Shows / Writing Excuses
Episodes
- Writing Excuses
11.28: Impostor Syndrome, with Alyssa Wong
Alyssa Wong, Campbell Award nominee and Nebula Award winner, joins us to talk about impostor syndrome. This is the frame of mind that many successful writers…
- Writing Excuses
11.27: The Elemental Thriller
Let's get this out of the way up front: in the syntax of elemental genres, the phrase "the element of thriller" is clunky. But we'll say it anyway. We…
- Writing Excuses
11.26: Elemental Mystery Q&A
In this episode we field some questions about elemental mystery. Here they are! How do you balance between two mysteries in the same story? What types of…
- Writing Excuses
11.25: Elemental Mystery is Everywhere
Per our Elemental Genre theme, this week we further explore elemental mystery. Elemental mystery can be found in any work in which our curiosity is what keeps…
- Writing Excuses
11.24: Stakes!
We talk a lot about "raising the stakes" in our writing. When we say "stakes," we're referring to the things that keep our characters involved…
- Writing Excuses
11.23: The Element of Mystery
Mystery may well be the most common element in use, at least in some form or another, across the many bookshelf genres comprising "fiction." We discuss…
- Writing Excuses
11.22: Examining Unconscious Biases, with Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale joins us at LTUE for a live-audience session in which we explore gender biases, and extrapolate from there to our many other unconscious biases…
- Writing Excuses
11.21: Q&A on Elemental Horror, with Steve Diamond
Steve Diamond joins us for our third and final Elemental Horror episode as we field your questions about this particular building block. Here are the questions…
- Writing Excuses
11.20: Horror as a Subgenre
Steve Diamond joins us again to talk horror, this time about using elemental horror as part of our stories' elemental ensemble. We discuss how the sense of…
- Writing Excuses
11.19: Fashion for Writers, with Rebecca McKinney
How do we go about describing the clothing our characters are wearing? How do we use that to add depth to our story? What are the common mistakes that writers…
- Writing Excuses
11.18: Elemental Horror
Steve Diamond joins us to kick off our month on the elemental genre of horror. We explore the emotional components that readers seek from horror, and then…
- Writing Excuses
11.17: Elemental Adventure Q&A
You may still have questions about how to apply elemental adventure in your work. Hopefully your questions are similar to the ones we collected below, because…
- Writing Excuses
11.16: Adventure as a Subgenre
Let's be adventurous. Let's move beyond simply being cooks, and strive to become chefs. In this episode we explore using the element of adventure as an…
- Writing Excuses
11.15: The Environment, with L.E. Modessit, Jr.
L.E. Modesitt, Jr. joined us at LTUE for a world building discussion centered around the way the environment informs the story. We talk about lead in Roman…
- Writing Excuses
11.14: The Element of Adventure
Our exploration of elemental genres continues with the sense of "I want to do that."Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
11.13: Elemental Idea Q&A
This is a Q&A about ideas that does NOT include the question "Where do you get your ideas?"Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
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11.12: Idea as Subgenre, With Nancy Fulda
Nancy Fulda is back for our second episode on the Idea elemental genre. We cover some tools for exploring an idea, and then drill down a bit on how to use that…
- Writing Excuses
11.11: Self Publishing in 2016, with Michaelbrent Collings
Recorded live at LTUE, Michaelbrent Collings guest-starred for a discussion about self publishing. The landscape continues to change, and Collings is fully…
- Writing Excuses
11.10: Idea, as Genre, with Nancy Fulda
Nancy Fulda joins us to talk about the Elemental Genre of Idea, and how to write stories driven by a sense of fascination.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass…
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11.09: Q&A on the Element of Wonder
Gama Ray Martinez joins us at LTUE to field questions on the Element of Wonder, which were submitted by members of our audience. Here are the questions: How do…
- Writing Excuses
11.08: Wonder as a Subgenre
If the Element of Wonder is the driving force behind "sense of wonder" science fiction and fantasy, then that same element can be used to give wondrous…
- Writing Excuses
11.07: The Convention Survival Kit, with Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger joins us to talk about her Convention Survival Kit, which is full of things most of us wish we'd known to pack with us years ago.Our Sponsors:*…
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11.06: The Element of Wonder
We've introduced the concept of Elemental Genre already. It's time to start digging in to the elements themselves, beginning with the Element of Wonder. We…
- Writing Excuses
11.05: Writing and World Building for Role Playing Games
Michelle Lyons McFarland, Monica Valentinelli, and Shanna Germain join Howard and Dan at GenCon, and talk about the craft of world building for role playing…
- Writing Excuses
11.04: Newton’s Laws of Writing
Let's map Newton's Laws of Motion onto writing. Because a wordcount at rest tends to remain at rest...Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
11.03: Layering The Elemental Genres
Elemental Genre becomes particularly useful when you start blending the elements for sub-plots, character arcs, or even mash-ups.Our Sponsors:* Check out…
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11.2: How To Get The Most Out Of A Conference, with Kathy Chung
What's the difference between a conference and a convention? How do we, as writers, get the most out of them?Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my…
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Writing Excuses 11.1: Introduction to Elemental Genre
The word "genre" has a lot of weight to it. Arguments about whether a particular work is, or is not, part of a given genre are long, and tedious…
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Writing Excuses 10.52: Moving On, with Ellen Kushner
Ellen Kushner joins us for the last episode of Season 10. Per the title, folks, it's time to be done. What does "done" mean? How do you go about…
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Writing Excuses 10.51: Q&A on Showing Your Work, with Daniel José Older
Daniel José Older joins us for a Q&A on showing your work around. Here are the questions, which were submitted by attendees at the Out of Excuses workshop…
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Writing Excuses 10.50: How to Hand-Sell Your Manuscript to Agents and Editors, with Michael Underwood and Marco Palmieri
Marco Palmieri and Michael Underwood took the stage with Howard and Dan at GenCon Indy 2015 to discuss hand-selling manuscripts. Marco Palmieri is a senior…
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Writing Excuses 10.49: What Do I Do With This Thing Now?
We're at the end of our Season Ten Master Class, and if you've been diligent about the homework, you may very well have a finished manuscript in your hands…
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Writing Excuses 10.48: Project in Depth, The Devil’s Only Friend
Spoiler Alert! We'll be discussing the latest John Cleaver book from Dan Wells with author, podcaster, and unrepentant bacon-lover Dan Wells! If you haven't…
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Writing Excuses 10.47: Q&A on Revision
And now for your questions about revision. Or rather, questions from the WXR attendees, who were aboard the Independence of the Seas with us (the answers to…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 10.46: How Do I Make This Pretty?
The microphones again find us aboard the Independence of the Seas*, to talk about how terribly ugly this manuscript is, and what we can do to make it pretty…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 10.45: Q&A at the GenCon Writing Symposium, with Kameron Hurley, James L. Sutter, and Michael Underwood
Dan and Howard are joined by Kameron Hurley, James L. Sutter, and Michael Underwood for an anything-goes Q&A at the GenCon Indy Writing Symposium. We had…
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Writing Excuses 10.44: How Do I Fix What is Broken?
November is "Revision" month here in the Writing Excuses Season 10 Master Class, so while many of you may be tempted by NaNoWriMo, there's a different…
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Writing Excuses 10.43: Q&A on Endings, with Delia Sherman
Delia Sherman joined us aboard the Independence of the Seas for our question-and-answer installment on endings. The questions came from the attendees at the…
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Writing Excuses 10.42: How In The World Do I Tie All This Together?
Nalo Hopkinson joins us again, at sea, for our second Master Class installment on endings. We cover some of the reasons why an ending might not be working, and…
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Writing Excuses 10.41: Your Character’s Moral Pendulum
Brad Beaulieu and Jaym Gates join us from the GenCon Indy Writing Symposium to talk about good versus evil, and how your character might swing between the two…
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Writing Excuses 10.40: What’s the Difference Between Ending and Stopping?
Nalo Hopkinson joins us for this episode, which we recorded before a live audience of Out Of Excuses Workshop & Retreat attendees. October's master class…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 10.39: Q&A on Plot Twists with Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson joined us at Sasquan/WorldCon 73 to take questions about plot twists. Here are the questions that came in from our live audience: Genre…
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Writing Excuses 10.38: How Does Context Shape Dialog?
Our second installment for the Master Class's month of context covers the way dialog between characters may change meaning depending upon the context you…
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Writing Excuses 10.37: Being a Good Panelist and a Great Moderator, with Susan J. Morris and Marc Tassin
This month's wildcard episode comes to you from the 2015 GenCon Indy Writers' Symposium, where Dan and Howard had the opportunity to interview Susan J. Morris…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 10.36: How Does Context Shape Plot Twists?
We've talked about plot twists before. This episode covers the way in which the type of plot twist is dependent on, or signaled by, the context of the story…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 10.35: Breaking In, With Charlie N. Holmberg
Charlie N. Holmberg, who was recently signed by Amazon's 47 North imprint, joined us in front of a live audience it Sasquan (the 73rd World Science Fiction…
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Writing Excuses 10.34: Q&A on Pacing
We wrap up this month's discussion of pacing with a Q&A. Here are the questions we pulled out of the virtual hat (read: Twitter) for answering during the…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 10.33: Combat, with Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan joins us again, this time for a discussion about writing combat. She's studied fencing, combat choreography, and is *this close* to having a…
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Writing Excuses 10.32: How Do I Control the Speed of the Story?
Words take time to read, but that's not the same amount of time that the words communicate...Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
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Writing Excuses 10.31: How Do I Control the Reader’s Sense of Progress?
Are we making progress? How do we communicate that to the reader?Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great deal…
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Writing Excuses 10.30: Q&A on Middles, with Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan joins us again, this time to help us field your questions about middles. Here are the questions we collected from the various social media feeds…
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Writing Excuses 10.29: Why Should My Characters Fail Spectacularly?
Character failure is a big part of making the middle of a story work. We talk about why, and offer tips about how to make this work well for you.Our Sponsors:*…
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Writing Excuses 10.28: Polytheism in Fiction, with Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan joins us for a discussion of polytheism (and really any belief system) in our fiction.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
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Writing Excuses 10.27: Why Can’t I Just Jump to the Ending?
Lots of people struggle with the middles of their books. One way to look at the middle is that it's the point where you're no longer working on that new…
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Writing Excuses 10.26: Q&A on Scenes and Description
How do you "show, don't tell" a character's thoughts? We answer this question, and more!Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
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Writing Excuses 10.25: What Makes a Scene?
We talk about how we define and structure scenes in our writing, and we make reference to Scene/Sequel format, the MICE quotient, and pacing.Our Sponsors:*…
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Writing Excuses 10.24: Hooking Younger Readers
Media Specialist Kiley Snyder joins us to talk about hooking young readers.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a…
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Writing Excuses 10.23: Can You Tell Me How To Show?
Instead of saying "show, don't tell," we say "here's how to show."Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES…
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Writing Excuses 10.22: Project-in-Depth—Of Noble Family
Spoilers ahead! We dig into Of Noble Family, by Mary Robinette Kowal, focusing on language, culture, and the extensive research Mary did.Our Sponsors:* Check…
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Writing Excuses 10.21: Q&A on World Building
We answer questions about consistency, alternate histories, and the Great Spoke Plague of '77Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…