Writing Excuses

Genre-fiction publishing expert, Dave Wolverton, joins the Writing Excuses team to discuss using pseudonyms, the state of the publishing industry, and breaking into the industry. They also explore writing for specific audiences and starting with contests.

Author and Writing Excuses team member, Dave Farland, joins the hosts to discuss strategies for dealing with boredom and writing the 'boring parts' of a story. They cover skipping ahead, switching viewpoints, following the pain, and writing in first-person narrative. Tips on engaging storytelling, breaking free from predictable patterns, introducing conflicts, and writing about family conflicts and side characters are also explored. Writing prompt: Kill the main badguy in every chapter.

This week features guest Dave Wolverton, an accomplished author known for his romance fiction expertise. He dives into the art of writing romance, emphasizing the balance between realism and idealization. The discussion touches on the intertwined journeys of romance and identity, character development, and how to create relatable characters. Wolverton also shares insights on overcoming insecurities in writing, making connections to deeper societal themes. Prepare for a lively exploration of love in literature from a unique perspective!

Professor Bob Defendi, an expert in writing structures and author of "Death by Cliché," joins Dan and Howard to demystify the three-act structure. They dive deep into Act 1, discussing character development and common pitfalls. The conversation shifts to the tension-filled Act 2, where they explore 'try-fail cycles' and how to keep audiences hooked through unexpected twists. Defendi emphasizes the importance of a strong denouement, providing closure to characters and viewers alike, while injecting humor throughout the discussion.

Howard, Dan, and guest Bob Defendi open this episode with some high literary humor. Bob fills in for Brandon as we discuss formulas writers use in crafting stories. But how do we prevent those stories from feeling formulaic? Can the formulas themselves help? We discuss (at a high level) the three-act format, the hero's journey, the romance, the two-act format, try-fail cycles, and others. This week's episode is brought to you by the podcast audiobook Death by Cliché, by Robert J. Defendi. We didn't plug it very hard in the episode itself, but oh, MAN you need to listen to it. Howard hasn't laughed that hard in a long time.Our Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* 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

Episode 6, recorded live at Dragon's Keep opens with monkey noises and greeting-card pith, and ends with... well, we'll just let you listen. Is it a storybook ending? What IS a storybook ending? What is a whiz-bang ending? Is the ending the ending, or is the ending followed by a denouement? How important is a good ending? Writing Prompt: Take whatever you're working on right now, look at the ending you have planned now and then come up with two other endings and write all three. This week Writing Excuses is brought to you by Geek at Play Studio.Our Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* 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

So you've got a fantastic idea for a book or a short story, but where do you go from there? Who can give the incentive to write, the support to keep going when it gets hard, and the tough love to let you know when it sucks? The answer: a writing group. Writing groups can be difficult to put together and manage, but when everything clicks the rewards can be invaluable. This week we discuss all the ins and outs of how to find fellow writers, organize your group, interpret their advice, and overcome the common pitfalls that might get in the way. This week's Writing Excuses is brought to you by Fablehaven by Brandon MullOur Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* 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

In a lively discussion, part-time writers share strategies for juggling writing with full-time jobs. They explore the art of setting deadlines to boost productivity and dive into the challenges of keeping up with reading in a busy life. The conversation then shifts to crafting effective plot twists, emphasizing foreshadowing and character development. Finally, they unveil innovative techniques for character description, showcasing how action and subtlety can reveal a character’s essence and draw readers in.

No matter how grand your setting, how intense your conflicts, or how tight your plot, at some point you're going to need characters. Join us as we discuss what makes a character interesting, memorable, and unique. Once again, the team is joined by Brandon Mull of "Fablehaven" fame. Brandon Mull’s website This week Writing Excuses is brought to you by the Writing Excuses Season One Collection on CD.Our Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* 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

Kids these days with their long hair and their love of reading. It's like, get off my lawn, am I right? But in other news, kids (meaning anything from chapter books to mature YA) read a TON, and somebody has to write those books, and it might as well be you. Learn how to write for children with the Writing Excuses team and special guest star Brandon Mull, author of the wildly successful Fablehaven series. Brandon Mull's website This week Writing Excuses is brought to you by the Writing Excuses Season One Collection on CD.Our Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* 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