The First Draft Club

A podcast to help you overcome resistance and write with more joy, clarity, and confidence. If you’re working on a novel or memoir, stick around. Whether you haven‘t written a word since your 5-paragraph essay days or you have an MFA in Creative Writing, this weekly podcast is now your favorite writing companion on your journey to finish your first draft.

The First Draft Club is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 169 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The First Draft Club, a arts show with 169 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #7

  S11 E07 How to Fix a Character’s Arc Without Rewriting Your Whole Plot: A Revision Lesson from My General Contractor

  Aug 19, 202612 minS11

  I was talking recently with a writer in The Book Incubator who'd hit a very specific kind of revision fear, and that conversation (along with being mid-remodel and thinking about load-bearing walls) led to today's podcast episode. I walk through a quick exercise for how to revise character arc in your own manuscript without unraveling the whole plot — and how to tell when it's actually a sign you need the bigger structural rewrite after all. In this episode: + Why deepening your character's arc can feel like it's about to topple your whole plot + The load-bearing wall metaphor I can't stop thinking about mid-renovation + How the Enneagram taught me that two characters can make the exact same choice for totally different reasons + A 10-minute exercise to test whether your revision needs a full rewrite — or just an interiority pass Mentioned in this episode: S11 E2: Not Only Do People Change, They ONLY Change: https://youtu.be/FZMMOoseCTQ Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com . Want to watch the video episodes? Visit https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator with no obligation to enroll and get my free training HOW TO WRITE AN (ACTUALLY) GOOD BOOK IN 45 MINUTES A DAY: https://www.thebookincubator.com/ + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel: https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts ======================== 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

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  Episode #6

  S11 E06 Beware of These Common Publishing Scams Everywhere Right Now

  Aug 12, 202620 minS11

  There's a scam going around publishing right now, and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I made an episode about it. A few months ago I got targeted. Then three different writers emailed me asking if an email they'd received was real. Then I got targeted again—and that time I actually clicked the link. Here's the shape of it: an email lands from someone who sounds exactly like a real editor, agent, or fellow author—real name, real title, sometimes even a real-looking corporate signature. The one thing that gives it away every single time: it's coming from a Gmail address, not a business one. I'm reading you some of the actual emails writers have forwarded me (including one "from" a very famous author who was very much not writing it) and breaking down the exact red flags in each—because if you're putting yourself out there as a writer at all, you're a target too. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com . Want to watch the video episodes? Visit https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator with no obligation to enroll and get my free training HOW TO WRITE AN (ACTUALLY) GOOD BOOK IN 45 MINUTES A DAY: https://www.thebookincubator.com/ A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel: https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts ======================== 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

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  Episode #5

  S11 E05 Rufi Thorpe and I Talk About How, Why, and What We Teach (Part 2)

  Aug 5, 202631 minS11

  This is Part 2 of Mary's conversation with Rufi Thorpe, where they finally try to take on the question everyone in this world pretends is already settled: can writing actually be taught? Mary and Rufi get into what they think genuinely is teachable — permission to chase your obsessions, the "rules" of story that work more like physics than commandments, the tools of craft — and what isn't: taste, the courage to sit in the mess of a bad first draft, whatever it is that gives a story its blood and heart. Rufi also makes the case that teaching craft this way, stripped of mystique, is actually a feminist act — that refusing to treat writing as some untouchable, born-with-it talent is its own kind of empowerment, especially for the writers (moms, career-changers, anyone without three years and $100k for an MFA) that traditional programs weren't built for. And they get honest about the fear that comes with being someone's teacher: how do you hand a writer tools without accidentally handing them your taste instead? Rufi Thorpe is the author of the novels The Knockout Queen (a PEN/Faulkner Finalist), Dear Fang, With Love, The Girls from Corona del Mar (longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the First Novel Prize), and Margo's Got Money Troubles (a finalist for the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Fiction, winner of the Clark Fiction Prize, and now an Apple TV+ miniseries). She grew up in Southern California, got her MFA in Creative Writing from UVA, and taught academic writing before joining The Book Incubator, where she and Mary share the belief that writing is a teachable skill — not a rare gift, but something anyone who loves stories can learn. She lives in California with her husband, two sons, and a highly opinionated bull terrier named Coco. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com . Want to watch the video episodes? Visit https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator with no obligation to enroll and get my free training HOW TO WRITE AN (ACTUALLY) GOOD BOOK IN 45 MINUTES A DAY: https://www.thebookincubator.com/ A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel: https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts ======================== 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

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  Episode #4

  S11 E04 Rufi Thorpe and I Talk About How, Why, and What We Teach (Part 1)

  Jul 29, 202638 minS11

  If you've ever wondered whether creative writing can actually be taught—or felt discouraged by a workshop, MFA program, or critique group—this conversation is for you. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Mary Adkins sits down with bestselling novelist and Book Incubator instructor Rufi Thorpe to unpack the writing education they wish they'd had. They discuss why traditional workshop models often fall short, what makes great writing instruction, and why no teacher can tell you whether you "have what it takes" to become a writer. Whether you're just starting your first novel or deep into revisions, this episode offers an honest look at what actually helps writers grow. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why many creative writing workshops fail to teach craft • How teaching has made both Mary and Rufi better novelists • Why talent is overrated—and persistence matters more • How to identify what makes your writing uniquely yours • Why commercial and literary fiction have more in common than most people think This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss Part 2, where Mary and Rufi discuss what *can't* be taught about writing, the biggest fears they have as writing teachers, their favorite writing advice, and why revision isn't what most writers think it is. Rufi Thorpe is the author of the novels The Knockout Queen (Pen/Faulkner Finalist); Dear Fang, With Love; The Girls from Corona Del Mar (long listed for Dylan Thomas Prize & First Novel Prize); and Margo’s Got Money Troubles (finalist for the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Fiction, winner of the Clark Fiction Prize, and now an AppleTV mini-series). She's also the revision instructor inside The Book Incubator. Come learn from Rufi! thebookincubator.com Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com . Want to watch the video episodes? Visit https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator with no obligation to enroll and get my free training HOW TO WRITE AN (ACTUALLY) GOOD BOOK IN 45 MINUTES A DAY: https://www.thebookincubator.com/ + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel: https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts ======================== 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 ========================

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  Episode #3

  S11 E03 Redefining “Success” as a Writer and Author: Interview with Crime Novelist & Fellow Texan Mary Lowry

  Jul 22, 202647 minS11

  Mary Pauline Lowry is a crime writer and fellow Texan who just published her debut novel Last Night Was Killer. In this interview, we talk about what success actually looks like when you're a working writer. In this episode, Mary Pauline shares: • The messy reality of publication week • How she found a funny voice in crime writing • What "literary citizenship" actually means • Why having a writer community is everything • The honest truth about writing visibility and "platform" If you're writing because you think success looks a certain way, this episode might change your mind...in a good way. Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review! For more resources, visit thebookincubator.com . Want to watch the video episodes? Visit https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @book.incubator Happy writing! — Mary ======================== RESOURCES: + Ready to write your dream book? Apply for The Book Incubator with no obligation to enroll and get my free training HOW TO WRITE AN (ACTUALLY) GOOD BOOK IN 45 MINUTES A DAY: https://www.thebookincubator.com/ + A Novel in 52 Prompts - A scene-by-scene blueprint for writing your novel: https://www.thebookincubator.com/novel-in-52-prompts ======================== 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

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