Archive Seasons 1-6 Archives - Writing Excuses

Tracy Hickman joins us again at “Life, The Universe, and Everything,” and in this episode we let Brandon ask him random questions while Dan and Howard chime in with comments that hopefully don’t detract from the discussion. During the interview Tracy mentions his latest project, XDM: Extreme Dungeon Mastery, but he doesn’t mention the very ... Continue reading Writing Excuses Season 2 Episode 24: Writing Habits and Q&A with Tracy Hickman →

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Nancy Fulda fills in for Dan for this week’s episode (he was sick, she was in town, huzzah!) but she’s more than just “filling in.” She’s FEATURED. Nancy is the assistant editor for Jim Baen’s Universe, and as such is probably the one who rejected your story. Nancy is also the editor-in-chief and founder of ... Continue reading Writing Excuses Season 2 Episode 25: The Seven Deadly Sins of Slush Stories →

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We took Writing Excuses on the road last month for “Life, The Universe, and Everything,” the symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy at Brigham Young University. The Guests of Honor were Tracy and Laura Hickman, and poor Tracy agreed to join us for a podcast or two, recorded in front of a live audience. After ... Continue reading Writing Excuses Season 2 Episode 23: Avoiding the Cliché with Tracy Hickman →

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“Branding,” not “Brandon,” just so we’re clear. Brand-ING. We open with the definition of “branding,” talking about what it is, and (just as importantly) what it is not. With that out of the way we forge ahead and talk about author brands, brand messaging, and why any of this really matters. We throw down a ... Continue reading Writing Excuses Season 2 Episode 22: Marketing 201, Branding for Authors →

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Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary talk about making characters do dumb things for smart reasons.

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