Writing with Friends

By Hillary Barnes Martinez and BJ Williams

We’re BJ and Hillary— college friends turned writing pals. This podcast is our quest for the best writing tips and tools for our own projects, and yours too! Let’s get started.... more

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FAQs about Writing with Friends:

How many episodes does Writing with Friends have?

The podcast currently has 86 episodes available.

Writing with Friends episodes:

September 23, 2024 How Grammarly Can Help (and Hurt) Your Writing
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 Grammarly. Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and even some style suggestions. It’s like having a personal editor at your fingertips! But there are some downsides to using Grammarly, too. We’ll discuss both the pros and cons of this tool for writers on today’s episode.
Picks of the Week:
H: The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
BJ: Jumper by Steven Gould
Mentioned in the Episode:
Grammarly
...more
9min
September 16, 2024Interview with Essayist and Medical Anthropologist Dr. Alexandra Middleton
Show Notes
Today, we’ll be talking to writer Dr. Alexandra Middleton. She’s an Assistant Professor of medical anthropology at the University of Copenhagen, creative nonfiction writer and essayist, runner, swimmer, and more! Tune in to hear about her career as well as her advice for aspiring writers.
Mentioned in the Episode:
Alexandra’s Work
https://www.liminalliety.com/ (Alexandra's Website)

https://therumpus.net/2023/04/11/terra-incognita/
Other Works Mentioned
https://1000wordsofsummer.substack.com/about

https://www.oprah.com/spirit/writing-every-day-writers-rules-aimee-bender/all

https://www.accountabilityworkshops.com/

https://pod.link/1623390096

https://lidiayuknavitch.net/

https://www.melissafebos.com/

http://www.jordankisner.com/thresholds

http://link.chtbl.com/tcahp
Craft Books
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Steering the Craft by Ursula K. LeGuin

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee
Essays and Books on Motherhood (from The Liminal Substack)
“The Birth of My Daughter, The Death of My Marriage” by Leslie Jamison

My Work by Olga Ravn

“I Shock Myself” from The Ann Friedman Weekly newsletter
...more
35min
September 02, 2024 MINI: Following Your Writerly Intuition (Quote Series #4)
Today, we’ll finish up our summer quote series.
I’m excited to announce that this is the last episode of Season 4. BJ and I are cooking up a new season for you right now– with lots of craft tips, tool deep dives, fireside chats, and interviews with other writers. That season – Season 5 – will begin releasing every Monday starting September 16. We can’t wait.
Other mini episodes in our quote series:
S4E21 MINI: Standing on the Shoulders of Literary Giants
S4E22 MINI: Paradox and Playfulness in the Writing Life
S4E23 MINI: Why Middle Grade and Young Adult Novels Matter
Mentioned in the Episode:
Wired for Story:The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron
The Quest to Understand Consciousness – A TedTalk by Dr. Antonio Damasio
Unmasking the Muse (blogpost by Lisa Cron)
...more
7min
August 19, 2024 MINI: Why Middle Grade and Young Adult Novels Matter (Quote Series #3)
Mentioned in Episode:
Other mini episodes in our quote series
S4E21 MINI: Standing on the Shoulders of Literary Giants
S4E22 MINI: Paradox and Playfulness in the Writing Life
Books by Madeleine L’Engle:
Many Waters
A Ring of Endless Light
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
And Both Were Young
Newbery Award Acceptance Speech: The Expanding Universe (1963)
...more
8min
August 05, 2024 MINI: Paradox, Playfulness, and the Writing Life (Quote Series #2)
On today’s mini episode, we’re looking at another of my favorite quotes about the writing life.
“Creativity is sacred, and it is not sacred. What we make matters enormously, and it doesn’t matter at all. We toil alone, and we are accompanied by spirits. We are terrified, and we are brave. Art is a crushing chore and a wonderful privilege. Only when we are at our most playful can divinity finally get serious with us. Make space for all these paradoxes to be equally true inside your soul, and I promise—you can make anything. So please calm down now and get back to work, okay? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say yes.”
- Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Let’s discuss how this quote might speak to us about the lightness and playfulness required to creativity.
Mentioned in Episode:
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The first episode in our quote series: S4E21 MINI: Standing on the Shoulders of (Literary) Giants
...more
6min
July 29, 2024 MINI: Standing on the Shoulders of Literary Giants (Quote Series #1)
On today’s episode, we’ll begin a short series looking at some of my favorite quotes as they apply to writing.
And today’s quote is:
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Isaac Newton
Let's think together about the tension between the ideal of the creative genius and the reality of the creative process.
Mentioned in the Episode:
The Marginalian: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Story Behind Newton’s Famous Metaphor for How Knowledge Progresses by Maria Popova
Paper Lantern Writers: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants by Jonathan Posner
Isaac Newton by Games Gleick

...more
6min
July 22, 2024 MINI: How and Why You Should Write Until Failure
Our question for today’s mini episode is...
How and why should I write until failure?
Today we'll talk about how to write to failure both in terms of honing your craft and in terms of sharing your work with an audience.
Do you have thoughts on failure and the writing life? Do you have ways you push to failure that I didn’t mention? We'd love to hear from you. Our email address [email protected].
Mentioned in the Episode
Zone of Proximal Development by WestEd
How Often Should You Take Your Sets to Fail? (StrengthLog Podcast)

...more
7min
July 15, 2024 MINI: Writing When Life Gets Busy
Our question for today’s mini episode is...
How do I keep up a writing practice when life gets busy?
We'll discuss four strategies for staying engaged in your writing practice when other responsibilities loom large.
Mentioned in the Episode:
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Revision Spreadsheet (WWF Episodes S4E3 and S1E10)

...more
7min
July 08, 2024 MINI: Why Plot Twists Matter
Our question for today’s mini episode is...
Why Do Plot Twists Matter?
If you find crafting plot twists a little baffling, or you're unsure if your current story would even benefit from a plot twist, this episode's for you! We'll dive into a fantastic example of a plot twist and discuss the benefits of incorporating plot twists into storylines.
What are the plot twists in your current project? Okay, maybe you don’t want to give spoilers, but if you have more questions on this topic or tips of your own, write to us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.
Mentioned in the Episode
S4E16: How Much should I plan and outline before writing?
...more
6min
July 01, 2024 MINI: What's In My Bag - Writing Edition
Our question for today’s mini episode is...
What’s the best gear to support your writing practice?
Writing is a pretty minimalistic hobby, or it can be. Still, investing in great writing gear isn’t silly or shallow. As writer Gretchen Rubin says “Beautiful tools make work a joy.” By investing in high quality writing tools, we can remind ourselves that our writing practice itself is valuable, and we can create a sense of ritual and reverence around our writing time.

Mentioned in the Episode:
- Moleskine Large Weekly Planner
- A candle! Any kind. 🙂
- Midori MD Note Horizontal Ruled Line Notebook
- NuPhy Halo96 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard with Rose Glacier switches
- Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend Coffee Beans
...more
7min

FAQs about Writing with Friends:

How many episodes does Writing with Friends have?

The podcast currently has 86 episodes available.