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

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

We're taking a tool deep dive by highlighting the features and the challenges of a tool we think you’ll find helpful as a writer. We’ll be talking about social media including Instagram and Twitter.

Picks of the Week:

BJ: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

H: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Mentioned in the Episode:

Common writing/literary hashtags include: #amwriting, #amquerying, and #bookstagram

We’ll be talking about how to incorporate feedback when editing. If you’re in the editing process with feedback from friends, editors, beta readers, or writing partners, keep listening for tips and guidance.

Picks of the Week:

BJ: Why Didn’t They Teach Me This In School? by Cary Siegel 

H: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

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 today is voice memos.

Picks of the Week:

BJ: Bloodmarked by Tracey Deonn

H: The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris

Mentioned in the Episode:

The index card method in Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Season 2 Episode 15: Boredom

Season 1 Episode 10: The Revision Spreadsheet

Do you wonder how other writers draw inspiration from images and objects to render their settings and characters more vivid on the page? An inspiration board might be just what you need!

Picks of the Week:

Story Genius by Lisa Cron

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Mentioned in the Episode:

"Abraham Verghese on the Whiteboard: Its Iterations and Complications" by Abraham Verghese

“Ruta Sepetys: Up Close and Personal” by Alegria Barclay

Today, we’ll be talking to TV writer Ritza Bloom, who’s written for ABC’s Grownish as well as Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Tune in to hear about what a TV writer’s room actually feels like, where Ritza draws her inspiration from, and some of her advice for aspiring writers.

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 boredom. How is boredom a tool, you ask? Well, at the heart of boredom lies…our creativity!

Picks of the Week:

Mentioned in the Episode:

Resources:

Today on Season 2 Episode 14, we’ll be talking about how to improve dialogue in our writing to make it both effective and nuanced.

Picks of the Week:

Mentioned in the Episode: