Shows / Writing Excuses
Episodes
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.8: Writing and Personal Health
Robison Wells joins Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard to talk about health -- especially the mental kind.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.7: Cliffhangers and Icebergs with Robison Wells
Robison Wells joins the 'cast to talk to us about cliffhangers.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great deal…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.6: Retellings and Adaptations
Why would you retell a story that has already been told? Now, how would you go about doing it well?Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.5: Breaking the Rules
They're not rules, they're guidelines. Right? Let's talk about breaking "rules" of writing.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.4: Side-Character Arcs
Do you need arcs and development for side-characters?Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great deal…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.3: Pets
How do you give a personality to the animal or animals in your story? How do you do it without being a crazy cat lady?Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.2: Hero’s Journey
Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary talk about the Hero's Journey. Finally.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 8.1: Microcasting
We're back for the New Year, and we start by answering all your questions. Or at least eight of them.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
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Writing Excuses 7.54: Four Ways the Industry is Changing
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard each take a look at some changing aspect of the industry, and how they're reacting to that change.Our Sponsors:* Check out…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.53: Secret History
How is "Men in Black" like "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?" This week on Writing Excuses we talk about Secret History, and how to do it…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.52: Microcasting
A fast-paced Q&A covering discouragement, magic systems, ideas, and our embarrassing early projects.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.51: Brainstorming with Mary
Mary invites Brandon, Dan, and Howard to brainstorm a story with her.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.50: Outlining the Mary Way
Mary Robinette Kowal schools Brandon, Dan, and Howard with her outlining system.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.49: Beginnings Revisited
We've talked about where to start. Now Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard talk about how to start -- what goes "in" when you're going "in late, out…
- Writing Excuses
NaNoWriMo 2012: Bonus Episode 4, with Mary & Brandon
Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal provide last-minute writing advice to you NaNoWriMo'ers out there...Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.48: Pixar Rules for Writing a Compelling Story
Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary review some of Emma Coats' "Pixar Rules" for storytellingOur Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
NaNoWriMo 2012: Bonus Episode 3, with Howard
Howard Tayler gives NaNoWriMo participants a pep-talk on their way into the last week of the month.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.47: Raising the Stakes
What are the things that matter to your characters? What things matter to your readers? After we get the obligatory ambiguity out of the way, we settle into…
- Writing Excuses
NaNoWriMo 2012: Bonus Mini-Episode 2, with Dan & Rob
Dan Wells and Robison Wells give you a pep talk for the second week of NaNoWriMo.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.46: Project in Depth The Emperor’s Soul
Brandon talks in depth about his novella "The Emperor's Soul"Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great…
- Writing Excuses
NaNoWriMo 2012: Bonus Mini-Episode 1, with Brandon & Mary
Brandon and Mary take time out from World Fantasy to encourage everyone participating in NaNoWriMo.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.45: Microcasting
It's microcasting time! This week we take a crack at the following listener questions: What percentage of a rough draft makes it into print? What are the…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.44: Writing for Comics with Jim Zub
Jim Zub talks writing comics with Brandon, Howard, and Mary at GenCon IndyOur Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a…
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Writing Excuses 7.43: Tie-in Fantasy Fiction with James L Sutter
James L. Sutter, Pathfinder editor with Paizo, talks to us about tie-in fiction.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.42: Contemporary YA Fiction
Janci Patterson joins us to talk about contemporary YA , her debut novel "Chasing the Skip," and writing from a pitch.Our Sponsors:* Check out…
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Writing Excuses 7.41: Seven-Point Story Structure
Dan Wells walks us through the seven-point story structure format he uses, and then we demonstrate by brainstorming this on a sample story.Our Sponsors:* Check…
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Writing Excuses 7.40: Writing the Other
Maurice Broaddus joins us to talk about "writing the other" -- writing other cultures, races, genders -- basically anybody who isn't much like you.Our…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.39: Death
Killing characters for all the right reasons, and knowing what the wrong ones are.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.38: Writing Love Scenes
Shanna Germain joins Brandon, Mary, and Howard for a frank discussion of love scenes.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.37: Pantsing
Pantsing! What are we even talking about? We're talking about discovery writing, but apparently some folks think it's more fun to call it…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.35: Brainstorming with Dan
Dan needs help writing a short story, so Brandon, Mary, and Howard endeavor to help him. Hopefully this will be educational for the rest of you.Our Sponsors:*…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.36: Writing Gaming Fiction with Monte Cook
RPG Luminary Monte Cook joins us at GenCon Indy 2012 to talk about writing for games, and the perils of trying to adapt game play back into prose.Our…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.34: How to Start the Next One
Finishing one project means it's time to start the next one. And no, it's not necessarily going to get easier...Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.33: Authentic Emotion
Emote! Now do it authentically! In this episode we'll explain how we do it, and hopefully help you do it better.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my…
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Writing Excuses 7.32: Astronomy 101 for Writers
Eric James Stone joins the cast to talk astronomy as a tool for world-buildingOur Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.31: Project in Depth — Hollow City
Spoilers galore as we discuss "Hollow City," in depth, with author Dan WellsOur Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.30: Micocasting…Again!
The crew fields questions about criticism, suspension of disbelief, tension, and more.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.29: The Villain Problem
What do you do when your villain is more interesting and engaging than your hero? The first step? Admit that this is a problem...Our Sponsors:* Check out…
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Writing Excuses 7.28: Project in Depth– Glamour in Glass
Mary Robinette Kowal talks in depth about her novel Glamour In Glass, fielding questions from Brandon, Dan, and Howard.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.27: The Problem of Originality
Do we value originality too much? What does it mean to be original, and how can we, as authors, write wonderful things when all of the good ideas have already…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.26: Q&A at UVU part 2
Recorded live at Utah Valley University, here's another Q&A episode from the LTUE Symposium! The questions: What was Brandon's plan with Mistborn and the…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.25: Writing Capers
Capers and Heists as a plot form, with lots of movies cited as examples.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a…
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Writing Excuses 7.24: Project in Depth — Way of Kings
Brandon answers "The Way of Kings" questions from Mary, Howard, and Dan.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.23: Time Travel
Recorded live, our regular 'casters discuss time travel, and somehow manage not to become any of their own parents, or even uncles.Our Sponsors:* Check out…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.22: Microcasting
A microcast is our word for an asynchronous Q&A episode: you ask us tons of questions online, either through twitter or facebook or our listenermail account…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.21: Project In Depth — Force Multiplication
Howard answers questions about "Force Multiplication," (the 12th Schlock Mercenary book) as posed by Brandon, Dan, and Mary.Our Sponsors:* Check out…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.20: Cathartic Horror
Michael R. Collings and Michaelbrent Collings discuss cathartic horror with Brandon, Dan, and Mary in front of a live audience at UVU.Our Sponsors:* Check out…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.19: Q&A at UVU
A Q&A with James Dashner covering paragraph edits, plotting, writing prequels to existing series, and more.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
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Writing Excuses 7.18: Discovering your Voice
What is your "voice" and how do you identify it? James Artimus Owen joins us for this discussion before a live audience at Life, The Universe, and…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.17: Guns and Fiction
Guest and gun-nut Larry Correia joins the Writing Excuses crew to talk firearms, fiction, and common mistakes.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my…
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Writing Excuses 7.16: Continuing with Mary’s Outline
In this second part a VERY SPECIAL two-part session of Writing Excuses Brandon, Dan, and Howard continue to tear into Mary's first novel outline.Our Sponsors:*…
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Writing Excuses 7.15: Editing Mary’s Outline
In this outlining demonstration Mary reads from an early outline, then Brandon, Dan, and Howard brutally dissect it.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.14: Writing Excuses
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard tell you all the reasons why you shouldn't actually be writing, and why, especially at this time of the year, these writing…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.13: Man Vs. Nature
Brandon and Mary school Howard on "Man vs. Nature." They might school the rest of us, too.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code…
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Writing Excuses 7.12: Writing the Omniscient Viewpoint
Brandon, Mary, and Howard talk about the strengths of the omniscient POV, how to use it well, and what pitfalls to avoid.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.11: More Microcasting
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard field seven questions in fifteen minutes and forty-two seconds: a new land-speed record!Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.10: Importance of Criticism, with David Brin
David Brin joins Mary and Dan for a discussion of the importance of criticism.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.9: Microcasting
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard field questions from Twitter, including what to do if you don't like your characters, keeping your plot on track, and how…
- Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses 7.8: The City as a Character
Sarah Pinborough joins Mary and Dan at World Fantasy for a very writerly discussion of London. Also, they discuss using a city as a character.Our Sponsors:*…
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Writing Excuses 7.7: Historical Fantasy
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard talk about Historical Fantasy (differentiating it from Alternate History), its popularity, and how you might go about beginning…