Category Archives: Career and Lifestyle

These episodes talk, at least in part, about how to manage your career as a writer, and how to keep writing.

Archive Seasons 1-6, Career and Lifestyle, Season 01

Writing Excuses Episode 12: Submitting to Editors Part 1

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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

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Archive Seasons 1-6, Career and Lifestyle, Season 01

Writing Excuses Episode 11: The Business of Writing

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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

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Archive Seasons 1-6, Career and Lifestyle, Season 01

Writing Excuses Episode 2: Blending the Familiar and the Original

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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.

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