Writing Excuses

"How do we avoid writing stilted dialog?" asked Brandon adverbially.

James Dashner and Julie Wright talk covers, titles, and first lines with Brandon and Dan.

James Dashner and Julie Wright join Brandon and Dan at CONduit in Salt Lake City, and may end up wishing they hadn't. Brandon throws sets of story concepts at the crew, and asks them to quickly frame serious stories with a solid settings and cool characters. The  first set of story elements: Church accountant contact lenses that ruin your vision brain implants The second set of story elements: Hell for English Majors Key that will lock any door The third set of story elements: Janitors are trying to take over the world They're going to be stopped by a superhero with no arms It can't be silly Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan Writing Prompt: This whole episode was made of writing prompts. Pick one! Fun Random Fact: Howard worked as a church accountant for a while and he owns contact lenses that do, in fact, impair his vision. Freaky Bonus Thanks: We couldn't have recorded this episode without help from our friends at Dungeon Crawlers Rad

Janci Patterson and Robison Wells have both sold books very recently. Brandon and Dan put them on the spot and ask how they did it.

Live from CONduit in Salt Lake City, L.E. Modessit Jr. and the Writing Excuses crew answer questions from the audience.

L.E. Modesitt and Robison Wells join Brandon and Dan for a discussion of "practical" fantasy. Recorded live at CONduit in Salt Lake City.

Some new strategies for getting yourself published. Obviously we guarantee exactly none of them.

How to approach discovery writing, with your hosts Brandon, Dan, and Howard

Forget "Anxiety of Influence." Let's talk about how to borrow, beg, and outright steal from pop culture, history, and mythology.

Sandra Tayler, Dawn Wells, and Kenny Pike  take over the 'cast with some coaching from Dan (and heckling from Howard)  to talk about what it's like to live with an artist. We cover the ups and the downs, and share embarrassing anecdotes because we know you want to hear them, and we're not afraid of the fact that the Internet Never Forgets. Beyond the fact that Sandra and Dawn are stay-at-home moms, and Kenny is a stay-at-home Dad, the three of them each have important roles to play in their spouses' careers, and those roles go far beyond mere cheerleading and moral support. We talk about that, and then Sandra, Dawn, and Kenny offer advice to those who may find themselves as significant others to creative types. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: Wings, by Aprilynne Pike, in which a 15-year-old girl discovers that she's a fairie, and it's nothing like the storybooks suggested. Writing Prompt: From the desk of the Fake AP Stylebook -- write something involving a blue, Italian, rocket-propell

What's the fourth wall? What happens when you break it? Should you be breaking it at all?

A discussion of art and design elements and how they work with the stories we write.

A brainstorming session fueled by New Scientist's "13 More Things We Don't Understand" article.

How to write multiple viewpoints effectively, using the tool for the right reasons and avoiding pitfalls.

Epic podcast! Except it's only fifteen minutes long... because you're in a hurry, and we'll tell you how to write an epic.

Brandon, Dan, and Howard brainstorm as Producer Jordo reads headlines.

Jessica Day George joins the Writing Excuses crew again, this time for a discussion of writing for young adults, and maybe for teens, or even middle-grade readers. This isn't a podcast about rigidly defining the boundary between the YA and middle-grade genres, though. That's publishing. We're talking about writing. If you enjoyed last week's discussion with the sweeping generalizations and the appropriate application thereof, this 'cast should be every bit as intriguing. What are teenagers interested in, and how is that different from what interests adults? Do stories need to be simplified for teenagers, or are we underestimating them when we do that? How does the age of your protagonist determine the age-group to whom your publisher will market the book? Why is it genre-appropriate for Dumbledore to repeatedly withhold crucial information from Harry, Hermione, and Ron? Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: Dragon's Blood by Jane Yolen, because a pit-fighting dragon is way cooler than the drag

Jessica Day George joins us again, this time to tell us how to write men.  Brace yourselves for the bandying-about of generalities, for painting with broad brushes, and for assorted other potential points of offense! Let's say, for a moment, that you're not a man. How do you go about writing men? Now let's turn the question around... suppose you ARE a man. How do YOU write men? And now let's cut to the heart of the matter by comparing these two processes. Are they different? Should they be? And where do knitting and superconductivity enter into the picture? This is why it's so cool to have Jessica with us Y-chromosome types. We all get to learn stuff. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: Maze Runner, by James Dashner Writing Prompt: Alternative history! Take an absurd 19th-century folk belief, treat it as absolute fact, and write a story hinging on that principle. This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by Audible. Visit http://AudiblePodcast.com/excuse for a free trial member

Jessica Day George joins the Writing Excuses crew for a discussion of editors...

Recorded live at LTUE 2010, here's a high-energy Q&A session with the Writing Excuses crew and our special guest James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. We cover outlining vs. discovery writing, the return to the hairy palate, education for writers, killing people, whether or not we want a bagel, pragmatic approaches, authors who don't inspire us (and by "us" we mean "James Dashner"), and cooking up complex plots. Note: Brandon says "Episode 6" but he was totally wrong. This is 4.7, for real. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: James pitches one of his favorites to us -- False Memory by Dean Koontz Writing Prompt: You're flying in an airplane when a wing falls off... but the plane keeps going. This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by Audible. Visit http://AudiblePodcast.com/excuse for a free trial membership*. *Note: From the Audible website, here are the terms of the free membership. Read the fine print, please! Audible® Free Trial Details Get your f