Writing Excuses

Peter Orullian joins us in front of a live audience at Westercon 67 for a Q&A. The questions include: As a writer, how do you handle reviewing other people's books? How do you compartmentalize your writing to prevent that obsession from displacing everything else? (Here are the signs we talked about) How do you create frightening, unique creatures? What are the basics about networking at a convention? Is there a yield for the average story idea? What rules do you follow and what rules do you break when writing epic fantasy? What can you do in critique groups to teach craft if you're avoiding prescriptive critique? How strongly do you believe that the audience won't remember what you've told them, but will remember how you said it? Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

Kathleen Dalton Woodbury, the forum moderator at the Hatrack River writers group joined us at Westercon 67 to talk about critique groups. We cover how critiques should be offered, as well as importance of receiving critiques graciously and without defense, and we reflect on lots of the good and bad writing groups and critique groups we've been a part of. This is hard to get right, but once you do get it right your critique group can become the team that helps you turn your work into something outstanding. Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

David Farland joins, along with a live audience at Westercon 67, for a discussion on writing instruction.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

Peter Orullian joins us to discuss managing the author-editor relationship when things go wrong.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

Brad "Doctor Zombie" Voytek talks to us about making science accessible and attractive through science fiction.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

Q&A in which we cover proofreading, writing time, career stuff, and no, you can't have any of our DNA.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

Discover the art of character proactivity and its power in storytelling. Learn how dynamic protagonists enhance narrative depth and why passive characters can falter. Explore strategies to give your characters clear goals and introduce obstacles that drive engagement. Dive into transformative moments in literature, examining how characters evolve and influence their stories. Uncover how choices shape plots, using examples like 'Ender's Game' and 'The Martian' to highlight the importance of relatable motivations.

The fourth of the SHADOWS BENEATH critique episodes, in which Howard is stuck...Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

The third of the SHADOWS BENEATH critique episodes, in which Mary schools us with Milford...Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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

The second of the SHADOWS BENEATH critique episodes, in which we thrash on a new Cosmere story from Brandon Sanderson so that he can fix it. Part 2 of 2.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses* 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