winey writers

Abby Guy and Harrison Stewart

two writers, phd students, and friends talking about everything from current reads, romance fiction, life in your early twenties, writing your first novel, and more — featuring occasional guest speakers, including industry professionals, authors, fellow academics and friends. Join our conversations about the books we love and hate, the ups and downs of being an emerging writer, what it’s like to be a phd student in writing, and everything else in between. This podcast embraces the messiness of conversations, and engages in a lot of — as Harry likes to call it — Fuckidiness™. read less

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a time travelling sexaholic in search of the ultimate dinogasm. — Fake Book Titles

a time travelling sexaholic in search of the ultimate dinogasm. — Fake Book Titles

this episode, we play a self-invented game/plotting exercise called 'Fake Book Titles' or 'These Books Do Not Exist' in which we exchange fabricated book titles and must brainstorm a relevant plot, characters, setting, etc. according to the book title alone. Listen in to hear all about a book with a burning sea, a budding romance between a bronco and his pickup rider, boys who fall in love over penne pasta, and more.

Episodes

a time travelling sexaholic in search of the ultimate dinogasm. — Fake Book Titles

a time travelling sexaholic in search of the ultimate dinogasm. — Fake Book Titles

this episode, we play a self-invented game/plotting exercise called 'Fake Book Titles' or 'These Books Do Not Exist' in which we exchange fabricated book titles and must brainstorm a relevant plot, characters, setting, etc. according to the book title alone. Listen in to hear all about a book with a burning sea, a budding romance between a bronco and his pickup rider, boys who fall in love over penne pasta, and more.

the absolute piggiest of stys. — How to Rot Consciously

the absolute piggiest of stys. — How to Rot Consciously

this episode, we discuss the importance of mental health days, regardless of where you sit on the rotting scale — from slightly bruised banana to wholemeal sandwich that has been in the bottom of a child's backpack for a week.

find your person to word spew at. — Writing a Novel

find your person to word spew at. — Writing a Novel

how do you write a novel? we're still trying to work it out, and as we hit new stages of writing our books we take to the pod once again with an update on the processes and tips that are working for us — from music, to location, to writing chronologically, and the value of daydreaming.

have you ever listened to bardcore? — Audiobooks

have you ever listened to bardcore? — Audiobooks

this episode, we discuss audiobooks using our perspective as both readers and writers. What are the benefits of audiobooks verses paperback? What expectations would we have if our work was being narrated? And the long-standing debate: is listening to audiobooks considered reading? more importantly, Harry listens to a snippet from an audiobook that brings him to tears and Abby introduces him to the magic of bardcore.

Abby's just lost a toe! — What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Abby's just lost a toe! — What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Welcome to #2 of the WineyWriters Book Club! This episode we review What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. We describe this novel as a cutesy, coming-of-age, gay romance in New York about two boys who fall in love...for the time being. Join our honest conversation as we discuss the importance of own voice representation in novels, character, plot, and pop culture references that do not age well.

the punks confuse me. — Genres We Don't Write

the punks confuse me. — Genres We Don't Write

as writers, we are happily wedded to the romance and fantasy genres (with no divorce in sight), but this episode we take to the pod to discuss the genres we don't write: historical, sci-fi, crime, and literary.

less of an overwhelming, steaming pile of shit. — Writing First Drafts

less of an overwhelming, steaming pile of shit. — Writing First Drafts

we are in the pits of writing hell, and so this episode we discuss what it's like to be writing our very first novels. We sat down to chat about the consumption of media whilst writing and how this impacts the words on the page -- but this quickly turns into a conversation about first drafts: the blocks we run into, the holes we fall through, and the methods we use to get back on track.

let me buy some new shoes, i'll stand corrected. — Currently Reading

let me buy some new shoes, i'll stand corrected. — Currently Reading

we're a third of the way into 2024 (oh god), and so that calls for another reading wrap-up! this episode, we discuss the books we've read recently, what we're reading right now, and what we hope to read soon. These discussions include but are not limited to the following titles: Seducing My Brother-in-Law by Shae Michaels, the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas, The Red Palace by June Hur, The Last Sun by K. D. Edwards, and works of fanfiction.

unfortunately, Virginia Woolf is dead. — The Romance Novel

unfortunately, Virginia Woolf is dead. — The Romance Novel

this episode, we talk all things romance and romance novels. This includes conversations about twenty-first century dating culture, love languages, our favourite and least favourite romance tropes, and the romance novels that cause us to giggle and kick our feet.

a metaphor for the roasting and murdering of coffee beans. — Book Pet Peeves

a metaphor for the roasting and murdering of coffee beans. — Book Pet Peeves

this episode we discuss our bookish pet peeves and the things that send a book straight to our DNF pile. From bad covers, to terrible tropes, to boring POVs — and characters releasing a breath they didn't know they were holding — we, as usual, have plenty to whine about.

supernatural in the sense of dragons and goats — Fantasy Fiction

supernatural in the sense of dragons and goats — Fantasy Fiction

this episode we chat (...tangent) about our absolute favourite genre – fantasy. We discuss definitions of the genre, what we love and loath when reading a fantasy novel, and share some of the novels we read as kids that turned us into fantasy fanatics.

no pickles being tickled here. — 1 Star Book Reviews

no pickles being tickled here. — 1 Star Book Reviews

this episode, we read 1 star reviews of some of our favourite novels and discuss whether we agree or disagree with the review. Should The Fellowship of the Ring be called The Fellowship of the CockGobblers instead? Did The Song of Achilles really put Harry in a reading slump? And why does Abby have beef with Watership Down?

sorry, you don't have a dick — Toxic Masculinity and the Romance Novel

sorry, you don't have a dick — Toxic Masculinity and the Romance Novel

this episode, we put on our postgrad caps to discuss 'toxic' masculinity in the romance novel and how we feel about the depictions of men in popular romance. We talk about how romance novels are impacted by our current cultural context (such as an alpha male epidemic), masculinity in queer romance, and changes we'd like to see as we read masculinity in future romance novels.

alright bitches, here's the knot — Bride by Ali Hazelwood

alright bitches, here's the knot — Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Welcome to WineyWriters first book club! This episode we review Ali Hazelwood's first step into new territory with her paranormal romance, Bride. Abby never thought she'd get Harry to read a novel with a marketing tactic built entirely on knotting, yet here we are. Join our honest conversation about Hazelwood's latest release as we discuss world building, character, and plot, and go into unnecessary detail about the spice between Vampyres and Weres.

put on your cap and goggles and be prepared to swim. — Michael Hauge's Plot Structure

put on your cap and goggles and be prepared to swim. — Michael Hauge's Plot Structure

join us this episode as we put Michael Hauge's six stage plot structure to the test and create a romance novel full of mistaken identities, wannabe pilots, men who would definitely play Wonderwall to you on their guitar, and a pretty average ceramic artist. Is Michael Hauge's six plot structure a useful tool when writing a novel, or should you skip it altogether?

we're not butter churning, we're sitting on TikTok. — Dealing with Distractions

we're not butter churning, we're sitting on TikTok. — Dealing with Distractions

this episode we chat about the distractions we face while trying to write, including food, music, social media, rabbit holes on the internet, and cats. We were hoping to discuss how we deal with these distractions and the methods we use to keep ourselves on task (which we do, for the most part) but instead we get, well, incredibly distracted.

have I missed my chance at success? — The Value of Youth

have I missed my chance at success? — The Value of Youth

this episode we discuss an article written by R. F. Kuang for Time called 'Olivia Rodrigo and the Impossible Pressure to Stay a Prodigy'. There is a price and marketability attached to youth, whether that is in beauty, relationships, or careers, and even at 23 we wonder if we've moved past the peak in our lives without even realising. In this episode we address our anxieties about youth, success, and personal growth.

if you know me professionally, no you don't. — Catch Up Episode

if you know me professionally, no you don't. — Catch Up Episode

this episode, we return to recording after a short break and discuss what we've been up to in that time...namely reading books and drinking far too much wine.

you're on OUR pod, bitch. — with Minty Hydrangea

you're on OUR pod, bitch. — with Minty Hydrangea

this episode we are joined by local South Australian drag queen, Minty Hydrangea. While educating us on drag culture, performing, and how long it takes to look that good, we discuss life in the Arts, what it's like to jump off stages, how to fix windscreen wipers, and how tall Harry really is.

well then, study up Harry -- 10 Ways to Beat Writer's Block

well then, study up Harry -- 10 Ways to Beat Writer's Block

this episode, we address the fact that Harry doesn't believe in writer's block by consulting a Penguin Random House article called '10 Ways to Beat Writer's Block'. We judge the methods that are outlined in this article, and discuss whether we think they are useful solutions when we just can't get words on the page.