Episodes
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It’s time for an ASK ME ANYTHING! We’ll be chatting with Hillary, getting a little more personal about her own writing practice, and learning more about what she’s been thinking about and working on these days.
Picks of the Week:
H: “Of All Things” by Isabel Gallymore
BJ: On Having No Head by Douglas E. Harding
Mentioned in the Episode:
Jessica Brody (Save the Cat! Writes a Novel)
Lisa Cron (Story Genius and Wired for Story)
Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic)
Hillary Mantel (A Memoir of My Former Self: My Life in Writing and the Wolf Hall series)
Harlen Coben (thriller writer, series on BBC Maestro)
Cal Newport (Slow Productivity)
The TV show Travel Man with Richard Ayoade
If you have any other questions for either of us, let us know by writing to us at [email protected]. We’ll have some more Ask Me Anything episodes in future seasons of Writing with Friends!
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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 movie trailers!
Picks of the Week:
BJ: Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity by Sam Harris
H:Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
Mentioned in the Episode:
WWF Season 2 Episode 4: Three-Act Structure
Email us your pick of the week at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you.
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Missing episodes?
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We’ll be talking about editing your own work. Okay, so you’ve written a first draft of your novel and you know things need to change. But how? And what? Our editing tips today can help!
Picks of the Week:
H: Happy Place by Emily Henry
BJ: “Twelfth Night: Or What You Will” by William Shakespeare
Mentioned in the Episode:
Order—Method: Trollope Learns to Write by Susan L. Humphreys
Mythbusters Video about polishing a turd
Season 4 MINI2: Why should I let my manuscript rest?
If you try out these editing tips, let us know which one was your favorite by writing to us at [email protected].
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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. The tool we’ll be talking about today is our favorite piece of writing software, Scrivener. We’ll focus on the pros and cons of the software.
Picks of the Week:
H: Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
BJ: Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarity
Mentioned in the Episode:
Organizing your manuscript in Scrivener’s Binder System
Scrivener’s Corkboard Feature
Scrivener’s Composition Mode
Adding notes in Scrivener
Organizing research in Scrivener
Split-screen mode in Scrivener
If you try out one of the options from this strategy menu in your own writing practice or if you have your own suggestions about how to best use Scrivener, let us know by writing to us at [email protected]!
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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 body doubling! Do you find it hard to stay on task and focus when you’ve sat down for a writing session? Body doubling can help!
Picks of the Week:
H: Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
BJ: Existence by David Brin
Mentioned in the Episode:
“What is body doubling for ADHD?” in Medical News Today
London Writers’ Hour
Study with Merve
Study with Celine
If you try out body doubling, let us know how you liked it by writing to us at [email protected].
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We’ll be talking about why subplots are the secret ingredients to add depth and complexity to any story.
Picks of the Week:
H: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
BJ: A Descent into the Maelström by Edgar Allen Poe
Mentioned in the Episode:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
If you’ve been developing subplots in your writing project, let us know all about them by writing to us at [email protected].
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It’s time for an Ask Me Anything! We’ll be chatting with BJ and getting a little more personal about his own writing practice and what BJ’s thinking about and working on these days!
Picks of the Week:
H: The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
BJ: Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling
Mentioned in the Episode:
Mage Knight: The Board Game
The Mad Titan’s Shadow expansion for Marvel Champions
Unreliable Wizard Board Game
If you have any other questions for BJ, let us know by writing to us at [email protected]. And we’ll also do an Ask Me Anything episode for Hillary later this season, so send your questions our way for that one too!
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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 scene cards. Do you ever sit down to write a scene and feel a bit at a loss of how to structure a scene? What should a scene actually include? What makes a scene work or not work? Scene cards can help!
Picks of the Week:
H: Crying in Hmart by Michelle Zauner
BJ: Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola
Mentioned in the Episode:
Story Genius by Lisa Cron (Lisa Cron is the creator of this tool!)
Blog post on Scene Cards from Life Gone Write by Jessica Grace Kelley
If you try out scene cards, let us know how you liked this tool by writing to us at [email protected].
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We’ll be talking about why you should use your good ideas now instead of saving them for later. We propose in this episode that good ideas are not a finite resource and there may never be a perfect time to explore them.
Picks of the Week:
BJ: The Maze Runner Files by James Dashner
H: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
If you use your good ideas now instead of saving them for later, let us know about your favorite example by writing to us at [email protected]!
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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. The tool we’ll be talking about today is the revision spreadsheet!
Picks of the Week:
H: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
BJ: Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki
Mentioned in the Episode:
Revision Spreadsheet Template
S1E10 Tool Deep Dive: The Revision Spreadsheet
S2E13 Navigating the Midpoint Beat
S3E5 The Stasis=Death Beat
If you try out one of the options from this strategy menu in your own writing practice, or if you have your own suggestions about what to include on a revision spreadsheet, let us know by writing to us at [email protected]!
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Show Notes:
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 Goodreads!
Picks of the Week:
H: Acedia & Me by Kathleen Norris
BJ: Golden Son by Pierce Brown
Mentioned in the Episode:
The Goodreads Author Program
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Ever find yourself in the middle of one writing project and itching to start another, then second guessing if that’s even a good idea? We’re tackling the pros and cons of this dilemma to help you figure out what the right strategy is for your writing life!
Picks of the Week
H: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
BJ: The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
Mentioned in the Episode:
Brandon Sanderson on his workflow
Anthony Trollope writing routine
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We're kicking off Season 4 with some mini-episodes. We'll keep things casual and spend a few minutes chatting about a writing topic that's been on my mind lately. Hopefully I'll leave you with some helpful takeaways for your own writing journey.
On this episode, we'll tackle why and when you should let your manuscript rest, and what you can do in the meantime!
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We're kicking off Season 4 with some mini-episodes. We'll keep things casual and spend 3-5 minutes chatting about a writing topic that's been on my mind lately and hopefully I'll leave you with some helpful takeaways for your own writing journey.
On this episode, we'll tackle two questions: Why rewrite? And how much rewriting is too much?
Mentioned in the episode: Michaela Coel's profile by E. Alex Jung in Vulture
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We're diving into the thrilling world of NaNoWriMo. But first, congratulations to everyone who completed NaNoWriMo for November 2023! That’s an amazing accomplishment and we want to go over ideas of what to do post NaNoWriMo.
P.S. This is our final episode of Season 3. We look forward to being back in your podcast feeds in 2024. Happy New Year!
Picks of the Week:
BJ: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
H: The Likeness by Tana French
Mentioned in the Episode:
NaNoWriMo Forums
NaNoWriMo The "Now What?" Months
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We'll be talking about writing routines! For many of us, the hardest part of writing is actually sitting down to write! So how can we ease the path into a fruitful and satisfying writing session? Routines can help!
Picks of the Week:
BJ: The Forgetting Moon by Brian Lee Durfee
H: I Love School by Philemon Sturges
Mentioned in the Episode:
NaNoWriMo
Wired for Story by Lisa Cron (scene matrix technique) -
Show Notes:
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 focus timers– a way to easily silence those distractions to give yourself quiet time to focus on your writing!
Picks of the Week:
BJ: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
H: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Mentioned in the Episode:
Microsoft Focus Timer
iPhone/Mac Focus Mode
MacOS Clock App
Flora Timer App
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We’ll be talking about writing secondary characters, including some fundamentals of fiction writing to help with character planning and development.
Picks of the Week:
BJ: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
H: Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz
Mentioned in the Episode:
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
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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. The tool we’ll be talking about is incorporating music into your writing practice! Having trouble getting into flow during your writing sessions? Or maybe you're really struggling to nail down your character's emotional arc over the course of your novel. In either case, using music in your writing practice can help!
Picks of the Week:
BJ: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
H: Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
Mentioned in the Episode:
Iconic Soundtracks playlist on Spotify
Favorite composers: Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Rachel Portman, Thomas Newman
Favorite albums: Interstellar, Inception, 1917, A Little Chaos
Favorite Songs: Earth by Hans Zimmer, Tennessee by Hans Zimmer, Come Back to Us by Thomas Newman
Angsty Playlist Example: Maybe Break My Heart Again by FINNEAS and I Remember Everything by Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves -
We’ll be talking about the “point of no return” at the beginning of your novel, also known as the “stasis=death” moment. Are you unsure of how to frame the stakes at the beginning of your novel? Do you have a sense of where you want your story to go, but you're not quite sure how to jumpstart your protagonist's motivation to get there? The framework of the stasis = death moment can help!
Picks of the Week:
BJ:The Maze Cutter by James Dashner
H: If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Mentioned in the Episode:
Season 2 Episode 13: The Midpoint Beat
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling - Show more