Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 18: How to not repeat yourself

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 18: How to not repeat yourself

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/09/27/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-18-how-to-not-repeat-yourself/

Key points: Balance continuity and similarities with new stuff. Watch for reuse on small details and for reuse of themes and storylines. Try different takes, outcomes, characters, directions. Hang a lantern on reuse -- let the reader know that you know you are doing it. Try recombination of disharmonious elements and random jumbles to make yourself stretch.
( doubletalk... )

[Howard] No, no. But you pick several... you pick among one of these several sentences and then you roll the dice for nouns and adjectives and whatever. It's like MadLibs, only when you're done, you realize, "A Princess is trying to eat a pie and the magic frog doesn't want her to." You come up with story seeds, from which you could go...
[Brandon] Well, we have a writing prompt.
[Howard] Okay. Writing prompt. A princess is trying to eat a pie and someone is trying to stop her.
[Brandon] And the fate of the world depends on it.
[Dan] [musical interlude -- dun, de dun dun...]
[Brandon] This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses, now go write.

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 19: Emotion in Fiction with John Brown

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 19: Emotion in Fiction with John Brown

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/10/04/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-19-emotion-in-fiction-with-john-brown/

Key points: fiction is all about guiding an emotional response in a reader. Writing takes time to think about writing plus time to write. Make time for both. Emotions come from reaction and thoughts, but when we think distorted thoughts, we cause our own emotional reactions. Cognitive therapy tool: stop, write down the feeling and the thought that went with it. Then examine the thought to see if it is realistic. Don't just compare what someone else does well with what you are weak at -- pay attention to the things you do well, too.  Good writing guides the reader into experiencing emotions, so think about what evokes a response in you, then put that in your story. Character identification, believability, clarity, focusing on triggering details are all part of evoking emotions. The question you have to ask yourself is, what would evoke that response. Then put that in the story.
( slithering in the grass )

[Brandon] OK. Let's go ahead and do a writing prompt. I think that might be a good one right there. A story about villainous heroes that has a romantic element that inspires terror in your reader. That's going to be your goal. All right. This has been Writing Excuses, you're out of excuses, now go write.

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 20: The Difference between Character Driven and Plot Driven Sto

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 20: The Difference between Character Driven and Plot Driven Stories

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/10/11/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-20-plot-vs-character-driven-fiction/

Key Points: What is driving the story -- who the characters are or what events are they involved with? What draws the reader in -- how does this end or who is Sally? Both kind create tension in readers, and require conflict. Is the climax a confluence of events or a character decision/change? When the characters' internal moments and the plot's external moments all line up, that's thrilling. Does the plot revolve around a discovery, a decision, or an action? Strong characters make plots interesting. Make your characters strong enough to carry the story.
( serendipity hides here )

[Brandon] I think that's a great note to end on. Larry, we want you to give us a writing prompt. Just off the top of your head. I'm putting you on the spot. This is what happens. A writing prompt for our listeners.
[Larry] Come up with a plot driven story and try to make it good with boring characters.
[Dan] Ignore all the advice we've just given you.
[Howard] We've just made them run laps for no reason.
[Brandon] Someone's already done that. His name is Dan Brown.
[Larry] Oh. Burn. Snap.
[Howard] You can get Dan Brown's stuff on audible.com.
[Brandon] Yes, you can. This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses, now go write.

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 21: Pitfalls of Self-Publishing

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 21: Pitfalls of Self-Publishing

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/10/18/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-21-pitfalls-of-self-publishing-with-larry-correia/

Key points: Self-publishing is not easy. You still need all the stuff that a publishing house does, and you have to do it yourself. You have to avoid the con artists. You have to be a businessperson, marketeer, and accountant. You need a business plan!
( The self-publishing rag )

[Brandon] I've got a writing prompt for everyone. Story about someone who self publishes a book which for one reason or another becomes a threat that will end the world. So someone self publishes the Necronomicon.
[Larry] So you read my book?
[Brandon] Thank you to Larry. The book is Monster Hunter International. This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses, now go write.

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 22: Idea to Story

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 22: Idea to Story

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/10/25/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-22-idea-to-story/

Key Points: To turn an idea into a story: Look for the points of conflict. Look for the boundaries -- what kind of story is this? Consider plot, setting, characters. What is the ending? How will you resolve the story? Look for characters who are in pain. Check old ideas that didn't get used yet. Brainstorm interesting ideas -- set pieces, events, twists, interesting stuff.
( the nuts and bolts )

[Brandon] We're out of time. But let's go ahead and give you the writing prompt which is the same idea that we used at the beginning.
[Howard] Insects have in some way evolved defenses against all of the poisons that we use to kill them and many of the chemicals that would work to just kill anything because they have somehow developed magic.
[Brandon] This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses, now go write.