Today, we’ll be gathering around our metaphorical fireplace for a fireside chat– an honest conversation about our own writing practices that we hope you’ll find helpful for your writing life as well. In this episode, we’ll be talking about our writing lives lately– what’s going well, what’s not, and what we’re learning along the way.

Picks of the Week:

BJ: The Best Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov by Isaac Asimov

H: The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb

Mentioned in the Episode:

Sarah Ruhl Quote on Life Intruding on Writing

We’ll be talking about the unique challenges of publishing a debut novel. Breaking into the literary world should be exciting and celebratory, and it definitely is! Still, there are a few considerations that debut authors should be aware of as they begin their publishing journeys, so we’re going to cover them here today!

Picks of the Week:

BJ: Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

H: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Mentioned in the Episode:

Bonnie Garmus Interview

Bonnie Garmus and Felicity Blunt Interview

S5E9 What’s a Commercial Hook and How do I write one?

S6E2 Pacing the First Five Pages

Brandon Sanderson’s BYU Writing Course

Today's episode is all about finding inspiration and support for your writing in places you might not expect. We’re diving into the world of local bookstores and Bookshop.org!

Picks of the Week:

BJ: The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

H: The Snowbirds by Christine Clancy

Mentioned in the Episode:

New York City Mystery Bookstore: The Mysterious Bookshop

Welcome to a tool deep dive episode, where we highlight the features and the challenges of a tool we think you’ll find helpful as a writer. Today, we’re going to give you a rundown of what note taking tools we’ve actually found helpful as writers, and hopefully give you some ideas about what tools might work well for you too!

Picks of the Week:

• BJ: Feng Shui Modern by Cliff Tan

• H: Middlemarch by George Eliot

Mentioned in the Episode:

• S1E4: Zettelkasten Notetaking Systems

• S1E9: Zotero

• S2E5: Notebooks

• S4Mini17: What’s in My Bag Writing Edition

• Gretchen Rubin: “Beautiful Tools Make Work a Joy!”

• Cal Newport: Single Subject Notebooks

Today, we’ll be talking about deciding not to withhold a big reveal. Whether you're writing a novel, a screenplay, or even a short story, knowing when and how to reveal critical information to your audience can make or break your narrative. We'll be discussing the impact of timing, the balance between suspense and satisfaction, and how to make those big reveals resonate with your readers.

Picks of the Week:

BJ: My recommendation this week is a book of comics, not to be confused with traditional comic books. It’s called Hi, Just a Quick Question: Queries, Advice, and Figuring It All Out by Beth Evans

H: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

Mentioned in the Episode:

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

Today we’ll be gathering around our metaphorical fireplace for a fireside chat– an honest conversation about how we’re applying a craft topic or tool to our own writing practices, and how you might incorporate this topic or tool into your writing life as well. And the tool we’ll be talking about today is…scheduling and protecting your writing time.

Picks of the Week:

• BJ: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

• H: Textbook by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Gretchen Rubin Quote: “Don’t Let the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good”

• James Clear Quote: “It Only Takes Five Minutes”

• Cal Newport Video on Time Block Planning

• S4E8: How Can Body Doubling Improve My Writing Practice?
  

Welcome to a tool deep dive episode, where we highlight the features and the challenges of a tool we think you’ll find helpful as a writer. And the tool we’ll be talking about today is writing goals! Specifically, we’ll cover when they hurt and when they help.

Picks of the Week:

• H: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

• BJ: The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld

Mentioned in the Episode:

• SMART goals

We'll be talking about pacing the first five pages of your novel. For many writers, including us here at Writing with Friends, getting the first five pages of your novel writing can feel so daunting. After all, if you are seeking to traditionally publish your manuscript, making those five pages the best they can be is essential to piquing the interest of a potential agent, publishing house, and reader. That’s a lot of pressure! So let’s jump right and and think together about how to get the pacing of the beginning of your story just right.

Picks of the Week:

• H: Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

• BJ: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Opening Sequence of Indiana Jones and the Raider of the Lost Ark

• Writers Helping Writers Blogpost: "How to Nail the First Three Pages" by Lisa Cron

• Lisa Cron's Creative Live Course on How to Nail Your First Three Pages