Writing Excuses Season Four Episode 24: Random storytelling with James and Julie

Writing Excuses Season Four Episode 24: Random storytelling with James and Julie

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/06/20/writing-excuses-4-24-random-storytelling/

Key points: Worldbuilding, but also characters and conflicts. Change and conflict go together. Empathy for a character comes from something bad that you understand and want to see alleviated. Who will the readers want to root for?
( random tails? )

[Brandon] OK. Well, excellent. We are out of time. I would like to thank our guest stars. Thank you very much.
[James] You're welcome.
[Julie] Any time.
[Brandon] This is been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses. Now go write.

Writing Excuses Season Four Episode 25: Mating Plumage

Writing Excuses Season Four Episode 25: Mating Plumage

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/06/27/writing-excuses-4-25-mating-plumage/

Key points: mating plumage -- book covers, titles, first lines. Marketing people are the ones who think of books as products. Covers mean a lot, but you may not have much control. Titles need to grab readers, make them wonder what it's about and guess at it. A title should make people want to find out more. First lines, too, should draw the reader in, make them wonder. Zingers, conflict, question, character, tone...
( What's under here? )

[Dan] James, give us a writing prompt?
[James] Brandon and Julie go on a safari and get attacked by monkeys.
[Dan] All right. There you go. You are out of excuses. Now go write.

Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/2

a.k.a. maybe it's over

Fumie found Fukuzawa's office and went inside. Fukuzawa sat down and read through the draft from Shigeru. He stood up, holding the pages, and said, "This is a masterpiece."
( masterpieces and disasters )

Masashi turned to Shigeru and said, "Sensei, you said do what you love, that's why you draw manga, right?" Shigeru nodded. "Well, what if... what if someone was forcing you to draw manga?"

<to be continued>