The Girl and Duck Podcast

Many years ago, I decided to start a magazine. I mean, how hard can it be? I jumped in deep and really gave it my all. And I learned so much. All of it was transferable and all of it fed me as a writer and as a businesswoman. Today, come on a journey with me into the past and I’ll share with you the deep lessons I learned from the Alice Magazine and how they can help you too! Li

Often, we get so hung up on the hero of our story we forget we are creating an entire world. Secondary characters are crucial to this world. In many cases our secondary characters not only people the story, they carry the story. They deserve as much attention as our protagonist so here’s a few ideas on how you might flesh out your cast and add variety, depth and surprises to your

Writing a novel is a messy process. Everyone will tell you that. But how messy? What’s it really like behind-the-scenes with a book that is slowly taking shape? This is a messy episode of the podcast. I flopped down on the couch after a long day of writing and just blurted out what was in my head. Go forth if you dare. Make sense of it… Resources mentioned: Five Ways to Write

‘Hey buddy. Wanna buy a watch?’ Our inner critic can be feral while we’re in the act of creating. But marketing? OMG. That’s next level ugly. In this episode I talk about marketing for creatives. How marketing triggers our inner critic and makes us feel like a crim in a trench coat. I discuss my own challenges with marketing and how I learned to be at ease with it. The mom

This wonderful conversation with two authors at the top of their game is a delight. Prepare for an insight into process, friendship and fun from Emily and Nova. Proudly presented by girlandduck.com Links: https://emilygalebooks.com/ https://www.novaweetman.com.au/ https://jenstorer.com/ girlandduck courses and info: https://girlandduck.com/ Books mentioned: https://www.textp

Pitching Pep Talk Pitching, submitting, throwing your hat in the ring? You are AMAZING! As creatives it’s super important that we keep recognising and acknowledging our courage. KidLitVic is well underway and it’s got me thinking about vulnerability and how much of our identity can be caught up in our creativity and our creative pursuits. Let’s support each other (there are

Being a fictional character is risky business. Or it should be. Are your characters in enough danger, under enough pressure or stress, threatened in some way? This can be tricky for children’s authors. The impulse is to protect our characters, keep them safe and, gawd forbid, sensible… But that’s the death knell to drama and storytelling. Happily ever after needs to be earned

Today I’m chatting about creativity boundaries. At some point it helps to rein in your interests and focus. Drill down, as Elizabeth Gilbert would say. This year, 2024, is my Year of Acrylics. First boundary done and dusted, thank you very much. Next boundary. I’ve taken it even further and, as we speak, I am painting 100 coffee cups. Yes, indeedy. This goal, this boundary, has

In this gorgeous conversation, our first for 2024, Jen and Neridah discuss Neridah's childhood, careers and her path to becoming a much loved author of children's books. About Neridah Neridah loves history and true stories. An author of eight books for children, Neridah is also an award winning short story writer and poet. Her latest picture book, published by Walker Books

Do you do Morning Pages? Do I do Morning Pages? Sometimes. I used to do them religiously. Like, for years… In this ep I chat about my history with ‘the pages’, the impact they’ve had on my creativity and my life and how the pages can help you, too. Books mentioned: The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron Steal Like An Artist, by Austin Kleon ► About Jen & Girl and D