18.23: Our Advice on Giving Advice

18.23: Our Advice on Giving Advice

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler June 4, 2023 Duration: 32:05
“Show don’t tell” is probably the most famous advice given to writers. But. . . we don’t necessarily agree. In our final episode of our deep dive into publishing, we tackle advice: How do you give it? When do you not? Our hosts tell us about the advice they wish they followed and the things they don’t tell their students. Also: Mary Robinette teaches us a trick about puppet fingers. Homework: Write a letter to yourself a year ago describing what kind of skills are they going to need in order to confront the challenges that are coming. We've finished our 8 episode deep dive into Publishing Is Hard! Next week, we'll be diving into Dan's audiobook "Dark One: Forgotten." Please find this and listen to it! (It's only 6 hours long) Thing of the Week: Stone Soup - Newsletter by Sarah Gailey Mentioned Links: https://www.publishingishard.com/this-is-not-advice/ https://www.publishingishard.com/get-jigae-with-it/ Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson. Join Our Writing Community! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WritingExcuses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writing_excuses/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritingExcuses Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WritingExcuses Sign up for our newsletter: https://writingexcuses.com Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe and use my code homeserve.com/excuses for a great deal: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out Talkiatry and use my code Talkiatry.com/WX for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s a common piece of advice: if you want to be a writer, you should write. But what happens when you’re staring at the blank page, or when the business side of publishing feels like a maze? That’s where Writing Excuses comes in. Each week, hosts Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler gather not just to talk about writing, but to dissect it. They move quickly, respecting your time while packing episodes with actionable discussions on technique, from character voice to plot structure. But this podcast understands that a writing life isn’t just about craft-it’s also a career. So conversations naturally pivot to the practicalities of the business, navigating careers, and sustaining creativity in a demanding field. You’ll hear five distinct professional perspectives blending into a single, focused conversation designed to get you past excuses and back to your work. It’s like a regular, invigorating workshop session delivered directly to you, meant to equip you with tools for both your manuscript and your professional path.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 500

Writing Excuses
Podcast Episodes
20.15: Third Person Omniscient [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:28
With today’s episode, we are continuing our discussion on proximity by focusing on another POV: third person omniscient. In omniscient POV, the narrator can see all and move into any character's head. It's sometimes seen…
20.14: Third Person Limited [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:35
Third person limited is one of the most popular storytelling lenses. Yet it is often understood differently by various authors and readers. So today we’re diving into the complexities, intricacies, and beautiful constrai…
20.13: First Person [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:22
We’re now going to have a few episodes focusing on the lens of proximity—specifically, how close you are to a character. Today, we’re talking about first person. First person seems like it would be one of the most natura…
20.12: Fashion as a Writing Metaphor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:02
Today, we’re returning to different personal metaphors for how we all think about writing and storytelling. In this episode, we’re talking about how DongWon uses fashion as a helpful metaphor to think about storytelling.…
20.10: Interview with Chuck Tingle: Breaking the Rules [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:52
Today we have the pleasure of talking with author (and longtime listener!) Chuck Tingle. We invited him on the podcast to talk about breaking the rules—both in terms of how to publish and what to publish. Chuck told us a…
20.09: The Reaction of Who?! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:30
What do emotional beats and action scenes have in common? Well, they both need to land with your audience in order for your story not to fall flat. On today’s episode, we’re talking about the importance of reaction. Ever…
20.08: Character Stakes and Fears [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:36
This week, we’re continuing our conversation about the lens of who. On last week’s episode we talked about a character’s motivation and goals. Now, we’re starting to think about tension in the form of a character’s stake…
20.07: Motivation and Goals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:11
Do you know what your characters want? And is there a deeper desire underneath that one? A character's motivations can help make them "relatable," drive the story's momentum, and create obstacles. Additionally, character…
20.06: History and Community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:54
Have you ever wondered how much you need to know about a specific character before you start your story? Do you need to have an entire outline of their childhood before you can start writing in depth about them? We don’t…