You may still have questions about how to apply elemental adventure in your work. Hopefully your questions are similar to the ones we collected below, because these are the ones we answered: What do readers like more: protagonists going through lots of different incidents and locations, or through a few that are similar to each other? What lessons can we learn from adventure games? How can we make action scenes that adventurous, but that are not fight scenes? Are there tropes we should stay away...
Apr 24, 2016•23 min•Season 11Ep. 17
Let's be adventurous. Let's move beyond simply being cooks, and strive to become chefs. In this episode we explore using the element of adventure as an ingredient in something that has far more than adventure going on in it. Why do we like adventure? What draws the reader forward? Credits: This episode was recorded by Daniel Thompson, and mastered by Alex Jackson. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * Check out T...
Apr 17, 2016•23 min•Season 11Ep. 16
L.E. Modesitt, Jr. joined us at LTUE for a world building discussion centered around the way the environment informs the story. We talk about lead in Roman plumbing, water lilies in Las Vegas sewers, and coal power in the British Empire, and how these examples can help us more effectively use the environments in our stories. Liner Notes: We mentioned both Americapox, The Missing Plague, (a YouTube video) and the excellent book Guns, Germs, and Steel. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://...
Apr 10, 2016•17 min•Season 11Ep. 15
Our exploration of elemental genres continues with the sense of "I want to do that." Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquir...
Apr 03, 2016•21 min•Season 11Ep. 14
This is a Q&A about ideas that does NOT include the question "Where do you get your ideas?" Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Adverti...
Mar 27, 2016•16 min•Season 11Ep. 13
Nancy Fulda is back for our second episode on the Idea elemental genre. We cover some tools for exploring an idea, and then drill down a bit on how to use that exploration, or even multiple explorations as "seasoning" elements for a larger work. Credits: This episode was recorded by Daniel Thompson, and mastered by Alex Jackson Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * Check out Talkiatry: https://Talkiatry.com/WX * ...
Mar 20, 2016•20 min•Season 11Ep. 12
Recorded live at LTUE, Michaelbrent Collings guest-starred for a discussion about self publishing. The landscape continues to change, and Collings is fully engaged in it. He begins by stressing the importance of truly understanding the craft of writing—every professional writer needs this—and then talks turkey about Kindle Direct, Bookbub, formats and lengths, output, available resources, publicity activities, and what kinds of things new writers should commit to spending money on. Note: Writing...
Mar 13, 2016•18 min•Season 11Ep. 11
Nancy Fulda joins us to talk about the Elemental Genre of Idea, and how to write stories driven by a sense of fascination. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-ex...
Mar 06, 2016•20 min•Season 11Ep. 10
Gama Ray Martinez joins us at LTUE to field questions on the Element of Wonder, which were submitted by members of our audience. Here are the questions: How do you create wonder in non-genre stories, where there are no super-powers, spaceships, or spellcasters? How do you avoid making the wonder stale? Are there stages of wonder, similar to the stages of grief? Does wonder come from the style of the prose, the pacing, or from other things? How would you foreshadow wonder? Our Sponsors: * Check o...
Feb 28, 2016•18 min•Season 11Ep. 9
If the Element of Wonder is the driving force behind "sense of wonder" science fiction and fantasy, then that same element can be used to give wondrous flavor to stories whose driving force lies among the other elemental genres. We talk about how to use wonder at smaller scales, how to create it with context, and how you might use it in support of the other themes of your story. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSE...
Feb 21, 2016•21 min•Season 11Ep. 8
Gail Carriger joins us to talk about her Convention Survival Kit, which is full of things most of us wish we'd known to pack with us years ago. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podcast at — https://red...
Feb 14, 2016•19 min•Season 11Ep. 7
We've introduced the concept of Elemental Genre already. It's time to start digging in to the elements themselves, beginning with the Element of Wonder. We started with this one because "sense of wonder" is a term that gets used to describe what makes some science fiction stories work. In this episode we expand upon the word "wonder" a bit, making the shorthand of "elemental wonder" more useful, not to mention more descriptive. We then go on to detail some methods writers might use to evoke wond...
Feb 07, 2016•18 min•Season 11Ep. 6
Michelle Lyons McFarland, Monica Valentinelli, and Shanna Germain join Howard and Dan at GenCon, and talk about the craft of world building for role playing games. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podc...
Jan 31, 2016•17 min•Season 11Ep. 5
Let's map Newton's Laws of Motion onto writing. Because a wordcount at rest tends to remain at rest... Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations ...
Jan 24, 2016•19 min•Season 11Ep. 4
Elemental Genre becomes particularly useful when you start blending the elements for sub-plots, character arcs, or even mash-ups. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/wri...
Jan 17, 2016•19 min•Season 11Ep. 3
What's the difference between a conference and a convention? How do we, as writers, get the most out of them? Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * 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/wx Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/don...
Jan 10, 2016•20 min•Season 11Ep. 2
The word "genre" has a lot of weight to it. Arguments about whether a particular work is, or is not, part of a given genre are long, and tedious. Season Eleven will not be engaging in those arguments. We're giving all that a wide miss by adding an adjective, and defining a new term: Elemental Genre. During 2016 we are going to explore what we write, why we write, and how we write in much the same way as previous seasons have, but our guidepost this year will be this concept of Elemental Genres. ...
Jan 03, 2016•17 min•Season 11Ep. 1
Ellen Kushner joins us for the last episode of Season 10. Per the title, folks, it's time to be done. What does "done" mean? How do you go about declaring a project "finished" when you know there are still things wrong with it? How do you clear your head, your work space, and your life for the next thing you need to do? Out of Excuses: Per Brandon's plug in the episode, registration is open for the 2016 Out of Excuses WritingWorkshop and Retreat! Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www....
Dec 27, 2015•22 min•Season 10Ep. 52
Daniel José Older joins us for a Q&A on showing your work around. Here are the questions, which were submitted by attendees at the Out of Excuses workshop: What's the best way to meet editors and agents at conventions? How do you write a good query letter? What do you mention as credentials in your query letter? You didn't cover self publishing at all this month. Self publishing is legit, right? Can you submit the same work to more than one agent or editor at a time? Can you re-submit a revi...
Dec 20, 2015•23 min•Season 10Ep. 51
Marco Palmieri and Michael Underwood took the stage with Howard and Dan at GenCon Indy 2015 to discuss hand-selling manuscripts. Marco Palmieri is a senior editor at Tor, and Michael Underwood is an author, and is also the North American Sales and Marketing manager for Angry Robot Books. We begin with a list of the things to avoid doing, including the classic mistakes like chasing editors into restrooms, but we quickly move on to where you get started, and what your task list is going to look li...
Dec 13, 2015•17 min•Season 10Ep. 50
We're at the end of our Season Ten Master Class, and if you've been diligent about the homework, you may very well have a finished manuscript in your hands. What do you do with it? Daniel José Older joins us for a bit of reminiscence. We talk about some of our first submissions, and what we did right, wrong, and weirdly. We cover our criteria for selecting publishers to whom we'd like to send our stuff, and we include the shiny intangibles in that list. This episode was engineered aboard The Ind...
Dec 06, 2015•20 min•Season 10Ep. 49
Spoiler Alert! We'll be discussing the latest John Cleaver book from Dan Wells with author, podcaster, and unrepentant bacon-lover Dan Wells! If you haven't read it, and you want to be surprised by it, stop listening and grab a copy now! Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES * Check out Talkiatry: https://Talkiatry.com/WX * If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free ...
Nov 29, 2015•21 min•Season 10Ep. 48
And now for your questions about revision. Or rather, questions from the WXR attendees, who were aboard the Independence of the Seas with us (the answers to these questions are secreted away in the audio file...): During revision, when do you think it's acceptable to throw the whole thing out? How do you fit the whole structure in your head? What do you find you most often need to add? What do you do when your revisions have made things worse? How do you avoid over-writing during the revision pr...
Nov 22, 2015•20 min•Season 10Ep. 47
The microphones again find us aboard the Independence of the Seas*, to talk about how terribly ugly this manuscript is, and what we can do to make it pretty. In this episode we drill down on line-by-line, paragraph-by-paragraph revisions. This stage of the revision process is where our prose gets wordsmithed. This episode runs long, touching on: Punching up the pacing Turning things upside down Parallelisms Adverbial compression, The pyramid of abstraction Free and direct thought Replacing negat...
Nov 15, 2015•23 min•Season 10Ep. 46
Dan and Howard are joined by Kameron Hurley, James L. Sutter, and Michael Underwood for an anything-goes Q&A at the GenCon Indy Writing Symposium. We had reached the end of our two-hour block, but the audience hungered for the chance to ask their questions of these guests, so the Symposium gave us an extra half hour in the room. The audience had already been in this room for 120 minutes, but they wanted more more more, so we ran a bit long. Can you advise us about Writing the Other especiall...
Nov 08, 2015•27 min•Season 10Ep. 45
November is "Revision" month here in the Writing Excuses Season 10 Master Class, so while many of you may be tempted by NaNoWriMo, there's a different kind of work to be done... Delia Sherman joins us again, this time for a frank talk about the tools and techniques we use during our revisions. This episode was engineered aboard The Independence of the Seas by Bert Grimm, and mastered in a cloud fortress above Lake Michigan by Alex Jackson. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeser...
Nov 01, 2015•22 min•Season 10Ep. 44
Delia Sherman joined us aboard the Independence of the Seas for our question-and-answer installment on endings. The questions came from the attendees at the Writing Excuses Workshop, which was, lest anyone forget, on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The questions: Why do more short stories than novels end on tragic notes? How do you keep an ending from being predictable or boring? How do you write a stand-alone ending with sequel potential? What are the best ways to avoid infodump endings? Are th...
Oct 25, 2015•23 min•Season 10Ep. 43
Nalo Hopkinson joins us again, at sea, for our second Master Class installment on endings. We cover some of the reasons why an ending might not be working, and then talk about the sorts of diagnoses that will help you solve the problem. You'll likely need to dig deep in your toolbox. Our episodes covering the MICE quotient, promises made to the readers, and the Hollywood formula may be worth reviewing in this process. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out Mas...
Oct 18, 2015•22 min•Season 10Ep. 42
Brad Beaulieu and Jaym Gates join us from the GenCon Indy Writing Symposium to talk about good versus evil, and how your character might swing between the two. And it's all about that swing. Moral grey areas are more interesting if we move through them. We talk about how we swing the pendulum, what difficulties we encounter, and what sorts of things we want to have happen to our reader when it moves. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out MasterClass: https://...
Oct 11, 2015•16 min•Season 10Ep. 41
Nalo Hopkinson joins us for this episode, which we recorded before a live audience of Out Of Excuses Workshop & Retreat attendees. October's master class episodes focus on endings, and in this first installment we talk about what an ending really is. It's obviously the last part of the book, but the gestalt of "ending" is so much more than just "The End," and it's important that we understand all that before committing ourselves to being done writing it. (Note: You can start writing your end...
Oct 04, 2015•19 min•Season 10Ep. 40
