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Writing Excuses
The cover art for the Writing Excuses podcast
Presentation
Hosted by
Genre
Updatesactive
Publication
Original release02/10/2008

Writing Excuses is a podcast hosted by authors Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Erin Roberts, DongWon Song, and author and web cartoonist Howard Tayler, and formerly also hosted by author Brandon Sanderson.

Promoted as "fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart",[1] the hosts and guests discuss different topics involved in the creation and production of genre writing and webcomics.

Premise

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''Writing Excuses'' website in December 2019.

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. Though it is promoted as "fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart," Writing Excuses frequently runs to about 20 minutes.

The single topic is discussed in a back-and-forth by the hosts. 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. The hosts also introduce a book of the week, either a favorite of the hosts or one of their own works. The hosts often also invite guest authors and industry professionals on board for podcast episodes (often at conventions).

As of 2024, the podcast is on its nineteenth season.

Hosts

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Writing Excuses began in 2008 with three hosts – Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, and Howard Tayler. After making a number of guest appearances, Mary Robinette Kowal joined the permanent cast as a new host at the beginning of season 6 in 2011.[2] At the end of 2022, Erin Roberts and DongWon Song became hosts, replacing Sanderson, who became a "host emeritus."[3]

Starting in season 12, the podcast has also included guest hosts, including Wesley Chu, Piper J. Drake, Mary Anne Mohanraj, C.L. Polk, Maurice Broaddus, Amal El-Mohtar, Zoraida Cordova, V.E. Schwab, and others.[3]

Awards

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The Writing Excuses podcast has received the following recognition:

Year Organization Award title,
Category 		Work Result Refs
2009 FarPoint Media Parsec Award,
Best Writing Related Podcast 		- Won [4]
2010 FarPoint Media Parsec Award,
Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation 		- Won [5]
2010 Podcast Connect Podcast Award - Nominated [6]
2011 World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award,
Best Related Work 		Writing Excuses Season 4 Nominated [7]
2012 World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award,
Best Related Work 		Writing Excuses Season 6 Nominated [8]
2013 World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award,
Best Related Work 		Writing Excuses Season 7 Won [9]
2014 World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award,
Best Related Work 		Writing Excuses Season 8 Nominated [10]

Shadows Beneath anthology

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Shadows Beneath
EditorPeter Ahlstrom
Author
Illustrator
  • Kekai Kotaki
  • Kathryn Layno
  • Ben McSweeney
  • Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein
  • Howard Tayler
Cover artistJulie Dillon
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction, fantasy, horror
PublisherDragonsteel Entertainment
Publication date
July 2014
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint, digital
Pages366
ISBN978-1-938570-03-2 (hardcover)
OCLC884923884
LC ClassPS648.F3 S494 2014

Shadows Beneath, an anthology of four stories written by the members of Writing Excuses, was published in 2014.[11] 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.[12] The stories are illustrated by Kekai Kotaki, Kathryn Layno, Ben McSweeney, Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein, and Tayler.[13]

The anthology was released as a hardcover and an ebook in July 2014 through Dragonsteel Entertainment. The stories include:

Reception

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Eric Seal of Nitwitty Magazine stated that "no other book on writing...offers a wealth of writing knowledge in such a consumable form."[14] GraphicAudio described it as "an exhaustive look at the entire process [of writing]".[15] MySF Reviews described the behind-the-scenes part of the book as "the most interesting thing about this collection".[16] The anthology was a preliminary nominee for the Hugo Award for Best Related Work in 2015, but did not make the final ballot.[17]

Writing Excuses was sponsored by Audible from October 2009[18] through July 2016,[19] after which it became listener-supported.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Writing Excuses". Writing Excuses. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  2. ^ "6.1: Can Creativity be Taught?". Writing Excuses. 5 June 2011. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Who is Writing Excuses?". Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  4. ^ "2009 Parsec Award Winners & Finalists". Parsecawards.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  5. ^ "2010 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists"". Parsecawards.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  6. ^ "2010 Podcast Awards Voting Open". PodCastAwards.com. Podcast Connect. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  7. ^ "2011 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  8. ^ "2012 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 7 April 2012. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  9. ^ "2013 Hugo Award Winners". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  10. ^ "2014 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 18 April 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  11. ^ Wells, Dan; Tayler, Howard; Kowal, Mary Robinette; Sanderson, Brandon. Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology. Dragonsteel Entertainment. ASIN B00LDOM8A2.
  12. ^ Sanderson, Brandon (30 June 2014). "Shadows Beneath". brandonsanderson.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Publication: Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  14. ^ Seal, Eric (19 May 2016). "Nitwitty Review – Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology". Nitwitty Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology". GraphicAudio. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  16. ^ Joe (22 August 2014). "Shadows Beneath – The Writing Excuses Anthology by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler – anthology review". MySF Reviews. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  17. ^ "2015 Hugo Award". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Season 3 Episode 22: Idea to Story". Writing Excuses. 25 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  19. ^ "11.30: Elemental Thriller Q&A". Writing Excuses. 24 July 2016. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  20. ^ "Sponsors". Writing Excuses. 13 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
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