Alle afleveringen
1.012 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Writing Excuses 10.29: Why Should My Characters Fail Spectacularly?
20 juli 2015 · 18 min
Character failure is a big part of making the middle of a story work. We talk about why, and offer tips about how to make this work well for you. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.28: Polytheism in Fiction, with Marie Brennan
12 juli 2015 · 21 min
Marie Brennan joins us for a discussion of polytheism (and really any belief system) in our fiction. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.27: Why Can’t I Just Jump to the Ending?
6 juli 2015 · 17 min
Lots of people struggle with the middles of their books. One way to look at the middle is that it's the point where you're no longer working on that new project that has you excited, but haven't yet gotten to the cool ending that has you excited. We talk about why the middle is important, and how you can make it enjoyable not just for the reader, but for you. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.26: Q&A on Scenes and Description
29 juni 2015 · 18 min
How do you "show, don't tell" a character's thoughts? We answer this question, and more! Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.25: What Makes a Scene?
22 juni 2015 · 19 min
We talk about how we define and structure scenes in our writing, and we make reference to Scene/Sequel format, the MICE quotient, and pacing. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.24: Hooking Younger Readers
15 juni 2015 · 17 min
Media Specialist Kiley Snyder joins us to talk about hooking young readers. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.23: Can You Tell Me How To Show?
8 juni 2015 · 20 min
Instead of saying "show, don't tell," we say "here's how to show." Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.22: Project-in-Depth—Of Noble Family
1 juni 2015 · 31 min
Spoilers ahead! We dig into Of Noble Family, by Mary Robinette Kowal, focusing on language, culture, and the extensive research Mary did. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.21: Q&A on World Building
24 mei 2015 · 18 min
We answer questions about consistency, alternate histories, and the Great Spoke Plague of '77 Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.20: How Do I Write a Story, Not an Encyclopedia?
18 mei 2015 · 17 min
You've done piles of world building. How do you convey this world to reader without infodumping? We talk about the different skill levels involved, and then the techniques that you'll be using as you get better and better at what is probably the most critical skill unique to genre fiction writers. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.19: Intrigue
11 mei 2015 · 19 min
What's the difference between intrigue, suspense, and mystery? We talk about this, and then drill down on intrigue. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.18: Build an Entire World? Are You Crazy?
4 mei 2015 · 21 min
This one's for all you folks who like to do some world building on-the-fly. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.17: Q&A on Beginnings
27 april 2015 · 20 min
We've talked beginnings all month. Now we take your questions about them. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.16: What Do I Do With All This Blank Space?
20 april 2015 · 17 min
Let's get that first page written in a way that will bring the reader to all the rest of the pages. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.15: Worldbuilding Wilderness with Wes Chu
13 april 2015 · 16 min
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 say anything about sleeping on inclines, altitude sickness, or packing toilet paper. The salient point: we need to remember that our characters are experiencing these wilderness treks, and they have interesting opinions about them. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.14: How Much of the Beginning Needs to Come First?
6 april 2015 · 18 min
How do you know which bits of your story have to come first? Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.13: Where is My Story Going?
30 maart 2015 · 18 min
Any discussion of story structure must necessarily take a look at that big, long bit between the beginning and the end, that piece where almost everything actually happens. In this episode we talk about the middles of stories, and how formulaic structures will help you get them to do all of the things that you need for them to do, and this can be done without the story feeling formulaic. We got things a bit out of order here -- this was supposed to be the SECOND episode of March, rather than the fifth. When Brandon says "two weeks ago" he means "four weeks ago." Sorry for the confusion. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.12: Story structure Q&A, with Special Guest Wesley Chu
23 maart 2015 · 22 min
Wes Chu joins us again for a Q&A about this month's topic: story structure! Here are the questions: Do you make a conscious decision about how to structure your story before you begin writing? Is it necessary to use multiple structures (three-act, Hollywood formula, etc) in order to ensure that your story works? What tools do you use to view your story's structure? What do you think about cliffhangers? How do you come up with plot twists for your stories? (Answer: A blast from the past with Michael Stackpole! Season 1, Episode 19!) What structures should I use to add variety to my writing? Is there a specific amount of time you should spend on your introduction before getting to the inciting incident? What do you do when you're halfway through with a story before you realize the structure is wrong? Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.11: Project In Depth: “Parallel Perspectives”
15 maart 2015 · 20 min
If you haven't yet read "Parallel Perspectives," from Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, we have a PDF for you to download and read before you start listening to this episode. It's a 33mb file in a public DropBox folder. Parallel Perspectives PDF for Writing Excuses listeners Got the file? Done reading? Okay, let's go... This week is a Project in Depth episode focusing on a 13-page graphic story ("comic book") found at the end of Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, and our focus this week will be story structure. It's fun, because the process of structuring a bonus story begins much differently than most projects, and the structure was laid in support of a four-creator collaboration. The creators? Howard Tayler, Brenda Hickey, Travis Walton, and Keliana Tayler. (If you'd like your own hard-copy of Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, you can get it from Amazon.com or directly from the publisher.) Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.10: Q&A with the I Ching
8 maart 2015 · 20 min
Wesley Chu joins us for a literal shake-up of our structure for one episode. We had loads of fun with this one. The I Ching is a collection of poems which you consult with numbered sticks. You ask a question, shake a random stick from the cup, and the corresponding poem holds your answer. In writing The Man in the High Castle, Phillip K. Dick used the I Ching to make plot decisions at crucial points. We decided to turn that, and our format, on its head, so we used the I Ching to ask us questions. Understanding exactly what the I Ching was asking was at least as much fun as answering the questions we inferred. Here are the I Ching's questions. Although he reached a great position, Wise Liu did not care for earthly things. He brewed instead the pills of heaven, forging immortality in his earthly crucible. Marriage is a blessed union indeed, when done in accordance with Yin and Yang. The dragon and the phoenix coil together, uniting in a sweet dream of love. All names in Heaven are unique, and even earthly things cannot be the same. Your future is set within the book of fate, which never confuses praise and blame. Emperor Ming slew his one true love, but a shaman took pity, and eased his heart with dreams of roaming upon the moon, his beloved mistress forever at his side. Two scholars went to the capitol for examinations. One passed, and stayed. One failed and returned, carrying a letter from his friend. He fell ill, but eventually, thank Heaven, came home. Important Cultural Note: The I Ching is far more complex than we've been able to describe in this podcast, and is worthy of a lot more attention than we were able to present to you in this 'cast. Want more Wes Chu? Wes didn't say a whole lot in this episode, possibly because he was exhausted from the grilling we gave him earlier. This episode was recorded directly it AFTER recording a guest episode with him that will be airing in coming weeks. Audio Notes: Many of you have complained about the audio quality of the … Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.9: Where is My Story Coming From?
2 maart 2015 · 21 min
This month's syllabus topic is story structure, and we'll be starting with the part we start with. And that part usually isn't the beginning -- that's where the story starts for the reader. We're going to talk about where the story starts for you. It's the answer to questions like "where is my story coming from?", "What kind of a story is this?", or "What questions does it seek to raise, and subsequently answer for the readers?" Structurally, it may help to revisit our discussion of the M.I.C.E. quotient. Knowing that your story is primarily a milieu story, as opposed to a character story, is a pretty big thing to know before you start writing. Of course, if you're not outlining, this whole discussion may seem irrelevant to you, but ultimately if you discovery-write your way into a good story, you'll have answered these questions during that process. Knowing that this is a thing you do will likely help you do it better. The Sherlock Episode Howard referenced was "The Sign of Three" Homework For an upcoming "Project in Depth" -- you may wish to acquire a copy of Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, because we'll be digging into the bonus story, "Parallel Perspectives," which plays with POV in some ways that required significant re-writing during the collaboration process. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.8: Q&A on Character
23 februari 2015 · 24 min
It's time for a Q&A on characters! The questions for this episode were provided by the attendees at the 2014 Out of Excuses Workshop and Retreat: How do you have a character grow in power and/or expertise without needing to ridiculously overpower the villains? How do you give a flawed character a growth arc without changing what originally made that character likable? When you have a 1st person POV, how do you convey the emotional complexity of the non-POV characters? How do you create an interesting an engaging story with a main character who is not the protagonist or hero of the story? Is there an easy way to tell when the plot is driving the character instead of the other way around? How do you write a character with egregiously offensive views without you, as the author, appearing to espouse or condone those views? How do you write a character who has a belief that is different from your own? What are some tips for writing a sympathetic antagonist? Liner Note: The Tumbler to which Mary referred is Diversity Cross-Check. Note: We offered to take questions on Story Structure during March, but we'll be recording that episode two days from right now. Send us your story structure questions now! Do not delay! If you tweet them to @WritingExcuses they'll pile up in a space where we can quickly find them. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.7: Who Are All These People?
16 februari 2015 · 17 min
Our character-focused month continues with an exploration of the challenges involved in building a cast for your story. Whether you're building a large or small cast, you need to know why you're putting these people in the book, whether they're main characters, secondary characters, or spear-carriers, and what purpose each of them actually serves in your story. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.6: The Worldbuilding Revolves Around Me (“The Magical 1%”)
9 februari 2015 · 18 min
In which Max Gladstone introduces us to the concept of the Magical 1% Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.5: What Do You Mean My Main Character is Boring?
2 februari 2015 · 20 min
Does your draft have a boring main character? You're not alone! Also, the problem can be solved. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.4: Q&A on Ideas
26 januari 2015 · 16 min
At the Out of Excuses Workshop and Retreat we premiered the Season 10 concept, and we invited our attendees to give us the questions we need this month. (They'll also be the ones providing our questions for February, but we'll cast our net wide for questions in March.) Ideas are hard! Is it ever acceptable for inexperienced writers to write derivative works? How do you keep from being discouraged when something similar to your idea comes out? How do you know when your idea is a novel, vs. when it's a short story? Should you only write for themed anthologies if you already have an idea ready in that theme? How can you practice description when your idea is set someplace completely unfamiliar to you? When should you abandon an idea you love? Liner Notes: We talked about novel-length vs short-story-length ideas in Season 6, Episode 10 when we covered the M.I.C.E. quotient, and again in Season 8, Episode 20, when Mary talked about short story structure. Also, the anthology into which Howard was drafted on the basis of a spur-of-the-moment idea is Shared Nightmares, and his story is called "U.I." Lees meer
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2015 Hugo Award Eligibility – SHADOWS BENEATH
21 januari 2015 · 2 min
Don't forget to nominate for the 2015 Hugo Ballot, and if you like Writing Excuses, please consider nominating Shadows Beneath for Best Related Work. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.3: Lovecraftian Horror
20 januari 2015 · 20 min
Cherie Priest joins us for a discussion of Lovecraftian horror. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.2: I Have an Idea; What Do I Do Now?
12 januari 2015 · 18 min
Writing Excuses Season 10, the podcasted master-class, continues with this exploration of that critical second step: what do do once you've got an idea that has story-legs. (Note: When we say "two weeks ago" over and over, that's just bad math. You haven't missed an episode.) We talk about our various approaches to this, many of which center around finding the person or people who are most affected by the thing our idea conjures into their world, but that's really only the very beginning of it. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 10.1: Seriously, Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
5 januari 2015 · 20 min
Brandon, Howard, Mary, and Dan offer useful answers to that age-old question: "Where do you get your ideas?" Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.54: Capstone to Season 9
29 december 2014 · 30 min
As 2014 draws to a close we say goodbye to Season 9, and talk a bit about what we've each learned this year. Howard explained the surprising changes that came with a change in his work space Mary told us how she reached a new understanding of pacing Brandon talked about how recent time pressures have informed his writing process Dan learned why he is writing Hopefully our discussions of how we've changed as writers this year will offer you some insight into how your own writing has developed, and how you might take steps to develop it in the future. We also talk about how Season 10 is coming, and is going to be a bit different than seasons past. Thing We Failed To Do: get a picture of the possum. It turns out that those things are sneaky, and none of us a very good photographers. Can of Already Open Worms: Writing for fun. "Didn't you guys just talk about that?" Yes, we did, in an episode that was recorded 3 months later, but which aired just last week. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.53: Writing For Fun
22 december 2014 · 16 min
You know what's fun? WRITING! Writing is fun. And that, more than anything else, is why we do it. Or at least it's why we decided to do it. Making sure that it is still fun is kind of tricky. Also tricky? Writing for nothing more than the fun of it. And this episode is about that. Missing from this episode: Mary. For contractual reasons we found ourselves in need of 54 episodes during Season 9, and that meant an emergency recording session while Mary was on the road. It also meant you got 54 weekly episodes this year! Lees meer
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Writing Excuses Season 9.52: From the Page to the Stage
15 december 2014 · 21 min
Allison W. Hill and C. Austin Hill joined us at the Out of Excuses Retreat to talk about turning A Night of Blacker Darkness, by Dan Wells, into a stage play. "From the page to the stage" is a thing that theater people actually say to describe this, so the process is one that has a lot of precedent behind it. We talk about the guiding principles behind adaptation, and then dive into the challenges that our guests face with this particular project. (Note: We may be tweaking the audio on this episode in the future to remove the "Season 10" references right at the end. They're confusing, and you don't need that.) Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.51: Q&A At The Retreat
8 december 2014 · 19 min
If there's a crowd with good questions, it's the Out of Excuses Workshop and Retreat attendees. Given the trend toward moral ambiguity, is there still a place for an unquestionably evil character? Should you publish a first book that isn't in the style or genre that you're ultimately interested in? Is it possible to write epic fantasy with a single POV? Of all of the myriad talents of the literary agents you work with, what's the one that makes you stick with your agent? How do you maintain your writing chops when you're buried in the research phase of a project? What are some issues a short story writer should be aware of when tackling a novel? How do you go about discovery writing characters? When you build a story, does the foreshadowing go in during the first pass, or in later edits? Our sponsor, Audible, is giving away Legion: Skin Deep, by Brandon Sanderson between now and December 24th. Follow that link and get a free audio book! Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.50: Writing for the Enfranchised Reader
4 december 2014 · 18 min
Recorded live in front of the Out of Excuses students, a crowd of savvy readers if ever there was one, we talk about how to effectively write for readers who are familiar with the genre or story structure in which we're writing. It's a tricky problem, since genre fiction is supported in large part by the very tropes that prove problematic. Sometimes the solution is trope subversion, but that brings its own problems. Dave Farland’s Writing Workshops sponsored us for this episode! Both Brandon and Dan have studied under Dave, and we’re all happy to wholeheartedly recommend his workshops to you. If you can’t fly to his place, well, visit MyStoryDoctor.com and take the online course. The coupon code for your Writing Excuses discount is EXCUSES, but don't think that means you actually HAVE any of those... Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.48: Neurobolics of Characters
1 december 2014 · 20 min
As authors we spend a lot of time trying to make our readers care about the characters we create. We have a wide variety of techniques at our disposal to accomplish this. But do we ever ask ourselves why any of this is possible in the first place? What is it about our brains that makes us care about fictional characters? Enter Cory Doctorow, who posed this question to us at Westercon 67. If you like the episodes where a guest comes in and blows our minds (and they're some of our favorites) you need to put this one on the list. Audiobook Pick of the Week: Homeland, by Cory Doctorow, narrated by Wil Wheaton, with Noah Swartz and Jacob Applebaum. (Note: Cory Doctorow's titles aren't carried by Audible, but you can find all of them here and buy them DRM-free directly from Cory.) Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.49: Hiding the Open Grave
24 november 2014 · 19 min
So, you're planning to kill somebody, but you don't want anyone to see it coming. How do you make that happen? We begin by talking about the hints that writers inadvertently drop, and why they drop those hints. Then we look at how to write without sending those cues, and how to get away with that while still fulfilling promises made to the reader. Special Offer: Our sponsor, Audible, is giving away Legion: Skin Deep, by Brandon Sanderson between now and December 24th. Follow that link and get a free audio book! Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.47: Conversation With a Bookseller
18 november 2014 · 17 min
Sara Glassman joins us to talk about back cover copy, covers, query letters, signings, and what booksellers look for on page one. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.46: Disability in Narrative
10 november 2014 · 15 min
Charlie Harmon, one of the luminaries of Utah area fandom, joined us to talk about disability in narrative. She's been going blind gradually since she was a child, and these days while she can see some colored blurs, she cannot read, or recognize faces. We talk about some of the nuances of disability that many writers fail to capture, and how we can learn to write those things more convincingly. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.45: Tools for Writing from Oral Storytelling
3 november 2014 · 17 min
M. Todd Gallowglas is a writer and a storyteller who has spent years doing traditional oral storytelling at renaissance fairs. He joined us at FantasyCon/Westercon 67 before a live audience and talked to us about how this tradition has informed his writing, and how these principles can inform our writing as well. He also schools us (okay, mostly Howard) about how these principles should be informing parts of our podcast. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.44: Getting in the Writer’s Mindset with Peter Beagle
27 oktober 2014 · 19 min
We were thrilled to have Peter Beagle join us for an episode, recorded live at Westercon 67. We talked about the writer's mindset, and how to get into it. Peter schooled Brandon before the episode even began, and then proceeded to school all the rest of us. Peter is an absolute delight to listen to. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.43: Writing Mysteries
20 oktober 2014 · 18 min
Live from Westercon 67 and Fantasy Con, Mette Ivie Harrison and J.R. Johannson join us to talk about writing for the mystery genre. We begin by talking about the key differences between thrillers and mysteries, and then move into how this understanding can drive our story structures. We discuss how characters with arcs and iconic characters drive different types of stories, and how each of us go about building these kinds of things. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.42: The Convention-Author Relationship, with Deirdre Saoirse Moen
13 oktober 2014 · 27 min
Deirdre Saoirse Moen, who organizes fan-run literary cons and schedules programs for them, joins us to talk about programming from the convention's point of view. Lees meer
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Registration is open for the 2015 Out of Excuses Writing Workshop and Retreat
9 oktober 2014 · 8 min
Registration is now open for the 2015 Out of Excuses Writing Workshop and Retreat. For the last two years the event has had a very limited size, and as a result has sold out very quickly. For 2015 we have moved to a new venue, removed the attendance limit, and increased the amount of instructor interaction—all without raising the price. The 2015 Out of Excuses Writing Workshop and Retreat will be held from September 20th through the 27th on the Independence of the Seas. It's a cruise ship. [UPDATE: We have sold through our original block of rooms. The cruise has provided us with additional rooms, but the rate is higher for these. The updated rates are now reflected on the registration page, and in the numbers provided below] The base price of $1300 covers the full week of intensive seminars, writing exercises, and free writing time, plus meals, double-occupancy lodging, and a cruise to four different Caribbean destinations. Attendees will also be invited to submit questions for some of the episodes of Writing Excuses which will be recorded while we're at sea. At sea. Seriously. SEMINARS Each seminar will include writing exercises and Q&A time with the instructor. Topics will include: Outlining Revision Pacing Suspense Humor Worldbuilding Character creation ... and much more. ADDITIONAL BREAKOUT SESSIONS There will be a limited number of additional breakout sessions and one-on-one sessions with individual instructors. There is no additional charge for these, but because of the size of the event they will be distributed by lottery. The first 100 attendees registering prior to January 15th, 2015, will be entered in the lottery. These breakout sessions include: 6-member novel critique groups: Members will submit excerpts up to 5000 words for critique by the group as well as one of the podcasters. (Please note that this means you are committing to critique the stories of the other group members.) 6-member short story critique groups: Members will submit short stories up… Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.41: Fan Writing, with Christopher J. Garcia
6 oktober 2014 · 16 min
Christopher J. Garcia, publisher and editor of The Drink Tank, joins us for a discussion of fan writing. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.40: Understanding Royalties, with Paul Stevens
29 september 2014 · 22 min
Paul Stevens, an editor at Tor, joined us in front of a live audience at Westercon 67 to talk about royalties. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.39: Publicity for Books
22 september 2014 · 21 min
Patty Garcia, Director of Publicity at Tor, joins us to discuss publicizing books Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.38: Q&A at Westercon
15 september 2014 · 22 min
Peter Orullian joins us in front of a live audience at Westercon 67 for a Q&A. The questions include: As a writer, how do you handle reviewing other people's books? How do you compartmentalize your writing to prevent that obsession from displacing everything else? (Here are the signs we talked about) How do you create frightening, unique creatures? What are the basics about networking at a convention? Is there a yield for the average story idea? What rules do you follow and what rules do you break when writing epic fantasy? What can you do in critique groups to teach craft if you're avoiding prescriptive critique? How strongly do you believe that the audience won't remember what you've told them, but will remember how you said it? Lees meer
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9.37: Training A Critique Group, with Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
8 september 2014 · 21 min
Kathleen Dalton Woodbury, the forum moderator at the Hatrack River writers group joined us at Westercon 67 to talk about critique groups. We cover how critiques should be offered, as well as importance of receiving critiques graciously and without defense, and we reflect on lots of the good and bad writing groups and critique groups we've been a part of. This is hard to get right, but once you do get it right your critique group can become the team that helps you turn your work into something outstanding. Lees meer
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Writing Excuses 9.36: Writing Instruction
1 september 2014 · 16 min
David Farland joins, along with a live audience at Westercon 67, for a discussion on writing instruction. Lees meer
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