Writing Excuses Bonus-02: Horrifying the Children, with Darren Shan

2016-11-08T09:42:00Z

Posted by: mbarker.livejournal.com

Writing Excuses Bonus-02: Horrifying the Children, with Darren Shan

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2016/10/31/11-bonus-02-horrifying-the-children-with-darren-shan/

Key points: What can't you do when writing horror for young adults? Set your be-careful lines for yourself. Sex and violence are big questions. Why write horror? Because we enjoy safe scares! Draw a line between fictional horror and real horror. Horror gives us a training wheel version of emotions and experiences that we need to think about and prepare for real life problems. How do you write horror? Organic process, use your gut instincts. Learn by doing -- i.e., write! Bad stories, mistakes, learn and improve. Advice for writing horror? Remember what it was like for you as a teenager, make it personal. Do stories that appeal to you. You can't control your ideas, but you do control the development of them. Ask questions, and see where those answers lead you. Why, why, why? You may not know your characters until you write, but at least get a guideline for your plot to start with. Ticking off what you have done can help give you a sense of progress, to get you through the desert of the big long middle stretch. Landmarks in the Sahara. Juggling books in multiple phases can be fun!

( Inside a Halloween pumpkin... )

[Howard] Who's got a writing prompt for us?
[Steve] I've got one from the crowd that says write a story about what scared you as a child.
[Dan] I like that.
[Howard] Okay. Reach back into your memories. Try and find the repressed ones. That's tricky. But that's where the big scare is going to be. Turn that into a story. Darren, thank you so much for joining us.
[Steve] Thank you, Darren.
[Howard] I really appreciated how much support you've given to a great many of the things that I've believed about writing.
[Chuckles]
[Howard] It's very nice to find out…
[Steve] He makes us sound so much more intelligent, too.
[Howard] It just means I feel like I'm on the right path.
[Yes!]
[Howard] Anyway, thank you so much for joining us. Fair listener, you are out of excuses. Now go write.

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Writing Excuses Season Four Episode Eight: Working with Editors

2011-02-22T22:36:00Z

Posted by: mbarker.livejournal.com

Writing Excuses Season Four Episode Eight: Working with Editors

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/02/28/writing-excuses-4-8-working-with-editors/

Key points: New authors worry about editors demanding cuts that threaten artistic integrity, or being asked to add in sex and violence. However, editors buy a book because they like it, not to fix it. They usually tell you before buying what their vision of the book is, and you don't have to agree. They may suggest that you've established a certain type of book, and that you cut or add things to match that. Relationships with editors are a dialogue, where you can talk it through. Publishing houses and editors will ask for changes. Your job is to think about them and decide whether or not to do them. Look for an editor with a vision that is consistent with yours. Talk to the editor before you sign the contract about what you are willing to sacrifice, what you're willing to cut or add to get published. BUT don't worry too much about this. Editors buy books because they like them, because they agree with the vision of the book -- not to torture writers. Consider it, plan on working with an editor, and write.
( Undoing the clean rating... )
[Brandon] All right. Can we have a writing prompt? Let's have you write a story about a time where an author and editor disagree about something that no one else would ever disagree about. This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses, now go write.

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Writing Excuses Transcripts

Writing Excuses Bonus-02: Horrifying the Children, with Darren Shan

Writing Excuses Season Four Episode Eight: Working with Editors