5 Writers 5 Minutes
Five best-selling kids' authors in a five-minute masterclass. Every week, Deborah Abela, Tristan Bancks, Sarah Armstrong, Lian Tanner and Zanni Louise share their writing and editing secrets, reveal how their books developed and give tips on how to write your own story. Find this as a podcast or on YouTube by searching 5 Writers 5 Minutes.
Episodes
55 episodes
2.35 How do you know when your story is finished?
How do you know when the story you've been working on for ages is actually done? You'd think it would be easy to know but that's not always the case. Sometimes, you want to keep writing because the ending still doesn't feel satisfying... or may...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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12:05
2.34 How to Create a Good Mindset for Writing
Staying connected to your creativity isn't always an easy thing. Besides just sitting down and actually WRITING (which sounds so easy... but is soooo not), we need to make sure we're prioritising practices that help the flow of inspiration. In ...
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Season 2
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Episode 34
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11:24
2.33 How Every Story Is Different
Sometimes, writing the second book is harder than the first! You think you've cracked the story-writing code and every book after your debut will be easy peasy... only to find yourself stuck in the mud! The team share some encouragement to help...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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11:43
2.32 How does Scriptwriting Inform Our Writing Process?
Happy Tuesday, friends!Today we have Maryam Master with us to chat about how scriptwriting has shaped our writing. Whether it's through dialogue, writing action, or the three act structure, scriptwriting can be a useful technique to kee...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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10:20
2.31 Making BIG Changes To Your Story
It's never fun when you receive feedback from agents and/or editors advising you to do big rewrites on your story. But you know what? After giving yourself the space to sulk, you almost always find that these rewrites make your story stronger. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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11:27
2.30 Writing Cliffhangers and Closing Lines
Can you think of a cliffhanger from a story that got you so excited you had to keep reading? In this episode, the team chat about how they tackle cliffhangers in their own books, and what feelings they want to evoke when writing their closing l...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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10:47
2.29 Writing Humour
We all love reading funny books, right? But how do you write humour? It can be tricky but the one thing to always remember is if you make yourself laugh, there's a good chance others will laugh along with you! Thanks to
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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11:22
2.28 Accepting Criticism
It's never a great feeling to be told your story isn't working or that your writing needs work. But we're here to remind you that feedback is important to make your story the best it can possibly be! So don't worry—even established writers get ...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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11:40
2.27 Creating Baddies Readers Love to Hate
The hero of every story needs a baddie. They can come in the form of a nemesis or sometimes, the hero's own struggle is the baddie of the book! But how do you write a good baddie? Thanks so much to Nathan Luff for hanging out with ...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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9:58
2.26 How To Keep Going When You Lose Confidence
"My story isn't good enough.""I am a terrible writer.""No one will like my book." Every writer has had these thoughts swirling through their minds. And it's ok. We're all human, right? In this episode, the team cha...
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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8:53
2.25 Showing Characters' Emotions
How do you convey emotion in your story? What does your character do with their hands when they are sad? Where do they feel fear in their body? And how can you write these emotions in a way that isn't cliché? Thanks so much to Nath...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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9:11
2.24 Opening Lines
Hey friends!I It's so good to be back. 😊 Today we have Nathan Luff joining us as we discuss the opening lines of our books. Finding the perfect words at the VERY start of your story can be daunting so we hope this episode helps....
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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7:47
2.23 Plotter or Pantser?
Hey folks! Welcome back to 5 Writers 5 Minutes. Tristan Bancks is busy at the moment so Sue Whiting has been kind enough to sit in for a few episodes. Thanks Sue! This week, the team chat about ...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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8:20
2.22 Adverbs and Adjectives: Friend or Enemy?
Welcome back to 5 Writers 5 Minutes! In this episode, the team chat about adverbs and adjectives, which can sound good... but say very little, while not moving your story forward! It's all about making all your words work really h...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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9:26
2.21 Making Magic Real
Writing stories filled with magic is fun.... but definitely not as easy as people think! There are lots of rules to creating a world with magic and these rules can't be broken or else the magic doesn't feel real. And if there are no limitations...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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10:29
2.20 Avoiding The Dreaded Info Dump
Have you heard of the saying, "Show—don't tell?"In this episode, the writers talk about info-dumps—boring blocks of text with backstory or other information writers think their readers need to know. But the question is, do ...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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7:50
2.19 Every Writer is Different
Hey pals, welcome back. It's so easy to compare yourself to others, isn't it? In this episode, Zanni, Lian, Sarah, and Deb talk about how they make sure they stay focused on their own unique voice!
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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8:12
2.18 Deep Dive Into Magic Awry by Sarah Armstrong
Hello friends! As you can see, Tristan is still not back so we are still 4 writers. Come back soon, Tristan!This week Sarah answers some questions about Magic Awry, the second book in her amazing Big Magic duology.Do you ha...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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8:54
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2.17 Convincing Character: Dialogue
Hey hey, friends! This week, Tristan couldn't make it but he says hello to you all and he'll be back for the next round!In this episode, we discuss how to write dialogue that feels real while propelling the story forward. Can y...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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9:14
2.16 Brainstorming A Story
Happy Tuesday, pals! Thanks so much for hanging out with us today. In this episode, the team brainstorm the beginning of a mystery involving a missing parent, a rollerskating rink, and corruption! Oooooooh! If you're inspi...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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8:25
2.15 The Unconscious Mind
Hello friends, and welcome back to 5 Writers 5 Minutes. This week, the team chats about connecting and trusting the unconscious mind— the part of you that uses intuition to create a story. How do you connect to your uncons...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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8:49
2.14 Your Typical Writing Day
Welcome back to 5 Writers 5 Minutes, friends! This week, the team chat about their typical writing day and are surprised to find out how similar their daily practices are! Any night-time writers out there? We'd love to...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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8:12
2.13 Deep Dive: Cora Seen and Heard by Zanni Louise
Welcome back friends! This week we get Zanni in the hot seat and as her lots of questions about her wonderful new book, Cora Seen and Heard. Have you read it yet? Let us know your thoughts!
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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6:13
2.12 Writing Personal Stories
Today, the team chat about how important it is for them to put themselves—even in the smallest of ways—into their stories.It may not be as obvious as a character that looks like you, but it could be writing a character that believes in the ...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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8:40
2.11 Deep Dive: The Kindness Project by Deborah Abela
Welcome back! In this episode, we ask Deb Abela some burning questions about her latest book, The Kindness Project. Have you read it? What did you think? Feel free to ask your burning questions of your own over on our
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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7:05
