Writing Excuses

Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler
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11 snips
Feb 11, 2024 • 27min

19.06: NaNoWriMo Revision with Ali Fisher: Length

Ali Fisher, editor at Tor Books and member of Rude Tales of Magic podcast, joins as a guest to discuss editing. They focus on the challenge of finding the perfect length for a novel and how it affects publishing and pacing. Techniques for cutting or adding in manuscript revision are explored, along with techniques for adding length without disrupting the plot. Narrative summary's significance in storytelling is discussed, and a writing assignment is given to listeners.
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9 snips
Feb 4, 2024 • 20min

19.05: LIVE Recording - Revisions with Mahtab Narsimhan

Mahtab Narsimhan, an author and host from past seasons, joins the hosts to discuss revisions in writing. They talk about the difference between revising and rewriting, favorite techniques, and tips for making revisions more manageable. They also share tools and techniques for diving into revision, including using a Trello board and analyzing the purpose of each scene. Different revision approaches and the use of templates are explored, with listeners encouraged to revise their first chapter using a template and share their success stories.
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18 snips
Jan 28, 2024 • 19min

19.04: LIVE Recording - Pacing with Guest Fonda Lee

Guest Fonda Lee, an author specializing in pacing in storytelling, joins the hosts to discuss the importance of pacing in writing. They explore the subjective nature of pacing, controlling pacing and balancing tension, creating tension and variation in pacing, and how pacing impacts the reader's experience.
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6 snips
Jan 21, 2024 • 23min

19.03: Behind The Scenes with our Producer and Recording Engineer

The podcast discusses the benefits of MFA programs, astrology, and how to continue learning without being overwhelmed. They also explore the notions of success and accomplishment in writing, and recommend the novella 'A Necessary Chaos'. The hosts emphasize the importance of personal investment, handling success, and finding validation from within.
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11 snips
Jan 14, 2024 • 22min

19.02: Q&A Episode with WX Core Cast

The hosts discuss strategies for staying motivated during long-form projects. They emphasize the importance of factors other than money in driving motivation. The speakers discuss strategies for staying motivated and productive while writing. They highlight the importance of writing for personal enjoyment and passion. The chapter transitions to discussing finding comp titles for querying agents. The chapter introduces the podcast 'Just Keep Writing' and discusses the use of personality type systems. They explore various techniques for developing and understanding characters in writing, including examining their abilities, roles, relationships, and using personality tests. They also discuss the use of fan-casting and provide insights on recording audiobooks. Learn about the technical aspects of setting up a fan studio. Discover how this knowledge can make you an audio engineer. Get recommendations for another podcast and share your success stories!
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12 snips
Jan 7, 2024 • 28min

19.01: Interview with Abraham Verghese

Author and physician Abraham Verghese discusses conveying technical information in fiction and making things feel real without overwhelming the reader. He shares his expertise in conveying the passing of time, discusses verisimilitude, translation, and revision. Verghese also gives a writing homework to explore how descriptions of the physical world can reflect the various moods of characters.
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32 snips
Dec 31, 2023 • 26min

18.53: Funding the Writing Life

Diversifying income streams as a writer, overcoming imposter syndrome, leveraging newsletters and Patreons, using creative writing skills in non-profit communications, negotiating appearance fees, funding writing, and the power of artist statements.
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13 snips
Dec 24, 2023 • 23min

18.52: Writing Inside The Box

Tips and tricks for keeping your short story within the desired length. Exploring worldbuilding, pacing, and character development. Editing down words, plot threads, and characters. Writing exercise involving two different endings. Impact of streaming on movies and adaptation of stories. Calculating story length based on characters, locations, and plot threads.
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9 snips
Dec 17, 2023 • 25min

18.51: So You Wanna Play With Format?

The podcast explores non-traditional formats for writing, including second-person narratives, epistolaries, footnotes, and stories written as research papers. It discusses the appeal of experimenting with different formats and shares examples of successful books that have done so. The chapter also explores the impact of different storytelling formats on readers' emotions and discusses the use of Twitter as a platform for poetic expression.
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27 snips
Dec 10, 2023 • 27min

18.50: The Unreliable Narrator

Explore the concept of unreliable narrators and their impact on storytelling. Learn about different types of unreliable narrators, creating them, and techniques for developing them. Discover the significance of setting up expectations and explore the scope of unreliable narrators. Get homework to write about a personal event from different perspectives.

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