Writing Excuses

The cast discusses survivorship bias in the writing industry, cautioning listeners to critically analyze their own experiences. They explore the misconceptions surrounding breaking into writing, the importance of discerning advice, and the success of novellas without an established platform. The chapter also delves into the impact of survivorship bias on success in the creative field and the misconception that networking guarantees success.

The podcast discusses the challenge of making non-human characters relatable in fiction, suggesting incorporating universal desires and needs. They also talk about drawing upside down faces, recommend a book, and explore strategies to create relatable non-human characters. The importance of a human gateway character is discussed, along with how non-human characters enhance the weirdness of science fiction and fantasy.

Topics covered include setting goals and working under deadlines, the value and risks of entering writing contests, the consequences of being too subtle in writing, knowing when to quit or take a break from writing, and word count and size limits in different genres.

The podcast discusses combining dialogue, blocking, and description for storytelling. They talk about the importance of maintaining the flow of the story and using effective blocking to establish context. They also explore character descriptions and their role in revealing personality. The hosts provide tips on effectively combining these elements in writing.

The podcast discusses writing reluctant characters and provides tips on making them realistic and engaged in the plot. It also explores creating compelling arcs for these characters, using examples from 'The Hobbit'. The episode delves into the world of Celebromancy in a fictional Oregon town and discusses the challenges of writing reluctant and weak characters in literature, using examples like Superman and characters from The Hollow City.

The hosts discuss publishing schedules and the use of different storylines in comics. They explore the challenges and experimentation in the Sunday strip format and debate outlining vs discovery writing. They share their experiences with a well-known author and creating a 'Scolzy Award.' Topics also include receiving awards, having a nemesis, and strategies for resetting after work.

The team talks about the confusion caused by legal language in contracts and emphasizes the importance of seeking guidance. They discuss important aspects of book contracts such as foreign contracts and subsidiary rights, as well as the Reversion of Rights Clause. They also talk about a historical fiction book set in 1816, peculiar weather blamed on magicians, and licensing rights for board games and merchandise. The chapter delves into the details of a publishing contract, including exclusive rights and payment concerns.

The hosts discuss chapter breakdowns and point of view interspersing, switching between different points of view, creating chapter breakdowns and outlining scenes, and their approach to breaking down chapters and writing multiple main characters.

The hosts discuss the challenges of balancing writing and cooking. They explore the history and characteristics of space opera genre in science fiction and its potential for blending with other sub-genres. The speaker reflects on their childhood experience with Buck Rogers comics and their love for science fiction that inspired them to create their own space opera. They discuss a military themed space opera and highlight its adventure, character interaction, and battles. The speakers discuss the popularity of space opera films and stress the importance of reading science and having a background in science when writing science fiction.

E.J. Patten, specializing in middle-grade fiction, discusses the distinctions between middle grade and young adult books, the preferences and boundaries of the middle grade audience, and the challenges of writing short and long fiction for middle grade and YA novels.