S2E15: Author Sophie Stern on debut novels, pantsing it and making time for writing when life says otherwise

Season 2: The Home SeasonThe second season of Creative Momentum with Meg, The Home Season, features interviews with Australian writers and artists where I explore how and why people do their creative work.Episode 15: Sophie Stern, AuthorSophie Stern is a Sydney-based author whose debut novel What Is Left For Us (Penguin Random House, March 2026) centres on two estranged sisters forced to reunite when they jointly inherit their grandmother’s clifftop house in Bondi. Her manuscript was shortlisted for the Penguin Literary Prize in 2024 and subsequently published this year. Sophie has spent the years since writing while working four days a week in a corporate job and raising a young son. This is a conversation about how to get a novel written when life only gives you one day a week, and what happens when you try to do it differently the second time around.In this episode, we cover:How Sophie built her writing life around one sacred Friday a weekThe difference between pantsing her first novel and plotting her secondHow she uses spreadsheets to plan backwards and leave a trail of breadcrumbsWhy she stopped feeling like her corporate job and her creative life were in conflictWhere her inspiration comes fromHow growing up in a musical family shaped her relationship with structure, rhythm and creative playlistsWhether you are trying to finish a first novel around a full-time job and a small child, wondering whether pantsing or plotting is your thing or just looking for the permission slip to write the way that actually works for you, this episode is full of it. Sophie is thoughtful, funny and completely honest about the messiness of the process, and she makes writing feel possible.Connect with SophieInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/sophie.e.stern/Substack: Creative PracticeWebsite: http://sophiestern.com.auBook: What is Left For Us https://www.penguin.com.au/books/what-is-left-for-us-9781761354441Find all Creative Momentum with Meg show notes and interviews: https://megdunley.substack.com/s/creative-momentum-with-meg-dunleyA special thanks to Yvonne Morton for the music accompanying this episode. You can find Yvonne on Bandcamp (https://yvonnemorton.bandcamp.com/) and Instagram.(https://www.instagram.com/yvonne.morton/)Get full access to Musings with Meg at megdunley.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Musings with Meg at megdunley.substack.com/subscribe