Writing Excuses

Writing Excuses


Latest Episodes

18.24: “Dark One: Forgotten” Deep Dive
June 11, 2023

Dark One: Forgotten Deep Dive Ep. 1

18.23: Our Advice on Giving Advice
June 04, 2023

Show dont tell is probably the most famous advice given to writers. But. . . we dont 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 th

18.22: On Mentorship: Sending the Elevator Back Down
May 28, 2023

Mentorship, education, and how to support marginalized creators and professionalsHomework:What's one thing that you can do to make someone else's path easier? Can you take a step towards doing this this week?Thing of the Week:After Five - newslett

18.21: The Empathy Gap: How to Understand What Your Publisher is Telling You
May 21, 2023

The relationship between a writer and a publisher is one that isnt talked about enough. So we made an episode about rejection letters, email etiquette, and empathy. As a writer, how do you talk with a publisher? Well, luckily we have someone who knows

18.20: So You Want To Work In Publishing?
May 14, 2023

Have you ever thought of being a publisher, but don't know if it's the right choice for you? In this episode, DongWon (an agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency) walks you through this world and gives you some tips for how to decide if publishing is the

18.19: What is Publishing For, Anyway?
May 07, 2023

In this episode, we unpack what the publishing industry is, what exactly it does, and why it does it. We also outline the first steps for preparing to talk to an agent or publisher.Homework: If you had to sit down with a publisher today and convince them

18.18: Launching an Author Newsletter
April 30, 2023

It's 2023 and people still use email newsletters. For some reason they're more important than ever, so let's talk about building one.

18.17: Build Your Author Brand, 2023 Edition
April 23, 2023

An exploration of author branding and the social media tools we use. "Figure out who you are, and then do it on purpose" - Dolly Parton.

18.16: Deep Dive: Publishing is Hard, by DongWon Song
April 16, 2023

Publishing is hard. Also, Publishing is Hard is a newsletter from DongWon Song. In this episode we grill them about it.

18.15: Building a Mystery, Now With More Tools
April 09, 2023

Back in February, with Episode 18.8, we began exploring the process of writing a mystery story. That episode led us into a series of six episodes about tension, and the tools we use to create and mana