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.

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Social:

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book.incubator

Coming in with a hot take today: You're allowed to write what's fun.

You're allowed to have a good time, to be silly, to write oddball, funny, quirky stuff that brings you pleasure—even if it isn't what would have earned you an A in your creative writing class or warrants an author photo with an "I'm a suffering artist" expression on your face.

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're in the middle of writing a scene. Everything's flowing. Then suddenly—you stop.

You don't know how your character is going to react to what someone just said. Or you're about to write what you planned to write next, but suddenly it doesn't feel right.

So you stare at the blank page. Then you spot your dirty cereal bowl. Might as well rinse that. Next thing you know, you're doing yard work and you haven't written your scene.

I've been experimenting with a new way to handle these moments, and it's been working really well.

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 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