Writing Excuses

Howard brainstorms with Brandon, Mary, and Dan on a Schlock Mercenary bonus story.

The team helps Howard brainstorm a story about big Pharma and Death...

Robison Wells joins Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard to talk about health -- especially the mental kind.

Robison Wells joins the 'cast to talk to us about cliffhangers.

Why would you retell a story that has already been told? Now, how would you go about doing it well?

They're not rules, they're guidelines. Right? Let's talk about breaking "rules" of writing.

Do you need arcs and development for side-characters?

How do you give a personality to the animal or animals in your story? How do you do it without being a crazy cat lady?

Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary talk about the Hero's Journey. Finally.

We're back for the New Year, and we start by answering all your questions. Or at least eight of them.

Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard each take a look at some changing aspect of the industry, and how they're reacting to that change.

How is "Men in Black" like "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?" This week on Writing Excuses we talk about Secret History, and how to do it well.

A fast-paced Q&A covering discouragement, magic systems, ideas, and our embarrassing early projects.

Mary invites Brandon, Dan, and Howard to brainstorm a story with her.

Mary Robinette Kowal schools Brandon, Dan, and Howard with her outlining system.

We've talked about where to start. Now Brandon, Dan, Mary, and Howard talk about how to start -- what goes "in" when you're going "in late, out early."

Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal provide last-minute writing advice to you NaNoWriMo'ers out there...

Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary review some of Emma Coats' "Pixar Rules" for storytelling

Howard Tayler gives NaNoWriMo participants a pep-talk on their way into the last week of the month.

What are the things that matter to your characters? What things matter to your readers? After we get the obligatory ambiguity out of the way, we settle into talking about the "stakes" and the escalation thereof.