Writing Excuses

The hosts discuss the evolution of the Hugo-nominated novella 'Kiss Me Twice' and the challenges faced when cutting down the story. They explore the role of AI and jealousy, the plotting of a caper, and the influence of alternate history and superheroes in Adam Christopher's 'Empire State'. They also delve into the potential of a new meta and its character arc, highlighting the idea of tension and survival.

The hosts discuss strategies for rewriting drafts and writing relatable AI characters. They explore the challenges of crafting AI dialogues and tactful promotion. The speakers share insights on promoting their eligible works for awards. They discuss accepting first publishing offers and choosing between small presses and agents.

Author E.J. Patten joins us to talk about pre-writing and the importance of concept development. They discuss the inspiration behind their monster hunter story and different pre-writing techniques. The speakers also delve into outlining, character development, and the distinction between discovery writers and outliner writers.

The podcasters discuss 'The Avengers' and praise its handling of an ensemble cast, excellent dialogue, and absence of mindless exposition. They explore characterization, pacing, and realism in the movie. They analyze the elements the movie got right, including multiple-purpose scenes and character arcs. They also offer criticism and debate believability of character developments.

Mary Robinette Kowal walks us through writing short stories.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Exploring the unique writing culture in writing groups and clubs, understanding cultural biases in writing and convention culture, navigating the clash between traditional and modern YA literature, finding commonalities at writing conventions, and valuable advice for navigating convention culture as a writer.

The hosts discuss the concept of blocking in writing, emphasizing character positioning and movement. They explore how blocking conveys emotions and sets up actions, as well as its role in indicating the passage of time. They also discuss the importance of establishing geography in storytelling and strategies for effectively incorporating blocking into writing.

The hosts discuss mentally preparing to write and the challenge of writing purposeful stories. They explore using character stories to convey important ideas and the power of humor. The concept of magical realism is explored with examples. The roles of alpha and beta readers in the writing process are discussed. The use of ambiguity in storytelling is explored in literary and genre fiction.

Mary, Dan, and Howard help Brandon brainstorm a story, this time featuring psychic birds.Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We begin with an audio glitch and a jumbling of our usual intro. Why? Because it breaks rhythm, and sometimes you may actually want to do that. Narrative rhythm is the pattern of story elements and associated structures that help drive the reader's pace through a book. Consciously managed, narrative rhythm is a a critical pacing tool, but can also be used to point up important information, increase the impact of certain scenes, and even encourage the reader to take a breather. We talk about examples from film (it's not the same thing, but it's easy to make the point this way), as well as examples from our own work. Scenes and sequels, chapter breaks, cliffhangers, and more all come in to play here. And of course you, fair listener, want to know how to manage narrative rhythm, and we cover some tips and tricks for that, too. Our Sponsors:* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wxSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy