tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-04-14:3071550 Writing Excuses Transcripts Writing Excuses Transcripts 2011-02-22T22:34:00Z tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-04-14:3071550:28934 ext_88293 2011-02-22T22:34:00Z 2011-02-22T22:34:00Z gutted public 0 Posted by: <span lj:user='mbarker.livejournal.com' style='white-space: nowrap;' class='ljuser'><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?userid=92151&amp;t=I'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png' alt='[identity profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://mbarker.livejournal.com/' rel='nofollow'><b>mbarker.livejournal.com</b></a></span><br /><br />Writing Excuses Season Four Episode Seven: Questions and Answers with James Dashner<br /><br />From <a href="http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/02/21/writing-excuses-4-7-qa-with-james-dashner/">http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/02/21/writing-excuses-4-7-qa-with-james-dashner/</a><br /><br />Key Points: To outline or not... follow your guttural instinct. Do what works for you, but don't avoid the hard parts -- practice them and make them easy. You learn more about writing by writing. Hands-on research makes killings believable, but do it with meaning. You don't have to be gory to be scary. Sometimes you gotta staple some extra ideas onto your premise to make it strong enough. Don't stop with the first, easy answers -- look for the simple, surprising, excellent ones. Make sure you have revelations, plot twists, and scenes of suspense scattered throughout your story. <br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">(&nbsp;</b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/28934.html#cutid1">The questions... and some answers!</a></b><b class="cut-close">&nbsp;)</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br />[Brandon] We're out of time. I'm going to let James just throw out any writing prompt he wants to give us.<br />[James] You are flying in an airplane, and suddenly, one of the wings falls off. But the plane doesn't start diving toward the ground.<br />[Brandon] James Dashner's book The Maze Runner is in stores now. You can also read his books The 13th Reality Series for middle grade readers. Thank you, James. This has been Writing Excuses, you're out of excuses, now go write.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=wetranscripts&ditemid=28934" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-04-14:3071550:22944 ext_88293 2011-02-17T14:03:00Z 2011-02-17T14:03:00Z Cowgirls Don't Cry, Brooks & Dunn filberts public 0 Posted by: <span lj:user='mbarker.livejournal.com' style='white-space: nowrap;' class='ljuser'><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?userid=92151&amp;t=I'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png' alt='[identity profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://mbarker.livejournal.com/' rel='nofollow'><b>mbarker.livejournal.com</b></a></span><br /><br />Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 15: Q&amp;A at WorldCon<br /><br />From <a href="http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/09/06/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-15-writing-process-qa-with-mary-robinette-kowal/">http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/09/06/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-15-writing-process-qa-with-mary-robinette-kowal/</a><br /><br />Key points: What technology? Use technology you're comfortable with. How do you get original ideas? "Who is this going to hurt" can help you pick interesting ideas. Incubate and combine ideas. How do you outline? Outlines are a way of thinking through what will happen -- how do you get from plot point to plot point. Focus on the lamp posts, the big changes in characters. Or pick an image or climax, and lay the groundwork to get there. Outlines can change, too. <br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">(&nbsp;</b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/22944.html#cutid1">Questions and answers...</a></b><b class="cut-close">&nbsp;)</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=wetranscripts&ditemid=22944" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments