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)

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)

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

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

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 writingwithfriendspodcast@gmail.com.

Mentioned in the Episode

Zone of Proximal Development by WestEd

How Often Should You Take Your Sets to Fail? (StrengthLog Podcast)

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)

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 writingwithfriendspodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Mentioned in the Episode

S4E16: How Much should I plan and outline before writing?

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