Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart.

Welcome to Writing Excuses!

We record this podcast to help people become better writers. If you’re new here, and if you want to become a better writer, you should start at the beginning: the beginning of Season TenNot the beginning of Season one.

We mean it! Please do not start by listening to our earliest episodes. We have spent eight years becoming better writers and better podcasters than the people we were when we recorded those. There’s some good stuff back there, sure, but you want to start with the best stuff, right?

Start with Writing Excuses 10.1: Seriously, Where Do You Get Your Ideas? 

Take it Slowly

If you’re serious about letting Writing Excuses help you become a better writer, listen to one episode, and then stop listening, and start writing. Do the homework! Use the writing prompt.

Of course, in this age of binge-watching television programs, that’s quite a bit to ask. If you’re planning to binge-listen, you should probably still start with Season 10. It’s not like we’ll spoil the cliffhangers of Season 7 and 8, because there weren’t any of those. You can always go back.

Episodes end with a writing prompt, and with an injunction: “You’re out of excuses. Now go write.” You might plan to binge-listen only to find yourself itching to open a blank document and begin putting words to the page.

Give in to the urge to write. Let it consume you.

Writing is one of those pursuits which one might study at great length without actually learning to write well. The study must be coupled with some actual practice.

Writers write! Good writers started out as bad writers who kept writing anyway. We all have different reasons for writing, but whatever our goals as writers, it’s impossible to meet them without beginning with the butt-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard part.