Welcome to Season Two of Daggers & Daydreams — in this episode, we’re going back to the beginning and talking about what it really looked like for us when we started writing.

We know how overwhelming it can feel when you’re trying to write a book for the first time. Plot, character, word count, structure—there’s a lot to juggle, and it’s easy to feel stuck before you’ve even begun. We’re sharing how we approached those early stages, how we shaped our first projects, and the tools we leaned on to keep going.

We also talk about some of the bigger questions that come up: How do you balance what you want to write with what sells? Would we ever change something in a book to make it more marketable? And how has our process shifted as we’ve gained more experience?

This episode is all about our honest, behind-the-scenes experience. We hope it helps you feel less alone and more confident as you take those first steps.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to Season Two

01:18 – Where we started as writers

03:51 – Deciding on structure and length

09.47 – How we approach new projects

14:20 – The tools that help us keep writing

18:54 – What holds us back—and how we move forward

20:57 – Balancing creativity and market expectations

24:38 – How our process has evolved

26:00 – Early writing advice we wish we’d had

27:12 – Outro: Final thoughts and next episode preview

Keywords: beginner writing, writing advice, debut authors, how to start writing a book, writing motivation, creative process, women writers

Have a question you want us to answer in our Q&A episode? Send us a DM on Instagram—we’d love to hear from you @shwriterstudio

Sophie and Helen have talked about their writing processes, their books, publishing and so much more but today they're going to delve into more unorthodox questions.

Some you’ve probably never considered, but would love to know the answer too, like what’s in their internet search history, scenes they've deleted, or describing their writing like a cooking show.

In this episode Sophie and Helen are going to be diving into the publishing journey. Whether you’re a reader who likes to take a peek under the hood to find out how things work or a writer considering your next step, there’ll be something for everyone.

They’ll be sharing their experiences of navigating the different elements that take a story from a manuscript to a printed book as well as exploring the worlds of indie and traditional publishing.

This episode is for our book lovers. We’re going to traipes back through history and have a look at the books we loved, ones that inspired us and what we’re reading now.

After characters, Sophie and Helen dive into what makes a plot, how to raise the stakes and how to create tension.

DISCLAIMER: They talk in detail about examples and spoilers are in this episode from the following books: Divergent, The Hunger Games and Fourth Wing, as well as Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

What makes us love one character yet hate another? In this episode, Sophie and Helen explore their favourite characters and share some of their tips for making your own characters stand out from the crowd.

Romanticising the writer's life is one thing, but what does it actually look like? Sophie and Helen answer this and so much more in this episode.

Knowing your genre is key to the writing process. Sophie and Helen discuss what a genre is, how to figure out what genre you write in and why it's important.