Writing Excuses

Words take time to read, but that's not the same amount of time that the words communicate...Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Are we making progress? How do we communicate that to the reader?Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Marie Brennan joins us again, this time to help us field your questions about middles. Here are the questions we collected from the various social media feeds: How do you maintain interest without having something explode every other chapter? In short fiction, how do you prevent try-fail cycles from bloating the story? How do you prevent the introduction of POVs during the middle of the story from being jarring? How do you keep subplots from turning into side quests? In longer stories, how important are "breather" chapters that ease the tension? Do you have methods for weaving plot and subplot threads together? Do you outline this, or keep it in your head? Fifty-Cent Word: Proprioception, which serves as an excellent metaphor for what expertise with a set of tools feels like. Thank you, Marie, for simplifying the whole "the tool should be an extension of your hand" thing.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Character failure is a big part of making the middle of a story work. We talk about why, and offer tips about how to make this work well for you.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Marie Brennan joins us for a discussion of polytheism (and really any belief system) in our fiction.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Lots of people struggle with the middles of their books. One way to look at the middle is that it's the point where you're no longer working on that new project that has you excited, but haven't yet gotten to the cool ending that has you excited. We talk about why the middle is important, and how you can make it enjoyable not just for the reader, but for you.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How do you "show, don't tell" a character's thoughts? We answer this question, and more!Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We talk about how we define and structure scenes in our writing, and we make reference to Scene/Sequel format, the MICE quotient, and pacing.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Media Specialist Kiley Snyder joins us to talk about hooking young readers.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Instead of saying "show, don't tell," we say "here's how to show."Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* Check out Peace Corps: https://peacecorps.gov/serve* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx* If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy