Resources for Writers: Writing Excuses

I very recently started on a crusade to complete my first book. It had been essentially left to rot at the 16,000 word mark for about a year. Yep, no progress, a year. It seems like a long time, mostly because it was.

So, all of the sudden, I started writing again. There were several different factors, but a big reason was a podcast my little brother had referred me to last summer. It’s called Writing Excuses.

Writing Excuses is a podcast put together by three writers, Brandon Sanderson (Fantasy author of Elantris, the Mistborn Series, also “the guy who gets to finish the Wheel of Time series”), Howard Tayler (writer and artist responsible for Schlock Mercenary), and Dan Wells (Horror author of I Am Not a Serial Killer). In it, they cover all kinds of topics that pertain to writing. It’s smart, funny, and it’s consistently 15 minutes long.

I’ll point you to Season One, episode 17 : it’s the one that helped me to jump start myself back down the path to finishing my story. Of course, if you dig into their archives, you’ll find episode three, Killing Your Darlings. It has me absolutely convinced that I’ll finish this first story and then have to throw it away.

But, I look at it this way: if it’s accurate, I’ll be prepared for it.

A very worthwhile resource if you’re interested in writing or in thinking more about what exactly you’re reading.