Writing Excuses

While at CONduit, we recorded three episodes of Writing Excuses in front of an audience, and this is the first of those. In this episode we have Dan Willis join us as we take questions from the crowd. The four of us discuss voicing characters, naming things, writing Act II, and how you set about finishing your book. Oh, and for all of you who have complained that fifteen minutes is not long enough... we ran clear out to 17:30 on this one. Enjoy! Liner notes: You can find Dan Willis' website here: http://www.dansrealm.com/Dans_Realm/Home/Home.html Orson Scott Card's Essays on naming: http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/lessons/2003-03-05-1.shtml and http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/lessons/2003-03-05-2.shtml And this week, Writing Excuses is sponsored by The Well of Ascension: Book Two of Mistborn Mass Market Paperback by Brandon Sanderson.

The Writing Excuses crew tackles writer's block again, this time approaching the "This Sucks And I'm A Horrible Writer" mindset. Dan relates his Neil Gaiman anecdote, Brandon explains why he'd written so many books before getting published, and Howard throws down the gauntlet on neverending Chapter One revisions. If you're stuck because you think your current book sucks, this is the podcast for you. This week from our sponsor Tor, check out Escapement by Jay Lake.

Howard kicks this off with his own sure-fire cure for Writers' Block, "BIC HOK:" Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. The Writing Excuses team takes off from there, discussing the different kinds of Writers' Block, and how to overcome each of them. We cover free-writing, re-reading and reviewing, and focusing on your motivations for writing... and for NOT writing, which is often the heart of the problem. This week from our sponsor Tor, check out Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.

This week the Writing Excuses team discusses magic again, this time focusing on the cost of magic. Whether or not your magic system has internally-consistent rules your readers can follow (per Sanderson's First Law and last week's 'cast) you need to consider the ramifications of using magic in the worlds you create. Or at least, that's what we think. Have a listen and find out why. Also, this week Howard attempts to create "Tayler's First Law" using a donkey. It can't have gone too well, since by the end of the podcast he's willing to give the donkey away. This week from our sponsor, Tor: Jack: Secret Histories , by F. Paul Wilson

Does magic need rules? Sometimes yes and sometimes no; our intrepid podcasters talk about how to know which situation is which, and explore the pros and cons of each method. We'll also yak for a while about the differences between Superman and Gandalf, which makes us, if nothing else, huge nerds. Liner Notes: Sanderson's first law This week from our sponsor, Tor: The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two B ,by Ben Bova (Editor)

In part two of our chat with editor Stacy Whitman, we discuss more about how to interact with editors: how to approach them at cons, how to inquire about work you've already submitted, and how to butter them up by asking about their current projects. To cap it off, we ask Stacy about her current projects. This week from our sponsor, Tor: The Wolfman , by Nicholas Pekearo

This week, special guest Stacy Whitman joins us from Mirrorstone books (an imprint of Wizards of the Coast). Stacy works there as an editor, and helps us understand the submission process, including acting like a professional, doing your research, following submission guidelines, and all sorts of things NOT to do with your submissions. Stacy also shares her story about Holes, and how you have to know the rules to break them. Liner Notes: We've got a lot of links for you this week. First of all, Stacy keeps a blog on LiveJournal (slwhitman.livejournal.com), and she works for Mirrorstone, whose submission guidelines can be found here. Mentioned in the podcast: Kristen Nelson's Blog (You Know You Have Tired YA When...), the Hallowmere series, and Hallowmere's author Tiffany Trent. And this week from our sponsor Tor, Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow

So... you're ready for the big-time. You're a writer, and the writing is almost paying the bills. Hurray! Now, how do you balance your life so that you can make the jump to writing full-time? How do you manage your time? How do you keep your artistic side from accusing you of selling out? The Writing Excuses Crew answers these questions and more, as we explore the business side of writing. Also if you listen closely you'll hear Smart Howard somewhere in this podcast. We think he's like Howard's evil twin. And this week from Tor, The SFWA European Hall of Fame

Pacing... it's all about keeping the tension up, keeping things snappy, and keeping the reader interested. This week the Writing Excuses crew delivers some tips, tricks, and tools you can use to get your story flowing in all the right ways. Also, on Sunday The Salt Lake Tribune posted an article about Podcasting in Utah. Jordan Sanderson and Howard Tayler were interviewed for this article. You can read it here. Writing Excuses, with quotes from Howard, is mentioned near the end of the article. And this week from Tor, The Hidden World, by Paul Park

This week we continue our discussion on Science Fiction with a discussion of various Sub-genres, why they're different, and what you can do to make sure you know your audience. Sub-genres covered: Space Opera, Military, Hard SF, and Cyberpunk. Sub-genres not covered: Dystopia, Steam-punk, and whatever it is Philip K. Dick writes. Ad: Tor Book Of the Week Keeper Of Dreams

In the first of our series on genres, we discuss why people write Sci-Fi, what you need to know to write Sci-Fi, and how much we all love unicorns.

If you're new to Writing Excuses, or if you're just curious about some of the terminology we use, let us break it down for you. These are the rules/tricks that we use to keep ourselves on task.

Are flaws necessary for villains? What traits make for a really good (err... evil?) villain? What's the difference between Sauron and Gollum? ("That's the LAST time I send you out shopping for Gollums, son...") Liner Notes: The Evil Overlord List, a handy reference for tropes to avoid (or, as the case may be, exploit...)

Is there a difference between the two?  How do you use each appropriately in your writing?  And how lovable can a group of mercenaries be?

Brandon, Howard and Dan talk about their first exposure to RPG games, Gary Gygax and the influence he had on them and the industry.

What makes a good hero? Why is Dirk Pitt so cool? Why do people like Superman? And why does Howard-with-a-chest-cold start to sound like Barry White? Some of these questions are answered in this episode while others are better left unexplained. LINER NOTES: Howard repeatedly invoked John August's blog post about heroes, protagonists, and main characters. Here it is.

The first line of any story is the most important. People get drawn in to a book because of the first line. Brandon, Howard and Dan talk about how to start a book and what's important about the first line.

How do you make your novel better? Sometimes you have to cut out the part you like best. Don't believe me? Before I posted this I had attached an image of a chimp wearing a tux. Brandon's Deleted Scenes Howard's Original Time-Travel Outline

How do you know when your setting of high school kids solve supernatural mysteries becomes cliché?  Brandon, Howard and Dan discuss how you create unique concepts by blending familiar topics with something new and original and how to avoid possible pitfalls.

Brandon, Howard and Dan discuss where their ideas come from and Howard tells us a little too much about his love of Pepsi. wikidPad Home Page