What's epistolary writing? Well, it's writing through letters. But it's also a lot more than that. As we continue to dive into the concept of Voice, we want to explore the importance and power of the letters that Blue and Red write to each other throughout "This Is How You Lose The Time War." If you haven't already listened to our episodes intro...
2024-04-07 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostOn our third episode diving into Voice through the novella “This Is How You Lose The Time War,” we begin to explore the different voices that make up the two main characters in the story. Last episode we dove into Red’s voice– if you haven’t already, we recommend you listen to that first!
Today, we are doing a close read of...
2024-03-31 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostToday, we are doing a very close read of Red's opening narration and how Red’s voice communicates both character and world in an effective and efficient way. We read several sections aloud and dive into what each sensory detail is doing. Also Mary Robinette talks about what she thinks is the most effective way to draw your readers att...
2024-03-24 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
This month's Q&A is tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Your hosts this month are DongWon Song and Howard Tayler!
For this month we are using our new way to run the Q&As (and it was tested by the hosts so we know it works!)
If you are at the Interactive Q&A tier or above you can join DongWon and Howard in a Zoom room. ...
2024-03-19 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
The book that became a New York Times Bestseller because of a tweet. Well, it won LOTS of awards when it came out, but it was rediscovered by a Twitter account with a large following. So-- let's get into it!
On our first episode diving into Voice using the short novel "This Is How You Lose The Time War", we talk about why Voice is essentia...
2024-03-17 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Go get a copy ASAP so you can join us in our episodes analyzing why it's
so
freaking
good
!!!
Our first episode talking about VOICE in "This is How You Lose the Time War" will air on March 17th!
A reminder that we have ad-free episodes available via Patreon-- and you will also then get acc...
You’ve probably seen us posting about our Close Reading Series, and in his episode, we finally officially introduce it!
For most of the remainder of 2024, we’ll be diving into five core elements of writing by focusing on five different literary texts. We’ll spend five episodes on each one, and then we’re going to… drumroll please...
2024-03-10 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Feel free to reference this! The date on the far right is the date of the first episode that will talk about the text! We recommend having it read by that date, as we will be talking about all parts of the book for all the episodes (that means spoilers!)
Hosts Erin and DongWon are joined by Fonda Lee and Mahtab Narsimhan for a special episode about creating traditions in your fictional writing. In this episode, we'll explore some of the following:
-How do you build traditions and rituals in your fictional world (choosing what becomes a tradition or ritual and what doesn’t)?
-How ca...
2024-03-03 09:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello Writers & Listeners,
We have exciting news. In 18 days, we'll be starting our close reading series-- it's sort of like a book club for writers!
We'll introduce the series in our episode on March 10th, and then we'll dive right into talking about our first book on March 17! The first one will be "This is How You ...
An agent, an editor, and a writer walk into a Zoom room and record a podcast... but really... that's (part of) what this episode is!
First off, a reminder that your agent, your editor, and you are all on the same team! They are all trying to make the same book (your book!) a better book. Whether you've published before or are just starting...
2024-02-27 01:20:51 +0000 UTC View Post
This month's Q&A is tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Your hosts this month are DongWon Song and Howard Tayler!
For this month we are using our new way to run the Q&As. If you are at the Interactive Q&A tier or above you can join DongWon and Howard in a Zoom room. They will open the room about fifteen minutes before the livestre...
2024-02-20 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostFor our second episode in this three-part series on revising your NaNoWriMo novel—or any other larger project you have—we are diving into intentions with Tor editor Ali Fisher. We asked her how she helps writers figure out what their books are about, and how she helps set intentions for revisions.
Ali talks with us about how its import...
2024-02-18 09:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostHere is the Revision Template that Mahtab Narsimhan mentions in episode 19:05.
2024-02-13 01:07:22 +0000 UTC View PostAli Fisher, editor at Tor Books and member of the podcast Rude Tales of Magic, joins us for a three-part series on editing.
First up: length! How do you edit your work—whether it's a book or a short story or a novella? Maybe you wrote a draft during NaNoWriMo, maybe you didn't-- either way, we want to help you figure out how to ...
2024-02-11 09:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostSome writers love revisions and some would rather scrub the toilet than revise their writing. On this episode, we are joined by author Mahtab Narsimhan, who many will recognize as a host from past seasons! Mahtab talks with our hosts about how she thinks about revisions. How do you revise your writing? What is the difference between revising and...
2024-02-04 09:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostHere is the Revision Template that Mahtab Narsimhan mentions in episode 19:05.
2024-02-04 09:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
We are accepting scholarship applications for one more week! Please let all your writer friends know!!
2024-01-31 16:17:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Embark from Los Angeles, CA while surrounded by fellow writers. You’ll visit Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlán, all while learning how to bring yourself to the business side of publishing.
If you want to get your work in front of others, a plan for harnessing (and yes, even enjoying!) the business aspect of writing is essential—w...
2024-01-30 13:23:26 +0000 UTC View PostPacing is one of the most subjective and difficult aspects of storytelling to get right. What is pacing? How do you know what the right pace is for a story, and what techniques can you use to speed up or slow down your narrative?
Homework Assignment from Fonda Lee:
Take a page of a work-in-progress project and experi...
2024-01-28 09:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello, writers and listeners,
We wanted to remind everyone that we have transcripts of our podcast available! These are hand-transcribed by one of our incredible listeners, Mike Barker, and posted a few days after the episode airs.
You can find all of the transcripts at this website: 2024-01-25 22:35:12 +0000 UTC View Post
This year, we're going to 🇲🇽 Mexico, 📷 Scotland, and Minnesota!📷 for our Writing Excuses retreats!
And they all have Writing Retreat Scholarships available!!
Applications are STILL OPEN (due on January 31!)
https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/<...
2024-01-23 18:21:51 +0000 UTC View PostA few months ago, we were on a cruise ship in Alaska recording podcast episodes for 2024!
This live recording features a Q&A with cruise attendees, who were given the opportunity to ask questions to Marshall Carr, our audio engineer, and Emma Reynolds, our producer. In this episode, we talked about the benefits of MFA programs, astrolo...
2024-01-21 09:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
The Writing Excuses discord is now open to anyone at the $5 tier and up! If you have your discord connected to your Patreon account then you should be automatically brought into the discord.
We have a LIVE podcast recording from September 2023, when we were hosting one of our writing retreats on a cruise ship in Alaska! (To learn about our next WX Retreats, check out: https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/
Or apply for our scholarships by January 31 at ...
2024-01-17 00:01:45 +0000 UTC View Post
This month's Q&A is tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Your hosts this month are Mary Robinette Kowal and Howard Tayler!
For this month we are testing out a new way to run the Q&As. If you are at the Interactive Q&A tier or above you can join Mary Robinette and Howard in a Zoom room. They will open the room about fifteen minutes ...
2024-01-16 16:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
We have created a Discord Community Server just for you! The official Writing Excuses server will open to Patreon members at the $5 level very soon. Simply connect your Discord account to your Patreon account, and you'll be auto...
2024-01-16 00:01:54 +0000 UTC View Post
In 2024, Writing Excuses is heading to 🇲🇽 Mexico, 🏴 Scotland, and a peaceful retreat in ✍🏽 Minnesota.
Want to join us?
Learn more at https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/
Or apply for our scholarships by January 31 ...
2024-01-15 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello writers and listeners!
Do you or someone you know want to work on your writing this year? Finally finish that manuscript? Learn how to find an agent or publisher? Fuel your creativity? Practice building scenes? Get feedback from our authors and hosts?!
Well... we have just the thing for you.
We have THREE Writing Ex...
2024-01-10 18:48:41 +0000 UTC View PostIn our first episode of 2024, we interviewed author and physician Abraham Verghese, who most recently published "The Covenant of Water." We talked with Verghese about how to convey technical information in fiction.
Verghese explains how he shares medical and world-bui...
2024-01-07 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post