The First Draft Club

In this first episode of Season 6, Mary shares what she's been working on during this long break between seasons and why she set aside her latest novel, never to return to it.

Trigger warning: Pregnancy loss is mentioned.

After a long break, Mary is back for season 6 with more writing tips and some fun new episodes!

Mary applied for MFA programs 3 times and was accepted twice, but never went. In this episode, she shares her story, as well as what she sees as the pros and cons of an MFA in Creative Writing.

Check out the video of this episode on the YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/c4VV9HX-jdQ

Literary agents: no one really knows the secret to getting one or everything they do for you once you have one. Here, Mary shares the 3 things she didn't know about getting a literary agent and working with one (until she did).

Check out the video of this episode on the YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/Snvvn5As2M4

There's plenty for writers to worry about without worrying about the things we DON'T need to be concerned by. In this episode, Mary discusses the three fears writers often have that they don't need to have.

Check out more on the YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNkf-ON2jDRU1IdB2sb03Jw/featured

Getting a literary agent was, for Mary, the hardest part of becoming a published author. Here, she breaks down the process into actionable steps.

Check out the video of this episode on the YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/tt871Fqw8_s

Publishing your first book mostly feels amazing, but there are a few surprises you may not expect. In this episode, Mary shares 5 of those surprises.

Check out the video of this episode on the YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/45eLaVuDC7g

Writing a book—and not just any book, but a good book—doesn't have to take over your life or take forever. You can write a solid draft in 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, over just a few months. Here's how.

Check out the video of this episode on the YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/rS6lgWjMXhs

You've started writing...but at 10 or 40 pages in, how do you decide what happens NEXT in your story? In this episode, Mary shares 4 favorite strategies.

Check out the video of this episode on the YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/lzr2tPx-zSE

Here it is—Mary's entire process for writing a publishable novel, broken down into 7 steps. You won't want to miss this one.

Check out the video of this episode on the YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDIhmteyHSU&ab_channel=MaryAdkins