Writing Excuses

What makes characters engaging, and how is that different from them being sympathetic?

How do you put true stuff in your books when the truth is just too strange?

What is handwavium? How does it work? What happens when it doesn't work?

Eric James Stone joins us for a discussion of revision, and what the final pass process looks like.

Time passes, and we have lots of ways to tell readers how quickly that's happening.

Mette Ivie Harrison joins us to talk about how to "hijack" the knowledge you already have in order to make you a better writer.

Nancy Fulda talks Artificial Intelligence with Brandon, Mary, and Howard.

Nancy Fulda joins the cast for a discussion of narrative versus character perceptions

Eric James Stone joins us for a discussion of hard science fiction -- what it is, what it isn't, and how to do it well.

Eric James Stone joins us to talk about the book deal chronology for UNFORGETTABLE.

Mette Ivie Harrison joins us to talk about the reasons you think you don't have time to write.

Mette Ivie Harrison joins us to discuss creative non-fiction, the genre in which the tools of creative writing are applied to factually accurate narratives.

Mercedes Lackey joins Brandon, Mary, and Howard to field listener questions at GenCon Indy.

Joel Shepherd joins Brandon, Mary, and Howard to talk about hard social science.

Sam Logan of "Sam and Fuzzy" talks long-form storytelling with Brandon, Mary, and Howard

Scott Lynch, author of The Republic of Thieves, joins Brandon, Howard, and Mary before a live audience at GenCon Indy to talk about roguishness. Why do we like rogues? What can a roguish character accomplish in terms of story purposes? Can the rogue accomplish things a more classically moral character cannot? Most importantly, what do authors need to do in order to help readers like the rogues, rather than just thinking they're awful people?

Aeryn Rudel from Privateer Press and Skull Island X joins us at GenCon Indy to talk about editing.

Wes Chu joins Brandon, Mary, and Howard for a live audience Q&A at GenCon

Tom Doherty, president and founder of Tor books, joins us at GenCon to talk publishing.

Wesley Chu joins us at GenCon Indy for a discussion of realistic melee fighting.