Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard, with special guest Mercedes Lackey
NaNoWriMo 2018 is half-way over today. Are you stuck? Do you need to get unstuck? Mercedes Lackey joined us at GenCon Indy back in 2017 to talk about writer’s block, and how it’s very likely a symptom of something else. In this episode we discuss the interpretation of those symptoms, and how we go about solving the root problems.
Your Mini-Episode Hosts: Amal El-Mohtar and Maurice Broaddus, with Special Asides from Mary Robinette Kowal
We’re a week in to NaNoWriMo. If you’re scared of it, Amal is here to tell you that it’s okay to feel that way, Maurice is here with the encouraging words “consequence-free.”
Your Mini-Episode Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard
Back in 2017 we recorded a bonus episode for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and then forgot to air it. Here, then, in the spirit of never throwing anything away, is a spot of motivation which is both timely AND one year late.
We’re going to share some of our experiences with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in an effort to encourage you to participate in ways that will advance you toward your goals.
Note: After a week, this is the only photo we’ve found of Wounded Howard. Dan took it, and Howard was clearly putting on “angry face” for show. Also, he doesn’t look nearly as pale as any of us remember him looking.
Credits: this episode was recorded in Cosmere House Studios by Dan Dan the Audioman Thompson, and mastered by Alex Jackson
We’re back for 2013 and Season 8, so let’s start it off by answering all your questions! That’s right, it’s time for a fast-paced, lightning round of microcasting! It’s like eight very, very short podcasts in one.
Why do some authors only ever come out with one or two books?
What’s your process for writing fast under artificial deadlines (NaNoWriMo)?
How do you avoid getting bogged down in explanation?
What happened to your Hero of a Thousand Faces episode? (Whoops! See below.)
Are there concerns or pitfalls regarding the use of metaphors and similes in genre fiction?
What are some pitfalls to writing short stories?
How do you write sex scenes? (Note: This particular question resulted in an entire episode back in Season 7. Shanna Germain to the rescue!)
Have any of you included original poems in your work?
Whoops! We lock-stepped this episode to the release of A Memory of Light, but we ALSO locked it to air after our Hero of a Thousand Faces discussion. Crass commercialism trumps continuity! You’ll get the hero’s journey next week.
Brandon and Mary are back to offer you some last-minute help.
Are you stuck? We have a tip to get you un-stuck.
Is it being difficult? We will help you approach the difficulty differently, in a way you are certain to hate (and thank us for later.)
Sure, there are only two days left, and this was originally recorded to air while you still had a week, but don’t use our lateness as an excuse for slacking off. Slack ON!