✍️What a Writing Coach’s First Draft Really Looks Like
This week on Writers Behaving Badly: Annie cries into her keyboard and calls it kink, Brooke rewrites her way out of despair, Lisa almost writes (Word is open!), and we all lose our minds over a listener’s first page. Also: AI in publishing—is it the end of craft as we know it?What You'll Learn:How to craft a first page that grips and devastatesThe emotional tools to write through chaosWhy great writing doesn’t need connections—just humanityWhether AI is a shortcut or creative death spiralSegments Inside:✍️ Sins & WinsRewrites, rage, and resilience—plus a reminder that “almost writing” still counts.🔥 Roast or ToastA listener delivers a mangy dog metaphor we won’t shut up about. Submission tip: raw truth + character voice = gold.🙋♀️ Curly QuestionCan you get published without connections? Lisa shares the only “networking” that actually matters.🍵 Tea Time RantGenerative AI in writing: we talk about it. Lisa would rather chew on a teabag than let a robot write her sentences, and honestly, fair.Like the pod? Leave us a review so we can keep reminding you that imposter syndrome ain't worth your time! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com
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🔥What Makes a Killer First Page?
This week on Writers Behaving Badly: Annie cries into her keyboard and calls it kink, Brooke rewrites her way out of despair, Lisa almost writes (Word is open!), and we all lose our minds over a listener’s first page. Also: AI in publishing—is it the end of craft as we know it?What You'll Learn:How to craft a first page that grips and devastatesThe emotional tools to write through chaosWhy great writing doesn’t need connections—just humanityWhether AI is a shortcut or creative death spiralSegments Inside:✍️ Sins & WinsRewrites, rage, and resilience—plus a reminder that “almost writing” still counts.🔥 Roast or ToastA listener delivers a mangy dog metaphor we won’t shut up about. Submission tip: raw truth + character voice = gold.🙋♀️ Curly QuestionCan you get published without connections? Lisa shares the only “networking” that actually matters.🍵 Tea Time RantGenerative AI in writing: we talk about it. Lisa would rather chew on a teabag than let a robot write her sentences, and honestly, fair.Like the pod? Leave us a review so we can keep reminding you that imposter syndrome ain't worth your time! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com
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46:43
The internet is not a safe space
This week, Kelly Rimmer joins the pod to chat imposter syndrome and drops some truth bombs for aspiring writers, Brooke and Annie face off over trigger warnings, Annie reads her words and Lisa recommends a cozy cat game.Got a sin to confess?Tell us your worst writing sin of the week in the comments—did you out-bad us?Leave a commentWhat’s inside this episode?🔥 Sins & Wins – Sinners and winners are all around!✍️ Roast or Toast – Annie reads the latest from her WIP and Lisa gives her a gold star for improvement🙋♀️ Author Interview – Kelly Rimmer shares her thoughts on imposter syndrome, bad writing advice and the one thing all aspiring novelists must do.🍵 Tea Time Rant – Brooke and Annie face off over trigger warnings. And Lisa sits on the fence.🎙️ Want us to roast (or toast) your manuscript? Submit your first page via Substack.🌟 Leave us a five-star review or tell Lisa she’s a saint for mentoring us. Either one fuels our egos.Catch up on the last episode 👇Why is my manuscript being mean to me? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com
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51:40
Why is my manuscript being mean to me?
This week, Lisa fesses up to making her debut (pics below), Brooke wants to know why her manuscript hates her then proceeds to read a breathtaking passage, Lisa answers a curly question and Kylie Orr fesses up!Did we all just…win??? You’ll have to listen to find out. Brooke has a very relatable editing moment but then proceeds to knock it out of the park with her feedback. Lisa explains how to know if you have a story or a situation and Kylie Orr admits to getting busted in a library.It’s chaotic. It’s unhinged. It’s exactly the kind of writing therapy you didn’t know you needed.Got a sin to confess?Tell us your worst writing sin of the week in the comments—did you out-bad us?Leave a commentWhat’s inside this episode?🔥 Sins & Wins – We win! Kinda! So why does it feel like this?✍️ Roast or Toast – Brooke reads the latest from her WIP and Annie needs tissues. 🙋♀️ Curly Question – Lisa explains (so well!) how to tell if what you have is a situation or a story.🍵 Tea Time Rant – Kylie Orr spills the tea on the time she was busted being a little naughty in the library. Authors—have you ever committed this sin? We bet you have!Writers, dreamers, and literary mischief-makers—subscribe for your weekly fix of craft, comedy, and confessions.🎙️ Want us to roast (or toast) your manuscript? Submit your first page via Substack.🌟 Leave us a five-star review or tell Lisa she’s a saint for mentoring us. Either one fuels our egos.Catch up on the last episode 👇"Just Admit You're Bad in Bed..."Thanks for reading Writers Behaving Badly! Subscribe to be notified when a new episode drops. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com
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"Just Admit You're Bad in Bed..."
This week, Lisa gives you a free pass to watch TV, Brooke gets tongue-tied interviewing our guest Ella Ward and has a pre-prepared tea rant that SLAPS.Two of us are in the sin bin, one of us delivers words while the other two hype her up like she’s famous, one of us has her dreams come true by becoming an Ella Ward and Lisa Ireland sandwich and delivers a pre-prepared tea rant that scolds genre snobs.It’s chaotic. It’s unhinged. It’s exactly the kind of writing therapy you didn’t know you needed.Got a sin to confess?Tell us your worst writing sin of the week in the comments—did you out-bad us?Leave a commentWhat’s inside this episode?🔥 Sins & Wins – We win, we lose, we try to correct our errors by teaching you useful writing techniques but two of us are in the sin bin (again!)✍️ Roast or Toast – Annie reads the latest from her WIP and stuns Brooke into a face that resembles buffering internet.🙋♀️ Author Interview – Ella Ward as a good sport when Brooke (again) mentions her shrine and talks about cicada shape-shifting and shares with us a brilliant example of ‘before and after’ the edits! 🍵 Tea Time Rant – The kettle gets hot as we talk about genre snobbery and why smut has a place. Don’t yuck someone’s yum!Writers, dreamers, and literary mischief-makers—subscribe for your weekly fix of craft, comedy, and confessions.🎙️ Want us to roast (or toast) your manuscript? Submit your first page via Substack.🌟 Leave us a five-star review or tell Lisa she’s a saint for mentoring us. Either one fuels our egos. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writersbehavingbadly.substack.com
🎙️ 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
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