Writing Excuses | |
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Updates | active |
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Original release | 02/10/2008 |
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Website | https://writingexcuses.com |
Writing Excuses is a podcast hosted by authors Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and author and web cartoonist Howard Tayler.
Promoted as "fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart", [1] the four hosts and guests discuss different topics involved in the creation and production of genre writing and webcomics. As of 2017, authors Wesley Chu, Piper J. Drake and Mary Anne Mohanraj were added as secondary hosts, each having one show a month alongside different configurations of the primary hosts. [2]
Writing Excuses began in 2008 with three hosts – Sanderson, Tayler, and Wells – accompanied by Brandon's brother, Jordan Sanderson, who serves as producer. The show aims to cover a single writing-related topic in each podcast, in a format short enough to be listened to on a morning commute or during a lunch break. Adherence to a fifteen minute limit is not absolute, and Writing Excuses frequently runs to about 20 minutes.
The single topic is discussed in a back-and-forth by the hosts for roughly fifteen minutes. Given the authors' backgrounds in fantasy and science fiction there is a strong emphasis in those genres, but Writing Excuses covers a wide variety of topics intended to apply to fiction and creative arts generally. Halfway through the podcast the hosts introduce a book of the week, either a favorite of the hosts or one of their own works. Writing Excuses was sponsored by Audible from October 2009 [3] through July 2016, [4] after which it became listener-supported. [5] On numerous occasions, often at conventions, the hosts invite guest authors and industry professionals on board for podcast episodes.
After making a number of guest appearances, Mary Robinette Kowal joined the permanent cast as a new host at the beginning of season 6. [6]
Wesley Chu, Piper J. Drake, and Mary Anne Mohanraj were added as secondary hosts at the beginning of series 12. [2]
The Writing Excuses podcast has received the following recognition:
Year | Organization | Award title, Category | Work | Result | Refs |
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2009 | FarPoint Media | Parsec Award, Best Writing Related Podcast | - | Won | [7] |
2010 | FarPoint Media | Parsec Award, Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation | - | Won | [8] |
2010 | Podcast Connect | Podcast Award | - | Nominated | [9] |
2011 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Related Work | Writing Excuses Season 4 | Nominated | [10] |
2012 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Related Work | Writing Excuses Season 6 | Nominated | [11] |
2013 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Related Work | Writing Excuses Season 7 | Won | [12] |
2014 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Related Work | Writing Excuses Season 8 | Nominated | [13] |
Editor | Peter Ahlstrom |
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Author | |
Illustrator |
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Cover artist | Julie Dillon |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction, fantasy, horror |
Publisher | Dragonsteel Entertainment |
Publication date | July 2014 |
Media type | Print, digital |
Pages | 366 |
ISBN | 978-1-938570-03-2 (hardcover) |
OCLC | 884923884 |
LC Class | PS648.F3 S494 2014 |
Shadows Beneath, an anthology of four stories written by the members of Writing Excuses, was published in 2014. [14] The anthology's bonus material is intended to show some of the processes of story creation. The stories were brainstormed on the podcast and the first drafts later critiqued. Transcripts of the podcasts and one or more drafts of the stories are included. [15] The stories are illustrated by Kekai Kotaki, Kathryn Layno, Ben McSweeney, Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein, and Tayler. [16]
The anthology was released as a hardcover and an ebook in July 2014 through Dragonsteel Entertainment. The stories include:
Eric Seal of Nitwitty Magazine stated that "no other book on writing...offers a wealth of writing knowledge in such a consumable form." [17] GraphicAudio described it as "an exhaustive look at the entire process [of writing]". [18] MySF Reviews described the behind-the-scenes part of the book as "the most interesting thing about this collection". [19] The anthology was a preliminary nominee for the Hugo Award for Best Related Work in 2015, but did not make the final ballot. [20]
Howard V. Tayler is the creator of the webcomic Schlock Mercenary. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University. Using his degree in music composition, he started an independent record label.
Brandon Winn Sanderson is an American author of high fantasy and science fiction. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series, and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan's high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created several graphic novel fantasy series, including White Sand and Dark One.
Mary Anne Amirthi Mohanraj is an American writer, editor, and academic of Sri Lankan birth.
Conduit, often stylized as CONduit, was an annual general interest science fiction and fantasy convention held in May in Salt Lake City, Utah. CONduit was founded in 1989 but took two years to plan its first convention. While there are other genre conventions in Utah, CONduit was the largest general interest convention, and provided a means for professionals to meet and network with other professionals, as well as a way for fans to meet and enjoy each other's company.
Solaris Books is an imprint which focuses on publishing science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy novels and anthologies. The range includes titles by both established and new authors. The range is owned by Rebellion Developments and distributed to the UK and US booktrade via local divisions of Simon & Schuster.
The 71st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as LoneStarCon 3, was held on 29 August–2 September 2013 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas, United States.
StarShipSofa is a science fiction audio magazine and podcast from the United Kingdom hosted by Tony C. Smith. It publishes audio short fiction, commentary, essays, and anthologies of transcribed material. StarShipSofa was the first ever podcast to be both nominated for and to win a Hugo Award for Best Fanzine. It was also nominated for Best Fan Podcast in the 2007 Parsec Awards. StarShipSofa is free directly from the web site and is available for subscription and automatic download through iTunes.
Mary Robinette Kowal is an American author and puppeteer. Originally a puppeteer by primary trade after receiving a bachelor's degree in art education, she became art director for science fiction magazines and by 2010 was also authoring her first full-length published novels. The majority of her work is characterized by science fiction themes, such as interplanetary travel; a common element present in many of her novels is historical or alternate history fantasy, such as in her Glamourist Histories and Lady Astronaut books.
Daniel Andrew Wells is an American horror and science fiction author. Wells's first published novel, I Am Not a Serial Killer, was adapted into a movie in 2016.
"Evil Robot Monkey" is a science fiction short story by American writer Mary Robinette Kowal, published in 2008. It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.
JordanCon is a North American convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia, that celebrates Robert Jordan's fantasy book series The Wheel of Time, as well as other science fiction and fantasy works. The convention is a 501c4 tax exempt charitable organization founded in honor of the late Robert Jordan.
The Hugo Award for Best Related Work is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for primarily non-fiction works related to science fiction or fantasy, published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The Hugo Awards have been described as "a fine showcase for speculative fiction" and "the best known literary award for science fiction writing".
Amal El-Mohtar is a Canadian poet and writer of speculative fiction. She has published short fiction, poetry, essays and reviews, and has edited the fantastic poetry quarterly magazine Goblin Fruit since 2006.
Sandra Tayler is an American short story and children's book writer and blogger. She edits, formats, and publishes her husband Howard Tayler's Schlock Mercenary comic compilations and related works. She has published science fiction and fantasy short stories, essays on parenting and mental illness, and has presented at conventions on writing and geek parenting.
Nancy Fulda is an American science fiction writer, editor, and computer scientist. She is an alumna of Brigham Young University in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning. She has won multiple awards for her science fiction writing, which has been compared to that of Asimov and Clarke.
"The Lady Astronaut of Mars" is an alternate history/science fiction short story by Mary Robinette Kowal. It was first published in 2012 as part of the Audible.com anthology Rip-Off.
The Calculating Stars is a science fiction novel by American writer Mary Robinette Kowal. The book was published by Tor Books on July 3, 2018. It is the first book in the "Lady Astronaut" series and is a prequel to the 2012 short story "The Lady Astronaut of Mars".
METAtropolis is a series of science fiction audiobook collections.
"Kiss Me Twice" is a science fiction police procedural novella, by Mary Robinette Kowal. It was first published in Asimov's Science Fiction in June 2011.
Michael Damian Thomas is an American magazine editor and podcaster. Thomas has won seven Hugo Awards, a British Fantasy Award, and a Parsec Award as co-publisher and co-editor-in-chief of Uncanny Magazine with his wife, Lynne M. Thomas. He has also been active as an advocate for disabled children in Illinois.