Writing Excuses
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On our third episode diving into Voice through the novella “This Is How You Lose The Time War,” we begin to explore the different voices that make up the two main characters in the story. Last episode we dove into Red’s voice– if you haven’t already, we recommend you listen to that first! Today, we are doing a close read of Blue at the tea shop and how voice establishes character, growth, and vulnerability. How do the authors make Blue’s voice distinct from Red’s? Is it in the tone, the structure, or something else completely? THING OF THE WEEK: By Claudia Gray https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671898/the-late-mrs-willoughby-by-claudia-gray/ HOMEWORK: Write a short note from one of your characters to another about something important to them. Now rewrite it as a text message (change the format), as a letter that will be screened before it gets to them by an outsider (change the context), and as a final message they will get to send (change the stakes). SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Today, we are doing a close read of Red's opening narration and how Red’s voice communicates both character and world in an effective and efficient way. We read several sections aloud and dive into what each sensory detail is doing. Also Mary Robinette talks about what she thinks is the most effective way to draw your readers attention to something. THING OF THE WEEK: Planet Crafter https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_planet_crafter#:~:text=to%2030%20days.-,The%20Planet%20Crafter,geo%2Dengineer%20an%20entire%20planet! HOMEWORK: Take a sentence from your work in progress and rewrite it to adjust the age of the character to make them a child. Do it again to make them from a different region. And again to give them a different profession. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Our Sponsors: * Check out undefined and use my code WX for a great deal: undefined Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
The book that became a New York Times Bestseller because of a tweet. Well, it won LOTS of awards when it came out, but it was rediscovered by a Twitter account with a large following. So-- let's get into it! On our first episode diving into Voice using the short novel "This Is How You Lose The Time War", we talk about why Voice is essential and some working definitions of how we want to talk about it. We also explain why we chose this book and highlight some of the things it's done well, and what you can learn from it! THING OF THE WEEK: Scavengers Reign https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21056886/ HOMEWORK: Take a sentence from a work you love that has a strong and clear voice. Write a scene based on that as a prompt, in the same tone and voice as the original. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
You’ve probably seen us posting about our Close Reading Series, and in his episode, we finally officially introduce it! For most of the remainder of 2024, we’ll be diving into five core elements of writing by focusing on five different literary texts. We’ll spend five episodes on each one, and then we’re going to… drumroll please… interview the author(s)! As you know, we’ve spent lots of time reading, writing, talking, and recording our thoughts about different elements of the craft. But this year, we wanted to ground our episodes in specific texts that you could read along– and analyze– with us! Below is the schedule for each book or short story we’ll be diving into. The date on the right in parenthesis is the air date of the first episode in our series that will begin talking about that text. We highly recommend you read the book by that date, as we will be talking about the entirety of the text for all 5 episodes (including spoilers!) First up: This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar You can buy this (and all the other books!) through our bookshop link-- this is linked in our bio in addition to right here: https://bookshop.org/lists/close-readings-season-19 Close Reading Series: Texts & Timeline VOICE: by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar (March 17) WORLDBUILDING: by Arkady Martine (May 12) CHARACTER: “You Perfect, Broken Thing,” “The Cook,” and “Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home” by CL Clark (July 7) TENSION: byP. Djèlí Clark (September 1) STRUCTURE: by N.K. Jemisin (October 13) THING OF THE WEEK: SHINOBIGAMI: Modern Ninja Battle RPG https://shinobigami.com/ HOMEWORK: Take a scene from a work that you love and five highlighters/crayons/colored pencils - use one color to underline/highlight places where the voice comes through, one for great worldbuilding, one for character moments, one for any moments of tension, and one for moments that move the plot forward. What colors do you end up with? Where do they overlap? What are the colors of the moments you love the most? What would the colors of one of your scenes be? SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Hosts Erin and DongWon are joined by Fonda Lee and Mahtab Narsimhan for a special episode about creating traditions in your fictional writing. In this episode, we'll explore some of the following: -How do you build traditions and rituals in your fictional world (choosing what becomes a tradition or ritual and what doesn’t)? -How can you use rituals or traditions to advance a novel’s plot, give characters more depth, and create conflict? -What are the pitfalls to avoid (depiction of closed practices, over-ritualizing common traditions)? HOMEWORK: Pick a ritual or tradition that you are very accustomed to and make it the center of a fictional scene. You can change its meaning or impact, but the content of the tradition should stay the same. THING OF THE WEEK: Shanghai Immortal by AY Chao https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781399717441-shanghai-immortal (especially the audiobook version) LINER NOTES: This podcast episode idea was inspired by ReaderCon 2023, where Erin Roberts was a panelist. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
An agent, an editor, and a writer walk into a Zoom room and record a podcast... but really... that's (part of) what this episode is! First off, a reminder that your agent, your editor, and you are all on the same team! They are all trying to make the same book (your book!) a better book. Whether you've published before or are just starting your first short story, we are so excited for you to dive into this episode. For our final episode in our three-part series on revising your NaNoWriMo manuscript—or any other large writing project—we are diving into how to work with an editor! We wanted to show you a peek behind the curtain that is publishing and editing-- what does this relationship look like? How do you handle differences, conflicts, and priorities? What IS an edit letter? Our guest for this series has been the inimitable editor Ali Fisher, who works at Tor. Thank you, Ali, for your advice, stories, and time! HOMEWORK: Take a work written by someone else (anyone else!) and come up with three questions you have for the author that would help them clarify their intention in the text. This could be a movie you've seen, a project you're beta-reading for a friend, or a short story you've stumbled upon. Then, apply these questions to your own work in progress! THING OF THE WEEK FROM ALI: Ali has two podcast recommendations for you! Rude Tales of Magic https://www.rudetalesofmagic.com/ Oh These, Those Stars of Space! https://ohthesethosestarsofspace.simplecast.com/ SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
For our second episode in this three-part series on revising your NaNoWriMo novel—or any other larger project you have—we are diving into intentions with Tor editor Ali Fisher. We asked her how she helps writers figure out what their books are about, and how she helps set intentions for revisions. Ali talks with us about how its important to be kind to yourself -- and your writing-- during the revision process. She also gives us advice for how you, as a writer, can lean into what you do well. HOMEWORK: From editor Ali Fisher: write down what you like best about your book. Find a spot in your book where you can incorporate that element where it isn't now. THING OF THE WEEK: by Dera White, illustrated by Joe Bennett https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250760432 by Joe Pera; illustrated by Joe Bennett https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250782694/abathroombookforpeoplenotpoopingorpeeingbutusingthebathroomasanescape Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Ali Fisher, editor at Tor Books and member of the podcast , joins us for a three-part series on editing. First up: length! How do you edit your work—whether it's a book or a short story or a novella? Maybe you wrote a draft during NaNoWriMo, maybe you didn't-- either way, we want to help you figure out how to make your writing the perfect length. HOMEWORK: Find two scenes next to each other from your writing. Remove the scene break and write bridging text between the two of them instead. Then, find a different scene that has that bridging text, and cut it into two different scenes so that you are removing it and creating new signposts. See what this does to length and your perception of the pacing. THING OF THE WEEK (FROM ALI FISHER): by Kacen Callender https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250890252/infinityalchemist SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Some writers love revisions and some would rather scrub the toilet than revise their writing. On this episode, we are joined by author Mahtab Narsimhan, who many will recognize as a host from past seasons! Mahtab talks with our hosts about how she thinks about revisions. How do you revise your writing? What is the difference between revising and rewriting? Mahtab describes her favorite techniques and provides tips to make it more manageable. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FROM MAHTAB NARSIMHAN: Take the first 3 chapters of your finished draft and distill it by 1) Chapter 2) Scenes 3) Key plot points per scene 4) POV 5) Setting 6) Time of day/timeline 7) How many pages per scene and/or chapter. THING OF THE WEEK: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jessica-townsend/nevermoor-the-trials-of-morrigan-crow/9780316508896/ LINER NOTES: The Revision Template that Mahtab mentions is a free resource on our Patreon! You can find it at www.patreon.com/writingexcuses http://www.patreon.com/writingexcuses SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Pacing is one of the most subjective and difficult aspects of storytelling to get right. What is pacing? How do you know what the right pace is for a story, and what techniques can you use to speed up or slow down your narrative? HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FROM FONDA LEE: Take a page of a work-in-progress project and experiment with the pacing. Ideally, this should be a page with some dialogue or tension between characters. First, try to speed it up: cut description, be tight with dialogue, move the scene quickly. Then do the opposite: rewrite the scene but this time slow it down. Include more context, character interiority, exposition, and scene building. Compare the two versions. Which serves your story better? THING OF THE WEEK: The Book of Witches https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-book-of-witches-jonathan-strahan?variant=40962861760546 SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
A few months ago, we were on a cruise ship in Alaska recording podcast episodes for 2024! This live recording features a Q&A with cruise attendees, who were given the opportunity to ask questions to Marshall Carr, our audio engineer, and Emma Reynolds, our producer. In this episode, we talked about the benefits of MFA programs, astrology, and how to continue learning without being overwhelmed. HOMEWORK FROM EMMA REYNOLDS: What homework would you give yourself as a writer today? What homework would you have given yourself a year ago? Let us know your answers on instagram, tag us @Writing_Excuses and we'll repost you! THING OF THE WEEK FROM MARSHALL CARR: A Necessary Chaos by Brent Lambert https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/a-necessary-chaos SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
We have a LIVE podcast recording from September 2023, when we were hosting one of our writing retreats on a cruise ship in Alaska! (To learn about our next WX Retreats, check out: https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/ Or apply for our scholarships by January 31 at https://writingexcuses.com/scholarships/ This episode features questions from our writers, and those who attended our 2023 WXR Cruise to Alaska! We answered questions about success, what happens after you’re a NYTimes bestseller, and how you can record your own audiobook. HOMEWORK: Go listen to the most recent episode of the podcast Just Keep Writing https://justkeepwriting.podbean.com/. THING OF THE WEEK: Just Keep Writing https://www.justkeepwriting.org/ is a podcast cohosted by Marshall, our incredible recording engineer. It’s a podcast for writers, by writers, to keep you writing. The podcast focuses on building community and lifting marginalized voices. Learn more at justkeepwriting.org, or listen wherever you get your podcasts! SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
In our first episode of 2024, we interviewed author and physician Abraham Verghese https://www.abrahamverghese.org/, who most recently published "The Covenant of Water." We talked with Verghese about how to convey technical information in fiction. Verghese explains how he shares medical and world-building details in the most engaging way. We also asked Verghese how to make things feel real without overwhelming your reader, and how he has mastered conveying the passing of time. We also discussed verisimilitude, translation, point of view, and revision (we love revision!). HOMEWORK: From Abraham Verghese: Write a landscape in three different moods. Imagine that someone dear to you has died and you are now gazing at the landscape. Describe it without any reference to this event in your life. The second time you write it as if you were experiencing a moment of great joy, and you're looking at that landscape. The third time, imagine you are in a terrible rage and you are describing this landscape. This allows you to explore how descriptions of the physical world can reflect the various moods of characters. THING OF THE WEEK: "How To Draw A Novel" by Martín Solares https://groveatlantic.com/book/how-to-draw-a-novel/ (recommended by Abraham Verghese) Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Rent isn't paid in words alone. How do all of us, in various stages of our careers, keep ourselves afloat as we go about the writing life? We're getting in the weeds with this one - tips, tricks, and tools. We share our thoughts on diversifying your income stream outside of traditional publishing? Let’s get creative. We’re talking about school appearances, copywriting, fellowships, consulting, and teaching. We also share advice about newsletters, Patreon, monetizing yourself, and how an agent can help you overcome your imposter syndrome, HOMEWORK: Write an artist statement for yourself. Think about who you are, what’s important to you, and what are you trying to put out in the world? THING OF THE WEEK: directed by Saim Sadiq Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Factor 75 and use our code wx50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
"Your short story should be a novel." It's something writers are often told when they write short stories. What tips and tricks can you use to keep your idea within the length of the story you're trying to tell? We dive into worldbuilding in miniature, pacing, and character development. We also think about where you can edit your writing down—whether it’s words, plot threads, or characters. HOMEWORK: Write a scene with two different endings - one that puts a button on the story (for short fiction) and one that asks a new question (for a novel). Identify what else would need to change for each to make those endings work. THING OF THE WEEK: by Jon Rosenberg https://amultiverse.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Factor 75 and use our code wx50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Are you interested in experimenting with different writing forms? Do you want to try an unusual or different way of writing? Well this week, we have an episode dedicated to non-traditional formats for writing. In this episode, we think about experimental short fiction from the point of view of publishing and writing. DongWon shares about the incredible success of their publishing of .. Why short stories might be the perfect place for new ideas. We talk about second-person narratives, epistolaries, footnotes, and stories written as research papers. When does it make sense to use a non-traditional format for a story, what should you know as you do it, and who exactly decided on those traditions anyway? HOMEWORK: Take a scene from a story you've written or are working on (maybe from NaNoWriMo!) and put it into a new format. What did you learn in the process? THING OF THE WEEK: by Sayed Tabatabai LINER NOTES: by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/This-Is-How-You-Lose-the-Time-War/Amal-El-Mohtar/9781534430990#:~:text=This%20Is%20How%20You%20Lose,Official%20Publisher%20Page%20%7C%20Simon%20%26%20Schuster by N.K. Jemisin https://nkjemisin.com/writing/the-fifth-season/ Love, Death, and Robots (Netflix) Bite Size Halloween (Hulu) Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Factor 75 and use our code wx50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
All unreliable narrators aren't unreliable in the same way. How do they differ and how does that change the way that we write them? Erin shares her unified theory (look at the graphic below!) of unreliable narrators. HOMEWORK: Take an event that you're familiar with, and write about it as truthfully as possible. Then write about it from the point of view of someone who knows the basics, but not the whole truth, but who tries to tell the entire story anyway. For bonus points, tell the story a third time from the point of view of a lying liar with an agenda. THING OF THE WEEK: by Sarah PInsker LINER NOTES: Unreliable Narrator Graph https://www.patreon.com/posts/graph-of-from-18-93408211?utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink by N.K. Jemisin https://nkjemisin.com/writing/the-fifth-season/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Factor 75 and use my code wx50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
What does it mean if your writing is voice-y? How do you give your character a natural voice? We approach this question from the high-level perspective of craft, and the granular level of word choice and sentence structure. Erin talks about the research she did about Appalachian English for her short story And Mary Robinette Kowal tells us what it’s like to be an audiobook narrator, and how this helps her bring characters to life on the page. Just a reminder that our final episodes of the year will be guided by three of host Erin Roberts’ short stories: Wolfy Things https://podcastle.org/2021/06/01/podcastle-681-tales-from-the-vaults-wolfy-things/, Sour Milk Girls https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/roberts_01_18/, Snake Season https://www.thedarkmagazine.com/snake-season/. Note: these books involve some darker themes. All of these short stories are available for free online and also have audio versions available. HOMEWORK: Listen to someone's voice (a person in a coffee shop, someone on a podcast, etc.) Now write a scene from your WIP trying to approximate the essence of that voice. THING OF THE WEEK: “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang LINER NOTES: “A House with Good Bones”by Ursula Vernon/ T. Kingfisher https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250829801/ahousewithgoodbones Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Factor 75 and use my code wx50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Welcome to the last week of National Novel Writing Month! It’s okay if you aren’t going to finish your book, and it’s also okay if you don’t have 50,000 words! You still did a thing—you created a story that didn’t exist We want to talk about endings. How do you even write the end of a book? How do you NaNoWriMo? There’s no right way! But there are several elements that can help you figure out how to write the end of your book. Our hosts give you guidance for environment, pacing, inversions, character changes, and the denouement. DongWon tells us why writing an obvious ending is not a bad idea, and Mary Robinette gives us advice for writing the ending of a series. Also, Dan offers a wonderful reframe for November if you’re not near the end of your book, or you didn’t reach 50,000 words. (Spoiler: it’s okay. You did, in fact, succeed.) HOMEWORK: Aim towards the MICE elements you opened. We're talking about the big ones here. In an ideal world, you begin letting your character have simple Yes or No answers to the "does it work" to close out the major threads in the inverse order that you opened them. Nesting code. THING OF THE WEEK: A final pep talk from Mary Robinette! LINER NOTES: Better Call Saul https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3032476/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Factor 75 and use my code wx50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
It’s week four of NaNoWriMo! Or, National Novel Writing Month, which happens every year for the month of November. This week, we are talking about how to write climaxes, how to write resolutions, and what exactly the three-quarter mark is. How do you write a climax scene? How to keep your tension going while also finding some resolution. How do you keep track of what you promised your reader at the start of your book? Our hosts dive into these topics and share examples from their own published writing. We talk about how to write emotional resolutions before a novel’s climax. We also learn how Dan taught Mary Robinette to use the 7 point plot structure, and how you can use it while you’re writing your novel (or short story or general writing project). HOMEWORK: Read through what you wrote during your last session. You can make minor edits, but you can’t edit anything. Use brackets to make notes about things you want to plant earlier. But don’t make any of these changes! You’re just using this as a launching pad for yourself and your book. THING OF THE WEEK: A pep talk from DongWon Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Factor 75 and use my code wx50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/ * Check out HelloFresh: http://hellofresh.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
We are now three weeks into NaNoWriMo—where writers are attempting to write a novel in the month of November. For this episode, our writers talk about how to raise the stakes in your story. To make something feel more threatening, you don’t have to make it bigger or flashier, but you have to make it more personal to your character. Often, you don’t need to add an event or plot element, but simply ramp up your character’s connection and reaction. We also talk about multi-thread plots, Star Wars, and getting your reader to be emotionally invested in your characters’ goals. Also—don’t forget to ask for help. (And surprise surprise, the same goes for your characters.) HOMEWORK: Pick an aspect of craft that you feel weak on and choose to focus on it during your next writing session. THING OF THE WEEK: A pep talk from Dan! Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out HelloFresh: http://hellofresh.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Welcome to the first official week of National Novel Writing Month (or, almost the end of this week)! In this episode, we dive into how to write an inciting incident. What is an inciting incident? It is often the thing that goes wrong in your story. Within the first page, writers should have something go wrong. But what should this thing be? Our writers have some advice for questions you can ask yourself in order to understand your novel’s inciting incident. Also, Dan shares a recipe for an inciting incident that he learned from screenwriting, and Mary Robinette talks about the three “trauma attachment points.” HOMEWORK: What does failure look like for your character? Use this to direct your inciting incident. THING OF THE WEEK: A pep talk from Erin! LINER NOTES: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1227926/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out HelloFresh: http://hellofresh.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Welcome to National Novel Writing Month! For November, writers all over the world are trying to complete a novel, or write 50,000 words. In honor of NaNoWriMo, all of our November episodes are going to focus on writing a novel or big project. For our first week—starting! How do you start writing? What do you need to give your readers in at the beginning of your story? How much information is much information? We answer all of these questions, and talk about how these factors will help your story, in our NaNoWriMo kickoff episode! You have a few days left to prepare! Think about when during the day you’ll be writing, and see if you can find some people to help hold you accountable. Do you have a friend who could join? A writing group online or in-person? Check out the NaNoWriMo website at https://nanowrimo.org. A note: all of our episodes for NaNoWriMo will feature a pep talk from a host in the middle of the episode! (These will be taking the place of “thing of the week,” but only for these 5 episodes.) This week, Howard tells us how our mindsets can help us realize we’ve already succeeded. HOMEWORK: Write two different openings. The first one should be action-driven, where your character is a thing. The second one can be anything. THING OF THE WEEK: A pep talk from Howard! Remember, AD-FREE versions of our podcast are available on our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses! Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out HelloFresh: http://hellofresh.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
If you're writing short fiction, how much of your world do you even need to figure out? Should you have it all written out? Can you just wing it? This week on the podcast, we discuss how much of a world to build for a short story (and how). We provide some guiding questions that you can use to build the world of your novel or short story. We explore different narrative structures, DND worlds without police, and the reader's experience. HOMEWORK: Take a big world-building concept and pick one or two iconic elements that bring it to life. Take one and make it a key part of a short scene. Get ready for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month! For the month of November, writers all over the world are trying to complete a novel, or write 50,000 words. In honor of NaNoWriMo, all of our November episodes are going to focus on writing a novel or big project. You don't need to write a whole book, though! We encourage you to work on a smaller project, or simply commit to writing every day. THING OF THE WEEK: The Quiet Year (a map-drawing tabletop role-playing game) Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out HelloFresh: http://hellofresh.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
How do you write about magic? How do you build a world with magic and spells and potions? We dive into the rules and laws behind magical worlds. We often think of magic as being with a system, but what if it's not? What opportunities and challenges do intrusive magic/emergent fantasy and fabulism create for writers and stories? Our writers and publishers talk about cultural differences across magical systems, and how you can build a fantasy world that is believable. We also talk about surrealism, dream logic, and how sometimes the belief in magic is enough. HOMEWORK: Write a scene that brings an element of magic into a mundane place you know well (grocery store, bank, etc.), Try to make it impactful without explaining how it all works. THING OF THE WEEK: by Justin C. Key https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-world-wasnt-ready-for-you-justin-c-key?variant=41016598036514 Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Use code "50WX" at http://hellofresh.com/50WX and get 50% HelloFresh!! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
If you write short stories or enjoy speculative fiction, this episode is for you. Our host Erin Roberts has written short stories, interactive fiction, and has built worlds for tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). For the next 8 episodes, we’ll be diving into three of her short stories. This week, Erin explains how to write outside of traditional genre classifications. We talk about the importance of antagonists, tone, and the horror genre. And we discuss how to decide if your short story should become a novel. We highly recommend you read Erin’s three short stories to get the most out of these next 8 episodes! Read Erin’s short stories: Wolfy Things https://podcastle.org/2021/06/01/podcastle-681-tales-from-the-vaults-wolfy-things/, Sour Milk Girls https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/roberts_01_18/, Snake Season https://www.thedarkmagazine.com/snake-season/. Note: these books involve some darker themes. All of these short stories are available for free online and also have audio versions available. HOMEWORK: Take a line you've written a while ago that you absolutely love. Try rewriting it as the writer you are now. THING OF THE WEEK: by Isabel Yap LINER NOTES: Interview with Erin on the podcast https://justkeepwriting.podbean.com/e/episode-35-community-chat-with-erin-roberts/ Wolfy Things https://podcastle.org/2021/06/01/podcastle-681-tales-from-the-vaults-wolfy-things/ by Erin Roberts Sour Milk Girls https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/roberts_01_18/ by Erin Roberts Snake Season https://www.thedarkmagazine.com/snake-season/by Erin Roberts Writing Wonder https://www.writingwonder.com/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Use code "50WX" at http://hellofresh.com/50WX and get 50% HelloFresh!! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Or, The Business of the End of How did Howard start making money from his hobby of drawing and writing comics? How did he self-publish? We have a special guest on this episode! Sandra Tayler—Howard’s wife, the editor and publisher for , and a published author—talks about starting their business. We dive into uncertainty, quality of life, and “manic optimism.” We learn about how to use pre-ordering, PayPal, and Kickstarter. Howard also shares about his experience with long covid, how to generate multiple income streams, and what comes next. HOMEWORK: Make a plan for how to monetize one aspect of your work. Start thinking like Sandra! This could be submitting a short story for publication or making a plan to submit your novel or making a plan for a paid newsletter. It doesn't have to be something you do today or tomorrow, but start thinking about what you can be doing to make this creative work part of your future income. Prepare for our next Deep Dive with Host Erin Roberts (starting next week)! Read Erin’s short stories: Wolfy Things https://podcastle.org/2021/06/01/podcastle-681-tales-from-the-vaults-wolfy-things/, Sour Milk Girls https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/roberts_01_18/, Snake Season https://www.thedarkmagazine.com/snake-season/. Note: these stories involve some darker themes. All of these short stories are available for free online and also have audio versions available. THING OF THE WEEK: Fluent Pet buttons - go to fluent.pet and use code "elsiewant" for a discount! LINER NOTES: Sandra Tayler https://www.sandratayler.com/index.php/bio/, who also offers one-on-one creative business consulting Creative Community Classes https://www.patreon.com/SandraTayler "Risk Assessment"—tthe Schlock Mercenary bonus story that Sandra wrote https://writingexcuses.com/12-3-project-in-depth-risk-assessment-by-sandra-tayler/ The Alchemy of Creativity https://writingexcuses.com/17-8-the-alchemy-of-creativity/, episode with Sandra Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Use code "50WX" at http://hellofresh.com/50WX and get 50% HelloFresh!! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Deep Dive: Sergeant In Motion How do you write an ending to a book? How do you finish something you’ve been writing for over 20 years? Howard Tayler talks to us about writing the ending to his serialized webcomic and space opera, . We dive into how to write a resolution, how to finish a book, and how to finish a series. And we dive into the art of leaning into the tropes without leaning ON them. HOMEWORK: Write a one page outline for the ending of your current work in progress. Prepare for our next Deep Dive with Host Erin Roberts (starting in two weeks)! Read Erin’s short stories: Wolfy Things https://podcastle.org/2021/06/01/podcastle-681-tales-from-the-vaults-wolfy-things/, Sour Milk Girls https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/roberts_01_18/, Snake Season https://www.thedarkmagazine.com/snake-season/. Note: these books involve some darker themes. All of these short stories are available for free online and also have audio versions available. THING OF THE WEEK: The Sexy Brutale (an adventure puzzle video game) Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Use code "50WX" at http://hellofresh.com/50WX and get 50% HelloFresh!! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Deep Dive: A Function of Firepower How do you write the middle of a book? How do you write an ending to a story? For this week’s episode about writing, we focus on Book 19 of Schlock Mercenary, the penultimate book in Howard Tayler’s series. We discuss ways to make a book feel self-contained, rather than just something to keep the beginning and the ending further apart. For reference, https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2018-07-25is the 19th Book. We highly recommend you read this first, because this episode contains spoilers and in-depth conversations about the book. HOMEWORK: Writing prompt: try to work these three words into your WIP (work in progress): expeditious, sock, and dragonfly. THING OF THE WEEK: Kickstarter for Schlock Mercenary Book 18: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/howardtayler (It's what Howard said, but "profile" is singular, not plural!) LINER NOTES: Fermi paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
We talk with Howard Tayler about the story structure of a story with a BIG disaster in the middle - one which we don't recover from until the next book. We also talk about the weight of world-building, how to write for your ideal reader. And Howard considers the question, For reference, is the 18th Book; 1st in the 3-book finale to the 20 book mega-arc. We highly recommend you read this first, because this episode contains spoilers and in-depth conversations about the book. HOMEWORK: Writing prompt: a major disaster has just occurred, write a scene in the aftermath. THING OF THE WEEK: by Yaa Gyasi https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/533857/homegoing-by-yaa-gyasi/ LINER NOTES: Book 18 Schlock Mercenary: Mandatory Failure https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2017-09-18 Sandra Tayler https://www.sandratayler.com/index.php/bio/ Join Our Writing Community! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WritingExcusesPodcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Twitter https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com https://writingexcuses.com/ Our Sponsors: * Check out HelloFresh: http://hellofresh.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
