Writing with Friends

Writing with Friends

By Hillary Barnes Martinez and BJ WilliamsEducationHow To
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Writing with Friends episodes

  • Crafting Effective Dialogue

    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:

    • Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer

    • Mort by Terry Pratchett

      • Mentioned in the Episode:

      • Writing With Friends Season 1 Episode 2: How Often to Use Adverbs and the Writing Sprint


        • 9 min
      • Navigating the Midpoint Beat

        We’ll be talking about the midpoint beat. So you’ve written the beginning of your story. You have an idea for a mind-blowing finale. But hmm… what’s supposed to happen in the middle again? Fear not! We’re here to help.

        Picks of the Week

        • Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

        • Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

          • Mentioned in the Episode:

          • Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody


            • 8 min
          • Reading Widely Across Genres

            Today, we’ll be talking about reading widely across genres. If you’re writing regularly, how important is it that you find time to read, too? We’ll be uncovering why reading can be so helpful for writers, especially intentionally reading books outside of our comfort zones.

            Picks of the Week:

            • Momo by Michael Ende

            • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

              • 9 min
            • Weekly Artist Dates

              We'll be talking about the artist date: a method for cultivating inspiration in your creative life. Do you sometimes sit down to write and find that your inspiration has mysteriously dried up? Taking yourself on an artist date could help!

              Picks of the Week:

              • BJ: The Magician King by Lev Grossman

              • H: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong 

                • Mentioned in the Episode:

                • Julia Cameron's Descriptions of Artist Dates

                • NPR's Life Kit Podcast on How to Have Fun


                  • 8 min
                • Tool Deep Dive: Using Online Archives to Research for Your Novel

                  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 online archives– and more specifically, how to use online archives to engage in high quality research for your current novel project!

                  Picks of the Week:

                  • How to Do Nothing by Jenny O’Dell

                  • Momo by Michael Ende

                    • Mentioned in the Episode:

                    • JSTOR free articles

                    • EBSCO free databases

                    • British Museum free catalogues


                      • 8 min
                    • Writing Vividly by Removing Filtering Words

                      We'll be talking about filtering words. Do you want to create scenes and descriptions that feel vivid to your reader? Removing filtering words can help.

                      Picks of the Week:

                      •  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevan
                      • The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
                        • 7 min
                      • Conquering the Middle Build

                        We’ll be talking about conquering the middle build. Sometimes you have those high level ideas for your story, but can’t quite connect it all. Don’t worry, because today we’ll discuss how to keep things moving through the middle of your writing project.

                        Picks of the Week:

                        • BJ: The Puzzle Palace by James Bamford
                        • H: A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
                          • 9 min
                        • Five Senses Portrait for Character Development

                          We'll be talking about using all five senses to describe and develop your characters. By using a 5 senses character development exercise, you can create a multi-dimensional, nuanced description of your characters’ physical traits in just a few minutes.

                          Picks of the Week:

                          • Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (Author), Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator)
                          • I Am Number Four by James Frey/Pittacus Lore

                            • Mentioned in the Episode:

                            • Happier Podcast Episode 387- Creating a Five-Senses Portrait
                              • 8 min
                            • The 15-Minute Daily Writing Practice

                              We’ll be talking about the 15-minute daily writing practice. This writing craft gives you a feeling of satisfaction, accomplishment, and progress while continuing to work on a larger task.

                              Picks of the Week:

                              • The High Druid’s Blade by Terry Brooks 
                              • Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

                                • Mentioned in the Episode:

                                • Don’t Break the Chain app
                                  • 8 min
                                • Tool Deep Dive: Notebooks

                                  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 notebooks! In contrast to our helpful episode on OneNote, a digital notebook, which you can hear more about in Season 1, Episode 8, today’s focus is on the physical notebook.

                                  Picks of the Week:

                                  • Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
                                  • The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

                                    • Mentioned in the Episode:

                                    • Elago black bound notebook with 6mm lines and 180 by 255mm pages
                                    • LEUCHTTURM1917 - Medium A5 Dotted Notebook in Softcover
                                      • 7 min

                                    About Writing with Friends

                                    From the publisher's feed

                                    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.