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fromnothingtonovel

Video Tips: why it’s best to have a writing buddy!

One of the best parts of being friends is that our interactions always blend the personal and the professional, the literary and the athletic. Because we live in separate states, though, our interactions are relegated to the internet. Sometimes it’s chatting through Facebook. Other times it’s Skyping.

No matter when, how, or where, we always find that writing offers more rewards when we collaborate on joint projects and support each other’s individual projects. And of course, that’s the main reason why we started FromNothingToNovel–to share this experience with a global community.

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Julie doing great as a first-time aerialist.

Several months ago, we gals enjoyed the rare opportunity to be in the same city. We decided before Julie flew into Knoxville that we would make it a “writing weekend,” complete with discussing the Writer’s Life, our novel projects, playing with Whitney’s brown-eyed kid, getting in a few workouts, and even shooting a short video to present on FromNothingToNovel.   

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Still at aerial silks: Whitney and her then 3 1/2 month old brown-eyed babykid.

One afternoon while we were out and about, we impetuously decided to just go for it, to create our First Video! So, we quickly decided on a topic: the whys and hows of having a writing buddy. Then we jotted down some of the crucial decisions we’ve helped each other make in our respective novels.

Next, we marched into one of our old favorite restaurants and hunkered down in a corner away from the maddening crowds. But, unfortunately, not far enough away. We had to ask the bartender–bless his heart–to bring us wine and to give us about ten minutes of uninterrupted time to shoot the video. He did and may the universe reward him richly. Despite the magnanimity of our fabulous bartender, filming still felt chaotic and noisy, so bear with us–we’d like to think it’s part of our First Video’s charm.

While we don’t (yet) have fancy equipment, we plan to offer more video content in the coming months. Some videos will include quick tips, while others will explore topics in a more in-depth manner. As always, we’ll be interested in your thoughts. Stay tuned and keep in touch!  

~Whitney Jones and Julie Tyler

Feature photo credit: Tomás Fano

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