Writing Excuses

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Writing Excuses 4.33: Trunk Novels Aug 23, 2010

Show notes

Recorded live at Dragons & Fairy Tales, this episode is for anybody who has a novel or two (or more) sitting in the bottom of their trunk. What are the best ways to re-use old material you've set aside? We talk about rewriting entire novels, repurposing plots or characters, and moving stories from one place to another. Sometimes we do this because an idea is just too good to let sit, but the execution on that idea (at least the first time around) wasn't good enough. And sometimes we shouldn't do it at all. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: Feed by Mira Grant - it's 1/3 zombie novel, 2/3 political thriller. Writing Prompt: "Interspeciated workplace." Go! Prompt #2: You just got a "Cease & Desist" from a webcartoonist... Audience Noises: Delivered on cue, thanks to cleverly positioned signs... 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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Writing Excuses 4.32: First Paragraphs Aug 16, 2010

Show notes

Recorded live at Dragons & Fairy Tales in Eagle Mountain, Utah, this episode features the work of several brave souls who submitted their first paragraphs to us for critique. We are not American Idol -- we're not out to rip these to shreds. We offer constructive criticism, highlight the good we find, and point out where improvements could be employed. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett, which Howard loves because of the risks the author took. Writing Prompt: You're writing in your journal for the first time in ten years, and the last ten years included the invasion of Earth. That Thunder You Can Barely Hear: It was really, really loud. And funny. 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 4.31: Line Editing Dialog Aug 09, 2010

Show notes

A practical, example-filled look at tuning up rough dialog.

Writing Excuses 4.30: Worldbuilding the Future Aug 02, 2010

Show notes

How to build a future setting for your novel by extrapolating from the present, working backwards from the story you want to tell, and getting those to meet in the middle.

Writing Excuses 4.29: Line Editing Jul 26, 2010

Show notes

Brandon, Dan, and Howard demonstrate line-editing on an ancient manuscript.

Writing Excuses 4.28: Brainstorming The End and Working Backwards Jul 19, 2010

Show notes

Brandon, Dan, and Howard start at the ending and work their way backwards for your enjoyment.

Writing Excuses 4.27: Major Overhauls to Broken Stories Jul 12, 2010

Show notes

What do you do when, halfway through the book you're writing, you realize it needs to be completely rebuilt? More importantly, how do you figure this out in the first place? This podcast came about as a result of a question from a listener, but the question was specific to "what if you find out it's too derivative?" As it turns out, that's just one of the many problems you can discover midway through a novel. We spend the first half of the cast discussing how each of us identify the showstopping problems that require us to overhaul our works. We then talk about the process of fixing things that might, at first glance, appear to be completely unfixable. Sometimes we shift pieces of paper around, sometimes we push blocks of text around in our word processors, and sometimes we have to do something really significant, like adding an entirely new character or point-of-view. One of the best features of this particular 'cast is the bit in the second half where Howard and Dan grill Brandon about his process for Towers of Midnight. Wheel of Time fans won't find any spoilers, but they'll certainly gain some insight. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett, which Howard loves because of the "stand-up-and-cheer" moments of heroism throughout the book. Writing Prompt: Take something you've already written, grab a throwaway concept in that story, and rewrite that scene or chapter so the throwaway bit is now the major focus. Moment of Extreme Hubris: "I give lessons." Listen for it. That Episode on Stealing for Fun and Profit: Right here. 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 4.26: Avoiding Stilted Dialog Jul 05, 2010

Show notes

"How do we avoid writing stilted dialog?" asked Brandon adverbially.

Writing Excuses 4.25: Mating Plumage Jun 27, 2010

Show notes

James Dashner and Julie Wright talk covers, titles, and first lines with Brandon and Dan.

Writing Excuses 4.24: Random Storytelling Jun 20, 2010

Show notes

James Dashner and Julie Wright join Brandon and Dan at CONduit in Salt Lake City, and may end up wishing they hadn't. Brandon throws sets of story concepts at the crew, and asks them to quickly frame serious stories with a solid settings and cool characters. The first set of story elements: Church accountant contact lenses that ruin your vision brain implants The second set of story elements: Hell for English Majors Key that will lock any door The third set of story elements: Janitors are trying to take over the world They're going to be stopped by a superhero with no arms It can't be silly Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan Writing Prompt: This whole episode was made of writing prompts. Pick one! Fun Random Fact: Howard worked as a church accountant for a while and he owns contact lenses that do, in fact, impair his vision. Freaky Bonus Thanks: We couldn't have recorded this episode without help from our friends at Dungeon Crawlers Radio. 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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