mbarker: (BrainUnderRepair)
Writing Excuses 5.11: Micro-Casting Number Two

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/11/14/writing-excuses-5-11-micropocasting-2/

Key points:
-- How do you do bad things to your hero character without feeling bad about it?
I do feel their pain.
-- How far into writing a novel should you begin letting others read it for feedback?
When you are finished with the story. Beware of story hijacking.
-- Do the bad things you do to your characters always have to suit the story?
They need to be motivated and properly set up.
-- How do you design frightening monsters?
Take away the eyebrows. Let them do mundane, real things. Keep them in the shadows.
-- How far into the outlining process do you actually start writing?
When I am excited and want to start writing. When I have a good sense of where the story is going, where it needs to end, and more or less how it needs to get there. When it's done.
And lots more words... )
[Brandon] All right. Well. Let's go ahead and go with our writing prompt. I'm going to say Howard, give it to us.
[Howard] You, in an extremely, extremely spur-of-the-moment sort of living-in-the-moment thing have decided that instead of fight club, it's zoo club. And you have just punched an elephant. Hard. What happens next?
[Dan] You get arrested.
[Brandon] All right. This has been Writing Excuses, you're out of excuses...
[Howard] Now go to jail.
mbarker: (Smile)
Writing Excuses Season Two Episode 23: Avoiding the Cliche

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/03/16/writing-excuses-season-2-episode-23-avoiding-the-cliche-with-tracy-hickman/

Key points: characters need flaws. They need strong, original motivations. Everyone is the hero of their own story -- villains, women, everyone. Show what they want and what they perceive instead of generic archetypal desires and visions.
behind door number three )
[Brandon] This is been Writing Excuses.
[Howard] I don't get attacked by monkeys?
[Audience whooping]
[Brandon] Writing prompt. Your writing prompt this week is Howard gets attacked by monkeys. Write that story. This has been Writing Excuses. Thank you very much.

[1] according to Wikipedia, jumping the shark is a reference to a Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumped a shark on waterskis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark

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