If you’re new to Writing Excuses, or if you’re just curious about some of the terminology we use, let us break it down for you. These are the rules/tricks that we use to keep ourselves on task.
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Are flaws necessary for villains? What traits make for a really good (err… evil?) villain? What’s the difference between Sauron and Gollum? (“That’s the LAST time I send you out shopping for Gollums, son…”)
Liner Notes: The Evil Overlord List, a handy reference for tropes to avoid (or, as the case may be, exploit…)
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They say it takes one person to ruin it for the rest of us and in this case it’s cheap pharmaceuticals to blame, we’ve been getting too much spam lately so I’m turning back on comment moderation.
If you’ve already got a comment on the site you should hopefully have your comments auto-published, I’m not sure how this works but it probably helps to have your e-mail and website in the form.
For the rest of you please bear with us. Even those of us WITHOUT real jobs (Brandon and Howard, represent!) are quite busy, which means that comment approval will probably come in bulk once or twice a day.
Is there a difference between the two? How do you use each appropriately in your writing? And how lovable can a group of mercenaries be?
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What makes a good hero? Why is Dirk Pitt so cool? Why do people like Superman? And why does Howard-with-a-chest-cold start to sound like Barry White? Some of these questions are answered in this episode while others are better left unexplained.
LINER NOTES:
Howard repeatedly invoked John August’s blog post about heroes, protagonists, and main characters. Here it is.
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Brandon, Howard and Dan talk about their first exposure to RPG games, Gary Gygax and the influence he had on them and the industry.
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We’re finally on iTunes now (it can take several days for us to get listed in the browser but you should be able to find us via a search) so I’ve re-added the iTunes button on the left, as well as in Yahoo podcasts and we should be on the Zune Marketplace soon as well.
If you have a favorite podcast directory that we’re not on let us know in the comments and we’ll see what we can do.
We’re still figuring some things out with the website here, but the important part–the podcast itself–is up and ready to go! We’ll be posting a new podcast each Monday. Each 15 minute podcast will some aspect of writing, and (hopefully) will be snappy, fun, and informative. Whether you’re an aspiring writer or just want some insight into the way writers think, we hope you enjoy listening!