Writing Excuses

Latest Episodes:

Writing Excuses 7.48: Pixar Rules for Writing a Compelling Story Nov 26, 2012

Show notes

Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary review some of Emma Coats' "Pixar Rules" for storytelling

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NaNoWriMo 2012: Bonus Episode 3, with Howard Nov 23, 2012

Show notes

Howard Tayler gives NaNoWriMo participants a pep-talk on their way into the last week of the month.

Writing Excuses 7.47: Raising the Stakes Nov 19, 2012

Show notes

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 talking about the "stakes" and the escalation thereof.

NaNoWriMo 2012: Bonus Mini-Episode 2, with Dan & Rob Nov 15, 2012

Show notes

Dan Wells and Robison Wells give you a pep talk for the second week of NaNoWriMo.

Writing Excuses 7.46: Project in Depth The Emperor’s Soul Nov 12, 2012

Show notes

Brandon talks in depth about his novella "The Emperor's Soul"

NaNoWriMo 2012: Bonus Mini-Episode 1, with Brandon & Mary Nov 08, 2012

Show notes

Brandon and Mary take time out from World Fantasy to encourage everyone participating in NaNoWriMo.

Writing Excuses 7.45: Microcasting Nov 05, 2012

Show notes

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 pitfalls of jumping from novels to short fiction, and vice versa? Do you need to start with short fiction first? (This answer involves this link to Jim C. Hines.) Should a novice writer fix glaring story problems during a draft, or wait until after? Can a self-published author get picked up by a traditional publisher? How do you get over the fear of writing something unoriginal? (We break this question into two larger questions--we can do that, we use Author Math--and reference some previous episodes.) (We should also point out the irony that yes, Howard is usually the one who writes these up, but on the one day we say it's going to be Howard it's actually Dan.) Can I pay you to help me outline my story? (The answer to this particular question involves what I call "a massive yet slightly late announcement" about the "Out of Excuses" Workshop and Retreat. We also just announced a scholarship for the retreat.)