Writers on Writing: Writing Excuses

I’ve waded through so many podcasts on writing and creativity, and Writing Excuses has risen to the top becoming one of my favorites.  This podcast does something many others have failed to do: get to the point.  Their tagline is “15 minutes long because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.” And they mean it… the first part anyway.  

They are very diligent (almost zealous) about staying on topic-- or at least their fearless(?) leader, Brandon Sanderson, is.  Perhaps the reason I like this podcast so much is Sanderson (like myself) believes the world can be explained with a proper outline and detailed bullet points.  The podcasters are very conscious of their position as teachers as well as writers. They may begin with abstract ideas, but then they immediately ask: ‘yeah, but how do you do that?’

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Those are the two major lessons I’ve culled from Writing Excuses. First, specificity and brevity are skills key for any critiquer.  A good critique can get overwhelming for the writer.  Don’t introduce tangential information unless it is absolutely necessary.  (For example: “this section reminded me of that one scene in The Lord of the Rings.  Remember that scene?  Let’s talk extensively about it and get back to your script in twenty minutes.  What were we talking about again?”)  Have a time limit for your critique in the back of your mind.  Even if you have more than thirty minutes of notes, save the rest for the next day so the author can process the information.  

The second lesson is to push through the critique to talk about ‘how you do that.’  If a character feels flat, have some thoughts about what would bring that character to life for you.  Now, this is a fine line to walk.  Only bring out those suggestions if the author asks for them.  Also take a very casual tone when you suggest them so it is clear you are not taking over.  A confident, professional author can find value in this kind of practical advice without letting it dictate their process.
    
If you want to see these kinds of processes in action, head over to Writing Excuses.  The podcast is a bit genre specific.  Brandon, Howard, Mary, and Dan are sci-fi and fantasy writers so the examples they pull from will prove their bias.  Still, they keep it broad enough that most writers will find nuggets of wisdom no matter what they are writing.  I do.  In fact I often find myself scrambling for a pen because something they’ve said has just enhanced my current writing project.

    IF YOU’RE SHORT ON TIME listen to their episodes on the big subjects: plot, character, theme, structure, and the like.  Once again they are heavily science fiction and fantasy so if you don’t do that, skip episodes labeled ‘Magic Systems’ or ‘Non-Human Races.’  If you are a science fiction and/or fantasy writer and you’re short on time… make the time.  You need to listen to every episode (after all they are only 15 minutes).  

    They are also (adorably) lacking in the language of romance.  They don’t seem sure how romance happens, just that it does.  Like dark magic.  If you are writing romance, there are plenty of other “brain trusts” to pull from.  These genial fellows won’t be much help in that department.

    Listening to a Writing Excuses podcast feels a bit like picking up a fascinating gem and studying it intensely and deeply for fifteen minutes, while other podcasts pick up the stone, toss it once in the air, say it’s ‘pretty’ and ‘might be useful,’ and walk on down the beach.  In short, it’s my kind of “overanalyzing awesomeness,” and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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