So You Want to be a Writer

Updated: 29 Sep 2025 • 683 episodes
www.writerscentre.com.au

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo – author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre. 

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We’ve all been to a pub. They’re places to meet friends, meet lovers, to celebrate, commiserate and even do weekly trivia. But do you REALLY know pubs? This is the question author Philip Howell poses and attempts to answer in his latest book, the aptly named Pub. Philip joins us to discuss the inspiration for this book

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Collaborative writing is fairly rare in the world of publishing – and writing while working alongside each other in a bookshop cafe is even rarer! But that was exactly how friends and workmates Clayton Zane Comber and Conor McCammon went about co-authoring their new junior fiction illustrated adventure, The Marvellous

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Arrrr me hearties! That’s right, landlubbers – this week we walk the plank to delve into the intriguing real history of female pirates as Francesca de Tores discusses her new historical fiction novel, 'Saltblood.' Francesca goes into her meticulous research process, spanning everything from nautical details to the live

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Have you noticed how everything Korean is so hot right now? From Squid Game to KPop Demon Hunters, the world is enamoured. Of course, for bestselling Korean-Kiwi author and AWC graduate Graci Kim, trends had nothing to do with her choice to mix stories from childhood with fantasy in her new novel, Dreamslinger. In this

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What if you could be locked away simply for having disturbing dreams? That’s part of the premise in internationally acclaimed author Laila Lalami’s latest novel, The Dream Hotel. In this episode, Laila discusses the themes that inspired and eventually mirrored her book, along with her background in writing, her daily r

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With more than 35 books under her belt, Australian author Christine Keighery has written across a range of age groups and genres. In this episode, she shares some insights from that time, along with details about writing her latest adult thriller, We’re Not Us Without You – all about modern day cults. 00:00 Welcome 03:

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