Writing Excuses

In this episode, the hosts brainstorm turning a bug idea into a story, emphasizing conflict development. They discuss crafting magical bug abilities and setting boundaries, emphasizing early character depth. The creative process is explored, highlighting organizing plot ideas and generating story concepts. Different approaches to starting a story are discussed, focusing on fulfilling promises to readers and a writing prompt on bugs evolving magical defenses.

Larry Correia, self-published Monster Hunter International, shares insights on pitfalls of self-publishing. Discusses challenges, marketing strategies, and navigating deceptive practices. Explores success stories in transitioning from self-publishing to traditional publishing.

Author Larry Correia discusses plot-driven vs. character-driven fiction. The hosts explore the importance of balancing plot and character development for a successful novel. They delve into how character growth can influence plot evolution and the interplay between plot-driven and character-driven storytelling.

John Brown, an expert in guiding emotional responses in readers, discusses the impact of emotions on writing productivity, the techniques for engaging readers' emotions in horror writing, and enhancing emotional impact in writing through focus and surprise. He explores how personal experiences and emotions can be harnessed to create compelling character narratives.

Author John Brown discusses how writers can avoid repetition in their work by introducing fresh elements and themes. The hosts delve into techniques like 'hanging a lantern on it' to address potential repetitive elements. They also explore the balance between reader expectation and surprise, emphasizing the importance of knowing one's genre and audience. Strategies for breaking the cycle of repetition include analyzing core ideas, exploring new angles, and incorporating unexpected elements to keep the writing engaging.

Award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal answers intriguing questions on characters revolting in stories, surprises in writing difficulties, and building histories for book worlds. Insights on handling unexpected character developments and crafting rich, interconnected worlds with character perspectives. Explore worldbuilding in the Schlock Mercenary universe and the role of character history in shaping dynamic narratives.

Debut author John Brown discusses avoiding self-insertion in writing, known as the 'Mary Sue' concept. The hosts explore crafting unique character voices, developing distinct characters, and creating the 'Anti-Mary Sue' character by drawing inspiration from diverse individuals.

Humorous banter and jokes at a Parsec Award acceptance speech, including discussing being played off stage, copyright fees for music, William Shatner throwing punches, and light political comments. The hosts express gratitude to the Parsec Awards, past guests, and listeners for their support.

Mary Robinette Kowal joins us again, live at WorldCon 67 in Montreal! This time we fell back on that tried-and-true "Questions from the Audience" format, so the topic is pretty much what the audience asks for on the fly. If the questions were all over the map, our answers require a new school of cartography. It all kind of fits under "process," though, so for categorization purposes, we're calling it that. Also, we failed to discover the Northwest Passage. Maybe we'll find it next week, when Mary joins us for a third episode for more questions from the WorldCon 67 crowd. In completely unrelated news, something cool happened to us at Dragon*Con on Saturday. We'll talk about it in an upcoming 'cast.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

Professional puppeteer and award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal shares insights on puppetry principles applied to writing, including controlling reader attention and conveying emotion through breath and rhythm. She explores the act of storytelling as telepathy and parallels the illusion of 'muscle' in puppetry to creating believable characters in writing.