Writing Excuses 8.2: Hero’s Journey
Beowulf didn’t kill Grendel on a day trip, Luke didn’t overthrow Emperor Palpatine in just one season, and here at Writing Excuses, we didn’t get around to properly discussing the Hero’s Journey until...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 8.5: Breaking the Rules
Oh yeah, it’s time to break some rules! We’ve said that you’ve got to learn the rules before you break them, but here, eight seasons in, you probably already know them. So let’s make with the breaking!...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 8.12: Project in Depth — Deus ex Nauseum
Brandon, Dan, and Mary interview Howard about how he assembled “Deus ex Nauseum,” the bonus story that appears at the end of Schlock Mercenary: Emperor Pius Dei. Howard begins with the story’s genesis,...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 8.20: The Short Story, with Mary Robinette Kowal
The number one request we got when we asked you what you’d like us to talk about? Short story writing. Mary is our resident expert, and if she weren’t already a member of the cast, she’d our go-to...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 8.26: Space Opera
This week’s episode covers the perjoratively-named sub-genre, space opera. These are adventure stories in which the setting is futuristic, but in which the science is secondary. The lines are blurry,...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 8.33: Making Non-Human Characters Relatable
How do you help your readers relate to the non-human characters in your fiction? The first question to answer is why you’re putting non-human characters in the piece to begin with. What are your goals...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 9.8: When is your Handwavium Good Enough?
Eric James Stone and the Wilhelm Scream join us for a talk about “handwavium,” that stuff that you use instead of through-and-through hard science. It’s that part where you wave your hand and say...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 9.33: Microcasting
Microcasting! It’s our Q&A format, in which each answer is like its own, tiny little podcast, only without its own unique URL, intro, writing prompt, or any of the other trappings that would...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 10.15: Worldbuilding Wilderness with Wes Chu
Wes Chu, author and adventurer, recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and has some things to say about all the wilderness trekking that our characters do in the books we write, and how we often forget to...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 10.26: Q&A on Scenes and Description
We close June’s Master Class episodes in the usual manner, with a Q&A from our listeners and followers on Twitter. How do you “Show, don’t tell” a character’s thoughts? How do you describe a...
View ArticleWriting Excuses Season 2 Episode 1: Q&A on Setting and Characters at Mountain...
You didn’t think we’d just keep going with the same old stuff forever, did you? Well, actually we are, but now we’re calling it Season 2. This season begins with a series of episodes recorded at...
View ArticleWriting Excuses Season 2 Episode 18: World Building Governments
Let’s get back to world-building, and dig into a tough one: government. In this case we’re talking about government as part of the backdrop, rather than political intrigue as part of the plot. Are you...
View ArticleWriting Excuses Season 2 Episode 28: Applying Critical Reading: “Watchmen”
Last week we talked about reading critically, reading as writers. This week we decided to apply that critical reading skill to Watchmen, the Hugo award-winning graphic novel by Alan Moore, illustrated...
View ArticleWriting Excuses Season 3 Episode 1: World-Building History
Welcome to Season 3 of Writing Excuses! With eighteen hours and fourteen months of podcasting history behind us, it seems appropriate for us to talk about history, and how to write it. We talk about...
View ArticleWriting Excuses Season 3 Episode 2: Keeping it Real with Aprilynne Pike
This episode was recorded live at CONduit in Salt Lake City with special guest Aprilynne Pike. Our topic: How do we “keep it real” when writing speculative fiction? What does that even mean? (Okay, it...
View ArticleWriting Excuses Season 3 Episode 22: Idea to Story
You are going to love this episode. Seriously. Brandon throws an idea at Dan and Howard, and then we spend 15 minutes expanding on that idea as if we were going to base a story around it. You people...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 4.12: Writing An Epic
Epic podcast! Except it's only fifteen minutes long... because you're in a hurry, and we'll tell you how to write an epic.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 4.18: How to Steal for Fun and Profit
Forget "Anxiety of Influence." Let's talk about how to borrow, beg, and outright steal from pop culture, history, and mythology.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 4.21: Writing Practical Fantasy
L.E. Modesitt and Robison Wells join Brandon and Dan for a discussion of "practical" fantasy. Recorded live at CONduit in Salt Lake City.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 4.30: Worldbuilding the Future
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.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.17: Dialog Exercises
Brandon, Dan, and Howard critique some tagless dialog submissions.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.18: Offending Your Readers
Brandon, Dan, and Howard discuss avoiding unnecessary offense as writers.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.23: Life Day!
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...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.25: Writing in Other People’s Universes
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.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.26: Scared for the Characters
Sherrilyn Kenyon tells us all how to make readers fear for the characters in her books.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.34: Story Bibles
Let’s talk about bibles. Specifically, story bibles. What are they, why do we use them, why might we NOT use them, and what tools are working for us? Howard again plugs wikidpad, which he converted...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.35: Brainstorming Urban Fantasy
Brandon, Dan, and Howard brainstorm an urban fantasy set in a big-box store in Park City, Utah.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 5.36: Non-Traditional Settings with Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed, Nebula- and Campbell-award nominee joins Brandon and Howard for a discussion of setting -- specifically, setting an epic fantasy in something besides the traditional, Western European...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 6.6: Cyberpunk
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard take a high-level look at cyberpunk (the literary genre) for writers considering creating something along those lines.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 6.7: Brainstorming a Cyberpunk Story
Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary brainstorm a cyberpunk story using concepts pulled at random from a mythology textbook.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 6.10: Scott Card’s M.I.C.E. Quotient
Mary walks Brandon, Dan, and Howard through the Milieu, Idea, Character, and Event (M.I.C.E.) quotient from Orson Scott Card, and then they retell the Billy Goats Gruff four times.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 6.11: Making Your Descriptions Do More Than One Thing
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard approach writing descriptions from several different angles and at least five disciplines in order to help you get more done with less purple.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 6.13: World Building Communications Technology
Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary discuss communications technology, and how the ability for characters to communicate is a critical piece of your world-building, whether you're writing science-fiction,...
View ArticleWriting Excuses 6.14: Suspension of Disbelief
Patrick Rothfuss joins the crew at WorldCon 69 for a discussion of how to get readers to suspend their disbelief.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 6.27: Fantasy Setting Yard Sale
Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard brainstorm some fantasy setting elements for you. Need a magic system on the cheap? How about a political power structure?
View ArticleWriting 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 to write it.
View ArticleWriting 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.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 7.13: Man Vs. Nature
Brandon and Mary school Howard on "Man vs. Nature." They might school the rest of us, too.
View ArticleWriting 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.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 7.24: Project in Depth — Way of Kings
Brandon answers "The Way of Kings" questions from Mary, Howard, and Dan.
View ArticleWriting Excuses 7.31: Project in Depth — Hollow City
Spoilers galore as we discuss "Hollow City," in depth, with author Dan Wells
View ArticleWriting Excuses 7.32: Astronomy 101 for Writers
Eric James Stone joins the cast to talk astronomy as a tool for world-building
View ArticleWriting 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 early."
View ArticleWriting Excuses 7.51: Brainstorming with Mary
Mary invites Brandon, Dan, and Howard to brainstorm a story with her.
View ArticleWriting 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 well.
View Article14.18: Setting as Theme
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard Theme is one of those high-falutin’ concepts we’re often reluctant to approach in a nuts-and-bolts sort of way. In this episode we’ll talk about how...
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