Writing Excuses

We here at Writing Excuses enjoyed Marvel's The Avengers. This isn't a movie review, though. This is a discussion of what the movie did right from a writer's standpoint. The things we focus on?

* Dialog and character voice

* Balanced handling of an ensemble of main characters

* Scenes that serve more than one function

* Pacing

Obviously there will be some spoilers here. The film is available for rental now, so you might consider watching it again with this podcast and these points in mind. And generally speaking, it's a good exercise for writers to look at movies (or books, or comics, or whatever) that they enjoy, and then attempt to identify the reasons those things were enjoyable.

The number one request we got when we asked you what you'd like us to talk about? Short story writing. Mary is our resident expert, and if she weren't already a member of the cast, she'd our go-to expert for an interview. Convenient!

We begin by addressing the popular notion that writing short stories is a good way to practice for writing novels, and selling short stories is a way to break in and sell novels. We then return to the M.I.C.E. quotient (first addressed by us in 6.10) and discuss how the quotient (or model, or formula) helps you understand what to cut from the telling of a story to make it a short story.

Mary then walks us through her process for turning an idea into a story concept, and then distilling that concept into a short story. She also invites us to explore her 950-word short, "Evil Robot Monkey," free of charge!

There are numerous local cultures surrounding writers, writing groups, and the conventions that writers attend. These cultural peculiarities influence the writing that emerges from those areas.

As writers, it's important to be aware that this is happening. As a podcast crew, we're aware that it's happening around us, and in many cases because of us. We talk about some of the cultures we've been embedded in, how they've influenced us, and how we have, in some cases reacted against those cultures.

We also talk about how we can conduct ourselves when participating at conventions, again, with care taken to assess the nature of the cultures in which we're stepping into.

Blocking! What is it, why is it important, and how can you do it well?

We begin with a definition (blocking is the part of the narrative that tells the reader where the characters are, where the scenery is, and how these things are interacting) and then talk about why it's important, especially how it applies to "show, don't tell," and how the needs of the story will dictate what actually needs to be shown.

Finally, we discuss how to block scenes effectively, and how each of us do it.

You love 'em, we love 'em, and there's never a shortage of questions so here's another another fast-paced Q&A. Here are the questions that we field in this episode:

* How do you prepare to write?

* How do you write stories that are important without being heavy-handed?

* Magical realism vs. Fantasy -- what's the difference?

* Do you have recommendations or techniques for serving as a beta reader? (Here's the promised liner-note bit from Mary.)

* Is it possible to do a serial with short stories and novellas all in the same setting?

* Why do publishers say they want crossed-genre books, but they're not publishing crossed-genre books?

* Picture books and books for beginning readers: can you 'cast on this for us? (Answer: not until we've got an expert guest in that field. If you want that info, go to SCBWI.org)

* Can you do a 'cast on reading aloud? (Answer: yes. This is not that 'cast.)

* What is the primary thing you've learned from reading Literary Fiction that has informed your Genre Fiction writing?

We're going to try brainstorming with Brandon again, because that last story didn't grab him. There's a lesson there, but let's move on...

Our story seed is "psychic birds." Brandon asks us to start with plotting, but we have to do a little world-building first, locking down some of the bird abilities, and their scope. Then we wrestle with conflict, and the need for a good ending.

We begin with an audio glitch and a jumbling of our usual intro. Why? Because it breaks rhythm, and sometimes you may actually want to do that.

Narrative rhythm is the pattern of story elements and associated structures that help drive the reader's pace through a book. Consciously managed, narrative rhythm is a a critical pacing tool, but can also be used to point up important information, increase the impact of certain scenes, and even encourage the reader to take a breather.

We talk about examples from film (it's not the same thing, but it's easy to make the point this way), as well as examples from our own work. Scenes and sequels, chapter breaks, cliffhangers, and more all come in to play here.  And of course you, fair listener, want to know how to manage narrative rhythm, and we cover some tips and tricks for that, too.

As if he needs the help, Brandon challenges Mary, Howard, and Dan to help him brainstorm an A.I. short story. Brandon hands them some setup, and off they go. The ground may have been well-tread in the past, but this particular brainstorming session is full of great ideas that incorporate religion, cargo cults, puzzles, and aliens...

The big challenge here is finding a tale that's interesting enough and original enough to be worth the telling...

Mary's Hugo-nominated Novella: “Kiss Me Twice” which appeared in Asimov’s.

What does it mean to "fake it till you make it?" For this episode we talk about the things that we do, or that we have done, that help us (or helped us) feel professional. Howard explains the origin of his legendary online buffer, and how eight years later he changed his wardrobe. Mary tells us the story of the omitted first line of Glamour in Glass, and how her reaction to it was destined to shape (or solidify) the image she wanted others to have. Brandon talks about his first time on the NYT Best-Sellers List.

Obviously the thing we should all be doing, first and foremost, is writing, but there are professional behaviors you can engage in that will help you feel more like a professional writer.

But! There is a logical fallacy to avoid, however. "Affirming the consequent" is when we look at the things our favorite authors do, and do them without realizing that those are consequences of being professionals rather than precursors. We talk about some of the consequences that we, as authors-aspirant, might find ourselves affirming.

Finally, we talk about "imposter syndrome," and there's good news on that front: even many full-time, award-winning professionals suffer from it.

Brandon, Dan, and Mary interview Howard about how he assembled "Deus ex Nauseum," the bonus story that appears at the end of Schlock Mercenary: Emperor Pius Dei.

Howard begins with the story's genesis, which was sort of a science-fiction Sherlock Holmes story, but which wasn't working very well. He explains why it wasn't working well, and the point at which he decided to change it completely.

Then the questions begin. We have a fascinating discussion about deus ex machina as a literary device, and how this story plays to that type, and plays against that type.