Writing Excuses Transcripts

Writing Excuses 5.11: Micro-Casting Number Two

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:43:00 GMT

Posted by: mbarker.livejournal.com

Writing Excuses 5.11: Micro-Casting Number Two

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/11/14/writing-excuses-5-11-micropocasting-2/

Key points:
-- How do you do bad things to your hero character without feeling bad about it?
I do feel their pain.
-- How far into writing a novel should you begin letting others read it for feedback?
When you are finished with the story. Beware of story hijacking.
-- Do the bad things you do to your characters always have to suit the story?
They need to be motivated and properly set up.
-- How do you design frightening monsters?
Take away the eyebrows. Let them do mundane, real things. Keep them in the shadows.
-- How far into the outlining process do you actually start writing?
When I am excited and want to start writing. When I have a good sense of where the story is going, where it needs to end, and more or less how it needs to get there. When it's done.
( And lots more words... )
[Brandon] All right. Well. Let's go ahead and go with our writing prompt. I'm going to say Howard, give it to us.
[Howard] You, in an extremely, extremely spur-of-the-moment sort of living-in-the-moment thing have decided that instead of fight club, it's zoo club. And you have just punched an elephant. Hard. What happens next?
[Dan] You get arrested.
[Brandon] All right. This has been Writing Excuses, you're out of excuses...
[Howard] Now go to jail.

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Writing Excuses Season Two Episode Eight: The Three Act Structure

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 17:08:00 GMT

Posted by: mbarker.livejournal.com

Writing Excuses Season Two Episode Eight: The Three Act Structure

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/12/01/writing-excuses-season-2-episode-8-the-three-act-structure-with-bob-defendi/

Key points: The Three Act Structure: Act I, hero encounters problem; Act II, hero discovers problem is bigger than first thought; Act III, he triumphs anyway. Act I needs to establish the characters and the initial conflict. Act I ends when the main character enters a new world, when the battle is transformed into a war. Act II: try-fail cycles are your friend. Don't forget the twist, and a character hits rock bottom. Kick down the door: any time things are slowing down, it's time for another disaster (a.k.a. mini-climaxes). Act III: monkeys are allergic to cheese, or hidden learning lets the hero win.
( the transcript, more or less )
[Dan] This is more of an outlining prompt. So your outlining prompt for this time is to sit down and plot out a very basic Three Act structure either for what you're already working on if it doesn't have one or for an entirely new idea.
[Bob] All right.

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Writing Excuses 5: Heroes and Protagonists

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:39:00 GMT

Posted by: mbarker.livejournal.com

Writing Excuses 5: Heroes and Protagonists
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/03/09/writing-excuses-episode-5-heroes-and-protagonists/

In which we learn that Professor Google likes Charlie and The Chocolate Factory; main characters, heroes, and protagonists aren't always the same thing; and that everyman needs to be competent at something. Oh, and didgeridoo and rutabaga.
( Lots of little stuff . . . )
On to next week!

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