How much research is too much when writing historical fiction? This is just one of the topics that bestselling author Emilia Hart discusses in this episode as she shares details of her latest novel, The Sirens – a blend of nautical history and fantasy across two stories separated by time and distance.

00:00 Welcome
04:23 Writing tip: ‘The Most Dangerous Writing App’
07:25 WIN!: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
08:51 Word of the week: ‘Luthier’
11:01 Writer in residence: Emilia Hart
12:48 Inspirations for the books two timelines
19:45 Writing about Australia during the pandemic
20:24 Exploring the themes of distance and journey
22:17 Researching convict history
25:00 Note taking methods
25:59 The importance of her day job in her writing  
28:11 Deleting 300,000 words
30:00 There’s no such thing as a perfect draft
30:32 Learning to sail for the book
31:20 The book deal and publishing process
32:50 Balancing writing with public engagement
35:10 Emilia’s writing tips
37:29 Final thoughts

Read the show notes

Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

How much research is too much when writing historical fiction? This is just one of the topics that bestselling author Emilia Hart discusses in this episode as she shares details of her latest novel, The Sirens &ndash; a blend of nautical history and fantasy across two stories separated by time and distance.
00:00 Welcome 04:23 Writing tip: &lsquo;The Most Dangerous Writing App&rsquo; 07:25 WIN!: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs 08:51 Word of the week: &lsquo;Luthier&rsquo; 11:01 Writer in residence: Emilia Hart 12:48 Inspirations for the books two timelines 19:45 Writing about Australia during the pandemic 20:24 Exploring the themes of distance and journey 22:17 Researching convict history 25:00 Note taking methods 25:59 The importance of her day job in her writing&nbsp; 28:11 Deleting 300,000 words 30:00 There&rsquo;s no such thing as a perfect draft 30:32 Learning to sail for the book 31:20 The book deal and publishing process 32:50 Balancing writing with public engagement 35:10 Emilia&rsquo;s writing tips 37:29 Final thoughts
<a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/ep-671/">Read the show notes</a>
Connect with Valerie and listeners in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2346749828883788/">the podcast community on Facebook</a> Visit <a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/">WritersCentre.com.au</a> |&nbsp;<a href="http://valeriekhoo.com/">ValerieKhoo.com</a>

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. 

Everything you&rsquo;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 &ndash;&nbsp;author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers&rsquo; Centre.&nbsp;