Your Hosts: Dan, Howard, and Mary Robinette, with special guest Patrick Rothfuss We begin our discussion of revision by addressing a question we hear a lot: How do you know what needs to be changed? We talk about our various techniques for getting distance from our work, incorporating feedback, and breaking the process down into … Continue reading 15.04: Revision, with Patrick Rothfuss →

• A Plot/B Plot, 
• French Scene, 
• Revision

Your Hosts: Howard, with special guests Victorine Lieske, Tamie Dearen, Bridget E. Baker, and Nandi Taylor Howard leads this discussion with four guests who are doing well with self publishing. They share some numbers with us, and talk about their strategies for reaching their audience, and making the most of their market. Liner Notes: Given, … Continue reading 15.03: Self Publishing →

• Kindle Unlimited, 
• Romance, 
• Self-Publishing, 
• Wattpad, 
• WXR

Your Hosts: Brandon, Victoria, Dan, and Howard Victoria Schwab, who also writes as V.E. Schwab, joins us this year, and in this episode she helps us cover that deep concept of “theme,” and how we as authors can state our themes without coming straight out and stating them—writing our themes “between the lines.” Credits: This episode … Continue reading 15.02: Writing Between the Lines →

• Context, 
• Motif, 
• Theme

It’s that time again: it’s a new year, and that means a new Writing Excuses Workshop and Retreat! This year we’ll start with some classes and events in Houston on September 25, and then we’ll hop on a cruise ship and head to Cozumel, Georgetown, and Falmouth. You’ll arrive back in Houston again on October … Continue reading WXR 2020: Scholarships! →

Your Hosts: Dan, Dongwon, Mary Robinette, and Howard Season 15 is going to be a bit broader than the previous seasons have, at least in the abstract. We’re going to focus on your questions. In this episode we tackle the topic that dominates our collection of these questions: CAREER. Liner Notes: It hasn’t actually been … Continue reading 15.01: Evolution of a Career →

• Writing Career

Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard, with special guest Natasha Ence Natasha Ence is a professional game master. (Yes, you read that correctly.) She joins us to discuss collaborative storytelling, and how the principles of game mastering for role-players can be applied to creating a fulfilling, engaging story. Credits: This episode was recorded live at … Continue reading 14.52: Game Mastering and Collaborative Storytelling, with Natasha Ence →

• Character Arc, 
• Dungeons & Dragons, 
• Narrative rhythm, 
• RPGs

Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard We’ve spent all year focusing on worldbuilding, and it’s time to move on. Almost. In this episode we try to cover some points we may have missed, we talk about what we’ve learned, and discuss some of our favorite recent examples of worldbuilding. Credits: This episode was recorded … Continue reading 14.51: A Farewell to Worldbuilding →

• Lord of the Rings, 
• Star Trek, 
• Star Wars, 
• Worldbuilding

Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Margaret, and Howard We’ve all heard the adage “write what you know,” and in this episode we set out to un-misinterpret it. The phrase is fraught, and perhaps the most perilous bit is that it can be used an excuse to not write. Here at Writing Excuses we’re pretty committed … Continue reading 14.50: Write What You… No. →

• Worldbuilding, 
• Write What You Know