The First Draft Club

There's a kind of feedback that fills you with relief and gratitude, and there's a kind that leaves you with low-grade anxiety—even when the feedback is good and you want to use it. The difference is just one simple thing most readers don't do by default. I've had dozens of readers and editors over the years. And I've realized that even among professionals—agents, editors, trusted writer friends—there's feedback that's incredibly helpful and feedback that makes you want to eat a pint of ice cream and give up. In this episode: • The one rule that separates good feedback from "guess what I'm thinking" feedback• Why my HarperCollins editor was so easy to work with (and I didn't realize it until now)• How a novelist friend sent me notes that made me want to send her 18,000 Crumbl cookies• What to ask your beta readers so you're not playing a scavenger hunt with your manuscript Episode mentioned: Season 10 Ep 2: The #1 Reason Feedback is Stressful Is Not Even a Real Thing (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7dCqcaEG6OcVW129sXw1AG?si=cc4NHJS1TcaPBgLyPpHawA) Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: + Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator

You're allowed to bribe yourself to finish your book. In fact, you should. In this episode, I'm sharing the story of the Goal Reward—a surprisingly powerful tool I've used to finish three published novels and now teach inside The Book Incubator, my MFA-alternative program for novelists and memoirists. The Goal Reward is simple: Pick something you want (as small as an ice cream cone or as big as a house), decide on it before you finish your draft, and don't give it to yourself until you're done. It harnesses the power of desire to help you show up to write when your creative motivation flags—which it will. Giving an object a role in your creative life can imbue it with meaning you can't even foresee yet. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: Instagram: @book.incubator

You know those scenes you're dreading? The ones that feel like a slog, where you're just "filling in the blanks" between the parts you're actually excited about? Here's what you need to know: just because something has to happen in your story doesn't mean it has to be a scene. In this episode, I'm answering a question from Cynthia, a fantasy writer in The Book Incubator: "Should I write scenes in order, even the boring ones? Or skip to the fun stuff and come back later?" My answer might surprise you. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: + Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator

If you're writing a memoir, you've probably realized: covering 20, 30, even 40 years of your life in one book feels impossible. Where do you start? Where do you end? How do you fit everything in without writing a 500-page autobiography that no one asked for? Here's what I want you to know: a memoir isn't what happened to you. It's how you changed because of what happened to you. A memoir is a story, which means it's about a shift in perspective—not a play-by-play of your entire life. Once you identify that shift, structuring your memoir becomes so much clearer. In this episode, I'm sharing a new 3-step pyramid method I developed for finding your memoir's time container. This method helps you narrow decades of material into a focused narrative while still including all the backstory and context you want through flashbacks. I break down the difference between memoir and autobiography, how to identify the actual story you're telling, and how to find your beginning, middle, and end using three simple questions. If you're a memoirist feeling overwhelmed by how much you need to cover, this framework will help. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: + Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator ======================== #writingtips#bookwriting #writer #authortube

This week's episode is a little different. Less practical craft advice, more mindset. Because something's been on my mind lately: earnestness. A few weeks ago, my friend sent me a meme where women were sharing the most basic things they love—the "least bougie" everyday things they'd be judged for. Things like drip coffee, McDonald's fries, cheap bath towels, spiral notebooks. And when she asked me what mine were, the first thing that came to mind was "earnestness." Which got me thinking: why do we train ourselves out of it? Why do we think earnestness is dorky? And what does this have to do with writing? Turns out, everything. Because when we sit down to write something creative, it's an incredibly earnest act. It's vulnerable. And I think it's brave. In this episode, I'm making the case that writing creatively is an act of bravery, and that bravery—like any hard thing—takes practice. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: + Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator ======================== #writingtips#bookwriting #writer #authortube

"I'm handwriting my novel and finding that I'm not putting in much dialogue. This didn't feel like a struggle when I was typing. Is this common?" This question came from Miranda in a recent Wordshop call, and I'd never heard anyone articulate this problem (which I experienced myself!) before. If you handwrite your drafts and notice you're avoiding dialogue (or writing less of it than you think you should), this episode is for you. I'm breaking down why handwriting makes dialogue feel harder, the physical and mental load that's secretly making you skip it, and my game-changing solution that opened up the dialogue door for me. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: + Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator ======================== #writingtips#bookwriting #writer #authortube

Writing from multiple points of view? Here's the secret to making it work. A writer in The Book Incubator asked: "How do I tell three different but related stories in one novel where they all come together in the end?" In this episode, I'm sharing my approach to braiding multiple storylines into one cohesive novel. The key isn't the technical craft—it's how your POV characters relate to each other. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: + Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator ======================== #writingtips#bookwriting #writer #authortube

Welcome to episode 100 of The First Draft Club! 🎉 We're celebrating by talking about something every author needs to know: book marketing. It's the thing every author dreads—and honestly, I'm not a book marketing expert. But I do have a hot take about something you should never, ever do when promoting your book (because it doesn't work and it's not a good look). In this milestone episode, I'm sharing one big DON'T and one big DO when it comes to marketing your book. I'll show you exactly how I did this for my novels Privilege and When You Read This—what didn't work and what finally clicked. This advice will serve you way better than any Instagram content calendar, both online and off. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Hi, I'm Mary! I'm the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick and “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read”), and Palm Beach (New York Post “Best Book of 2021” and “like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press). My memoir, You Might Feel A Little Pressure, was released by Third Rail Press in 2025. My books have been published in 13 countries, and I've written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I founded an MFA-alternative, The Book Incubator, which has now helped hundreds of writers finish their books over 12 months and continues supporting them through publication (yes, forever!). When I’m not writing, I’m probably building a fort with my 7-year-old son Finn or bathing with an overpriced Lush bath bomb. I live in Dallas, where I spend my free time trying to domesticate a stubborn tabby and shamelessly watching reality TV. ======================== Social: + Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator ======================== #writingtips#bookwriting #writer #authortube

Ever get feedback that makes your stomach drop? Like when someone says "I don't know what your book is about" or "I didn't relate to this character"—and suddenly you're convinced you need three months to fix it?Here's the truth: most "big" feedback requires WAY less work than it sounds like. Sometimes it's one paragraph. Sometimes it's literally one sentence. In this episode, I share a story about a writer who got devastating feedback—and how we fixed the entire problem with about 12 words. Then I break down why feedback feels so overwhelming and what it actually takes to implement it. You'll learn: • Why feedback packaged in generalizations feels bigger than it is• The actual writing required to fix common "big" issues• How to assess what feedback really means in terms of work• Why figuring out character motivation in fiction is SO different than in real life• Concrete time estimates for common feedback (from "3 minutes" to "a few weeks") Download the free Feedback Reality Check Guide: https://prodigious-inventor-6525.kit.com/c778014a10This spreadsheet shows you the actual estimated time commitment for 7 common pieces of "feels big" feedback. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator ( / book.incubator ) Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template:http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel:https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE):https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ

Tired of being told you're either an "outliner" or a "pantser"? In this episode, Mary introduces a revolutionary new framework that recognizes writers exist on a spectrum—not just at two extremes. Based on years of teaching novelists through The Book Incubator™, she reveals five distinct writer types that help you find your perfect writing process. From her own journey discovering that neither pantsing nor outlining worked for her (leading to 13 rewrites over six years!), Mary developed this new typology that helps writers identify their ideal level of planning versus creative freedom. If you've ever felt like existing writing advice doesn't fit your natural creative process, this episode will help you discover where you fall on the spectrum and how to optimize your approach for the best possible writing experience. 🎧 What you’ll learn: ✅ Why the outliner vs. pantser binary doesn't serve most writers✅ The five distinct novelist types and what each needs to succeed✅ How to identify your writer type based on what "lights you up"✅ Why having a "Big Question" is crucial for every writer type✅ The tools each type uses✅ How to move along the spectrum as your needs change✅ Why finding the right process dramatically increases your chances of finishing your book RESOURCES MENTIONED• The Book Incubator™ Program: https://www.thebookincubator.com/ • The Four Notebooks Method - full training available after application & acceptance to The Book Incubator: https://maryadkinswriter.com/podcast/the-four-notebooks-method • Podcast episode about A Novel in 52 Prompts PLUS the first 3 prompts free: https://open.spotify.com/episode/34hNY3NH794fg6fNumO4wo?si=mmq4XjA5SBC9VTm1EK3Yjw • A Novel in 52 Prompts: https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts • Take the Five Novelist Types Assessment: https://writertypes.thebookincubator.com/ ======================== Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com. Let’s connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator (https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator/) Happy writing!— Mary ======================== I’m Mary Adkins, author with HarperCollins and book writing coach (for novels and memoirs). I’m so glad you found me! + Learn my Four Notebooks Method & get your free template: http://bit.ly/3wGmMTc + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for my program The Book Incubator in just 5 minutes with no obligation to enroll and get my free 60-minute training HOW TO WRITE YOUR DREAM BOOK WITH A FULL-TIME JOB (AND A LIFE): https://bit.ly/3wEwrJQ ======================== Mary Adkins is a recovered lawyer, mom to a goofy kid, novelist, and writing coach. She moved from the hectic world of corporate law into novel-writing…and has published 3 novels (and counting!) with HarperCollins. During her career transition, she learned a whole bunch of stuff about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to writing, revising, landing an agent, and getting published. She created www.thebookincubator.com to help aspiring writers on their journey. Want to improve your craft, get your book done, and—most importantly—make it FUN again? Learn more about The Book Incubator™ at https://www.thebookincubator.com/

How do you motivate yourself to work toward big, overwhelming goals when gratification feels impossibly far away? In this episode, Mary shares her summer reality check: facing an entire house to organize, French lessons to restart, and a secret new watercolor hobby—all while running a business and raising a kid. Drawing from her experience writing five books, Mary reveals the counter-intuitive secret to achieving long-term goals. She shares how she went from writing zero short stories to publishing her first novel, why she's skipping watercolor exercises to paint portraits, and what her French tutor taught her about the futility of "homework." If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer scope of your writing goals, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on how to stay motivated when the finish line is nowhere in sight. 🎧 What you’ll learn: ✅ Why willpower alone isn't enough for long-term goals✅ The mindset shift that makes big projects sustainable✅ How to find motivation when gratification is months away✅ Why skipping the "basics" might be exactly what you need✅ How to let your mood guide your writing choices✅ The overlap between "hard" and "fun" in creative work✅ Real strategies for staying excited about your writing process Want more?Apply for The Book Incubator: https://www.thebookincubator.com/Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator/Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Love this episode? Subscribe to First Draft Club and leave us a review! Your support helps other writers discover the show.

What happens when a bestselling author annotates her own 25-year-old novel? In this episode, Mary shares what she discovered reading Ann Patchett's newly annotated edition of "Bel Canto"—and why it taught her something crucial about how we treat our past creative work and ourselves. Ann Patchett's handwritten notes in the margins revealed something unexpected: even successful authors can be too hard on their younger selves. Mary breaks down the three types of annotations Patchett made and shares a personal story about memoir feedback that changed how she thinks about self-compassion in writing. If you've ever cringed at your old writing or been too critical of your past creative work, this episode offers a mindset shift that every writer needs to hear. Want more?Apply for The Book Incubator: https://www.thebookincubator.com/Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator/Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Love this episode? Subscribe to First Draft Club and leave us a review! Your support helps other writers discover the show.

Ever wondered if you could write your novel while taking a walk? In this episode, Mary shares her honest experiment with dictation writing—how she wrote nearly half of her latest manuscript (around 50,000 words) using nothing but her iPhone and daily neighborhood walks. Mary breaks down her journey from being "dictation curious" to discovering a writing method that increased her productivity without sacrificing quality. She shares the exact tools she tested, the surprising learning curve, and whether dictated prose actually sounds different from typed writing. If you're a busy writer struggling to find time for your creative work, this episode might just revolutionize your approach to novel writing. In This Episode Why Mary became interested in dictation as a writing method The challenge of balancing writing with parenting, work, and exercise Testing different dictation apps and why the free option won How to handle character names and punctuation while dictating Overcoming the social conditioning around silence and pauses Real productivity results: words per hour comparison Whether dictated writing differs from typed writing in tone and quality Tips for integrating dictation into your existing routines Key Takeaways ✅ The best dictation app turned out to be free (iPhone Notes app) ✅ Dictation can produce significantly more words per hour than typing ✅ Speaking punctuation becomes automatic after about a week ✅ Extended silences while walking actually improve the creative process ✅ Dictated prose can be indistinguishable from typed prose in the final draft ✅ Dictation allows writers to maintain other important life routines while still being productive Resources Mentioned iPhone Notes app for dictation The Book Incubator writing program https://www.thebookincubator.com/ What's Next Next week: How Mary is ethically using AI as a novelist, including post-dictation editing techniques. Want more? Apply for The Book Incubator: https://www.thebookincubator.com/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator/ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Love this episode? Subscribe to First Draft Club and leave us a review! Your support helps other writers discover the show.