Writing Excuses

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Writing Excuses 5.25: Writing in Other People’s Universes Feb 21, 2011

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So, you want to write a Star Wars book? Kevin J. Anderson joins Brandon, Dan, and Howard to tackle writing in other people's universes.

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Writing Excuses 5.24: The Author’s Responsibility to the Reader Feb 14, 2011

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Kevin J. Anderson discusses author productivity with Brandon, Dan, and Howard.

Writing Excuses 5.23: Life Day! Feb 07, 2011

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Mary Robinette Kowal and Dave Wolverton again join Dan and Howard, and this time we're talking about holidays in fantasy and science-fiction. This 'cast was recorded at Superstars Writing Seminars, and Moses Siregar III of Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing captured us on video as we recorded. What sorts of things result in holidays? Historically we see them at the solstices and the equinoxes, planting and harvest, and commemorations of important events. We talk about all of these, and how to work them into your own writing without sounding like you're just filing the serial numbers off of Christmas, Halloween, and Mardi Gras. So of course we also talk about how to do this wrong. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: METAtropolis: Cascadia, by Jay Lake, Mary Robinette Kowal, Elizabeth Bear, Ken Scholes, Karl Schroeder, and Tobias Buckell, and narrated by Rene Auberjonois, Kate Mulgrew, Wil Wheaton, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, and Jay Lake. Writing Prompt: Make up a holiday that isn't based on anything you've seen. Exclamation Howard Thought He'd Never Use: Bone Puppet Day! This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by Audible. Visit http://AudiblePodcast.com/excuse for a free trial membership*. *Note: From the Audible website, here are the terms of the free membership. Read the fine print, please! Audible® Free Trial Details Get your first 14 days of the AudibleListener® Gold membership plan free, which includes one audiobook credit. After your 14 day trial, your membership will renew each month for just $14.95 per month so you can continue to receive one audiobook credit per month plus members-only discounts on all audio purchases. A very small number of titles are more than one credit. Cancel your membership before your free trial period is up and you will not be charged. Thereafter, cancel anytime, effective the next billing cycle. Any unused audiobook credits will be lost at cancellation.

Writing Excuses 5.22: Film Considerations Jan 31, 2011

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Mary Robinette Kowal and Dave Wolverton join Dan and Howard for a discussion of movie considerations and formulas.

Writing Excuses 5.21: Alternate History Jan 24, 2011

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Mary Robinette Kowal and Eric Flint join Howard and Dan for a discussion of Alternate history - what, why, and how.

Writing Excuses 5.20: More Dialog Exercises Jan 17, 2011

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Brandon, Dan, and Howard critique some dialog-only writing exercises from listeners.

Writing Excuses 5.19: Fulfilling Promises to Your Readers Jan 10, 2011

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Brandon, Dan, and Howard give examples of making, keeping, and breaking promises to your readers.

Writing Excuses 5.18: Offending Your Readers Jan 03, 2011

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Brandon, Dan, and Howard discuss avoiding unnecessary offense as writers.

Writing Excuses 5.17: Dialog Exercises Dec 28, 2010

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Brandon, Dan, and Howard critique some tagless dialog submissions.

Writing Excuses 5.16: Critiquing Dan’s First Novel Dec 20, 2010

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Late last season we took a look at Brandon's first novel and did some line-editing and critiquing. It was so much fun we decided that Dan needed to take a turn in the dunking booth. He totally gets wet. In the course of dunking Dan we cover beginnings, descriptions, character development, pacing, and viewpoint as we tear into the first couple of pages of this novel. Brandon and Howard argue a bit over stylistic approaches, and of course Dan doesn't get a say in things because he drowned. (Note: Dan does get a say in things, but mostly because he is not defending his old work at all.) Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs Writing Prompt: Take an idiomatic expression and make it literal (not as a pun.) For instance, "the crack of dawn" as an actual crack in the sky through which dawn's light shines. Word That Is Not A Word But Totally Should Be: Discontiguity: [dis-kon-ti-gyoo-i-tee] - noun. A break in a series of things in continuous connection. A severance of contact. Word That Isn't In The Book, But Brandon Totally Put It There: Scrumptiously. This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by Audible. Visit http://AudiblePodcast.com/excuse for a free trial membership*. *Note: From the Audible website, here are the terms of the free membership. Read the fine print, please! Audible® Free Trial Details Get your first 14 days of the AudibleListener® Gold membership plan free, which includes one audiobook credit. After your 14 day trial, your membership will renew each month for just $14.95 per month so you can continue to receive one audiobook credit per month plus members-only discounts on all audio purchases. A very small number of titles are more than one credit. Cancel your membership before your free trial period is up and you will not be charged. Thereafter, cancel anytime, effective the next billing cycle. Any unused audiobook credits will be lost at cancellation.

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