and hilarious Tess Woods about her publishing journey (and why she almost quit for good…). Seriously she wrote her first novel in three days! The collective writing vibes were buzzing at write-along and we delivered a room full of winners and Tess spills part two of her embarrassing publishing encounters…This week’s write-along winners 🏆👏Casey, Sue Ann, Belinda, Tanya, Helen, Erin, Simone, Lucinda, Athena, KyliePlus: Brooke’s questionable Googles, ghosts in the podcast and Tess Woods is keeping ACTUAL receipts.What You'll Learn:Why rejection doesn’t mean your writing career is overHow to spot feedback worth taking on (and what to ignore)Why “overnight success” can take a long timeThe brutal highs and lows of publishing (and why resilience is everything)Segments Inside:✍️ Sins & Wins Lisa has been smited…smit…smut? by the gods for bragging about her manuscript, Annie is only getting words down during write-alongs but still keeping the wheels turning and Brooke typed so fast her keyboard was smoking…also, do Irishmen stomp?📚 Author Interview - Tess Woods Tess on rejections, burnout, and clawing her way back to bestseller lists. Plus, the truth about publishing competition and why resilience beats talent every time.🍵 Tea Time Confession Tess Woods spills the tea part two! Another awkward encounter to help you realise you’re not alone mortifying yourself in the publishing industry.Our next Badly Behaved Write-Along is on Tuesday 9th September @ 7:30pm. Come and join us! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com/subscribe
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🍿Prologues: genius or garbage?
This week on Writers Behaving Badly: Lisa smashes through her word count goal and we all feel confident this book is going to get finished, Brooke unleashes the horniest ghost in literary history, and Annie gets lost in falconry research (spoiler: no actual falcon purchased…yet). We debate whether prologues are brilliant or pointless fluff, dive deeper on publishing pay, and hear how bestselling author Tess Woods once mistook a literary legend for a random dinner guest. Plus: Sweet pepper perfume, ball sweat chit-chat, and Brooke’s shocking “Footballer’s Baby” edit nearly gives Lisa a heart attack.What You'll Learn:* Why months of “failed” drafts can be the secret to writing momentum* The brutal truth about publishing advances and why most writers don’t earn a living wage* When to cut your precious prologue (and when to let it stay)Segments Inside:✍️ Sins & WinsLisa blitzes thousands of words, Brooke nails her 5k-a-week rewrite goal (horny ghost included), and Annie coins a new term: “swinning” (sinning + winning).🔥 Roast or ToastThe gang debates whether Annie’s moody prologue is a stroke of genius or just pretty words destined for the bin.📚 Curly QuestionWe tackle the money talk: advances, earning out, and why most Aussie authors can’t quit their day jobs. Lisa breaks down the numbers and the myths.🍵 Tea Time ConfessionBestselling author Tess Woods spills the tea on a time she embarrassed herself at a literary event…Our next Badly Behaved Write-Along is on Tuesday 26th August @ 7:30pm. Come and join us!Got a sin to confess?Tell us your worst writing sin of the week in the comments—did you out-bad us?Catch up on the last episode 👇Did you miss the last episode where Kylie Orr got real on publishing realities (and royalties)? Check it out... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com/subscribe
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✍️Prologues: genius or garbage?
This week on Writers Behaving Badly: Lisa smashes through her word count goal and we all feel confident this book is going to get finished, Brooke unleashes the horniest ghost in literary history, and Annie gets lost in falconry research (spoiler: no actual falcon purchased…yet). We debate whether prologues are brilliant or pointless fluff, dive deeper on publishing pay, and hear how bestselling author Tess Woods once mistook a literary legend for a random dinner guest. Plus: Sweet pepper perfume, ball sweat chit-chat, and Brooke’s shocking “Footballer’s Baby” edit nearly gives Lisa a heart attack.What You'll Learn:Why months of “failed” drafts can be the secret to writing momentumThe brutal truth about publishing advances and why most writers don’t earn a living wageWhen to cut your precious prologue (and when to let it stay)Segments Inside:✍️ Sins & WinsLisa blitzes thousands of words, Brooke nails her 5k-a-week rewrite goal (horny ghost included), and Annie coins a new term: “swinning” (sinning + winning).🔥 Roast or ToastThe gang debates whether Annie’s moody prologue is a stroke of genius or just pretty words destined for the bin.📚 Curly QuestionWe tackle the money talk: advances, earning out, and why most Aussie authors can’t quit their day jobs. Lisa breaks down the numbers and the myths.🍵 Tea Time ConfessionBestselling author Tess Woods spills the tea on a time she embarrassed herself at a literary event…Our next Badly Behaved Write-Along is on Tuesday 26th August @ 7:30pm. Come and join us! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com/subscribe
🎙️ A writing podcast that pulls back the curtain on publishing. Lisa Ireland, Brooke Turnbull, and Annie Bucknall mix craft, chaos, and cocktails 🍷 with live mentoring, industry truths 📖, and writing confessions. New episodes every Saturday—because sometimes, it’s good to be bad. 🔥 writersbehavingbadly.substack.com
Australia