We get asked a lot about our writing habits. So your Writing Excuses hosts spend the whole 'cast discussing their schedules, their work environments, and the things they do to make themselves more productive while keeping themselves creative. Peace and quiet? Clothing? Distractions? Pants? We answer these questions and more. Will any of this work for you? You tell us! The comments are a great place to discuss. Howard mentioned PeopleWare, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister. You can buy it here.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

All three of your Writing Excuses hosts include a measure of violence in their written work. So Brandon, Dan, and Howard decide to clear the air a little bit. Why do we write about violence? What does it bring to a work of fiction, and what challenges does it pose? Is there a morally appropriate way to write about violence? How does it impact the theme of your work? Is there a difference between writing about violence and writing comedic mayhem? Writing Prompt: Have some fun in the worst possible way. Write a scene that has an extremely violent sequence that glorifies the violence and then write a scene dealing with the consequences.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For the first time in eleven episodes, we have a "normal" one. No special guests, no special locations, and no new format tricks. This episode grows out of Howard's ignorance - remember back in Episode 10 when Howard called "can of worms" on "theme?" Well, we open the can for this entire episode. What is theme? Is it something the author must consciously include? Is it something the reader must successfully identify? How can writing to a particular theme help your work? How can it hurt? How can writers avoid thematic pitfalls? We discuss examples from other writers, and from our own work (especially Brandon's.) This week's Writing Excuses is brought to you by Dave Farland's Novel-Writing Workshop. Writing Prompt: Write a short story that has no theme. No deeper meaning. Nothin'.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dave Wolverton joins us for a third and final episode, and the Writing Excuses team pumps him for information before letting him escape. We find out why he uses two names (David Farland and Dave Wolverton), how to name characters, and why writers don't jump between genres much. Dave discusses the state of the genre-fiction publishing business, and prognosticates a bit on its future. As a special treat, Dave explains how he broke into the industry, so be the first to listen to that bit and get a leg up on everybody else with this proven (and slightly bloody) strategy. Writing Prompt: Juan and Gregorio Watanabe are in medieval England--and they belong there. Explain why.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dave Farland, aka Dave Wolverton again joins the Writing Excuses team, and helps us discuss boredom. Specifically, we cover how to deal with it, how to go about writing those "boring parts" that come between the exciting bits that fuel your writing passion. We talk about skipping ahead, switching viewpoints, following the pain, and trying to do this in a first-person narrative. And for an episode that claims to be about the "boring parts" this one is fairly action-packed. Finally. Writing Prompt: Kill the main badguy in every chapter.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week (and for the following two weeks) the Writing Excuses crew is joined by author Dave Wolverton, who also writes under the name David Farland. This week's topic? ROMANCE. What can four adult males possibly have to say about the subject? The answer: We tell you absolutely everything we know in just sixteen minutes and fifty-one seconds. And there was time left over in there to stick in an advertisement. This week's Writing Excuses is brought to you by Rokit Fuel. That ad Howard recorded was powered in part by two bags of the stuff. They sent us samples, and we plowed through them like a tornado through a trailer park. 

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

With Brandon still mysteriously missing, Professor Bob Defendi returns to take Dan and Howard on a magical journey through the three-act format: every step, every element, every nuance of this very common and very helpful writing structure. The only way you could conceivably learn more is in a magic school bus, and frankly we don't think that's very likely. This week’s episode is brought to you by Bob's podcast audiobook Death by Cliché, by Robert J. Defendi. No matter how hilarious you think this is going to be, it's actually more hilarious than that. Writing Prompt: Plot out a three act structure for a current project or a new one.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & 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/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & 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 Mull

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/WX


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy