The following is an episode list for the podcast Writing Excuses. The series is hosted by Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, and Howard Tayler. The podcast often includes guest authors, editors, artists, and publishers.
Season 1
edit# | Date | Overview | Hosts | Episode Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
101 | 13 February 2008 | Brainstorming and where ideas come from | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
102 | 17 February 2008 | Blending the Familiar and the Original | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
103 | 24 February 2008 | Killing your Darlings: Cutting the part you like best | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
104 | 2 March 2008 | Beginnings: Starting a Novel | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
105 | 9 March 2008 | Heroes and Protagonists | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
106 | 16 March 2008 | Flaws versus Handicaps | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
107 | 23 March 2008 | Villains | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
108 | 30 March 2008 | The Science Fiction Genre | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
109 | 6 April 2008 | Science Fiction Sub-Genres: | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
110 | 13 April 2008 | Pacing | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
111 | 21 April 2008 | Business of Writing | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
112 | 27 April 2008 | Submitting to Editors: Part 1 | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Stacy Whitman | Link |
113 | 04 May 2008 | Submitting to Editors: Part 2 | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Stacy Whitman | Link |
114 | 12 May 2008 | Magic Systems and their Rules | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
115 | 18 May 2008 | Costs and Ramifications of Magic | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
116 | 25 May 2008 | Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard: Dealing with Writer's block | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
117 | 01 June 2008 | This Sucks, and I'm a Horrible Writer | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
118 | 08 June 2008 | Q&A at Conduit | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Willis | Link |
119 | 15 June 2008 | Plot Twists | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Michael Stackpole | Link |
120 | 22 June 2008 | More Q&A at Conduit | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Eric James Stone | Link |
121 | 30 June 2008 | Humor | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
122 | 07 July 2008 | Doing Things that are Unpopular | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
123 | 14 July 2008 | Viewpoint | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
124 | 20 July 2008 | Research | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
125 | 28 July 2008 | Viewpoint and Tense: Part 2 | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
126 | 04 August 2008 | Horror | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
127 | 10 August 2008 | World Building: Religion | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
128 | 18 August 2008 | Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio | Link |
129 | 24 August 2008 | Talking Publishing with Lou Anders | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Lou Anders | Link |
130 | 02 September 2008 | Talking Revision with Moshe Feder | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Moshe Feder | Link |
131 | 07 September 2008 | Talking RPG and Game Writing with Steve Jackson | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Steve Jackson | Link |
132 | 15 September 2008 | Talking Exposition with Patrick Rothfuss | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Patrick Rothfuss | Link |
133 | 22 September 2008 | Side Characters | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
134 | 29 September 2008 | What The Dark Knight did right | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
135 | 06 October 2008 | Voice, Tone, and Style | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
Season 2
edit# | Date | Overview | Hosts | Episode Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
201 | 12 October 2008 | Q&A on Setting and Characters at Mountain Con with John Brown | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Brown | Link |
202 | 19 October 2008 | How to Write for Children with Brandon Mull | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Brandon Mull | Link |
203 | 27 October 2008 | Characters with Brandon Mull | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Brandon Mull | Link |
204 | 02 November 2008 | View Point, Plot Twists, and Being a Part Time Writer with Eric James Stone | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Eric James Stone | Link |
205 | 10 November 2008 | Writing Groups | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
206 | 16 November 2008 | Endings | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
207 | 23 November 2008 | Using Writing Formulas with Bob Defendi | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Bob Defendi | Link |
208 | 01 December 2008 | The Three Act Structure with Bob Defendi | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Bob Defendi | Link |
209 | 07 December 2008 | Romance with Dave Wolverton | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dave Wolverton | Link |
210 | 14 December 2008 | The Boring Parts | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dave Wolverton | Link |
211 | 21 December 2008 | Talking Publishing and Writing with Dave Wolverton | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dave Wolverton | Link |
212 | 28 December 2008 | Theme | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
213 | 04 January 2009 | Violence | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
214 | 11 January 2009 | Writing Habits | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
215 | 18 January 2009 | Knowing When to Begin | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
216 | 25 January 2009 | World Building: Non-humans | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
217 | 02 February 2009 | Website Marketing for Authors | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Jordan Sanderson | Link |
218 | 08 February 2009 | World Building: Governments | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
219 | 16 February 2009 | Do Creative Writing Classes Help? | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
220 | 22 February 2009 | Marketing 101 for Creators | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Robison Wells | Link |
221 | 01 March 2009 | Fight Scenes | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Robison Wells | Link |
222 | 08 March 2009 | Marketing 201: Branding for Authors | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
223 | 16 March 2009 | Avoiding the Cliche with Tracy Hickman | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Tracy Hickman | Link |
224 | 23 March 2009 | Writing Habits and Q&A with Tracy Hickman | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Tracy Hickman | Link |
225 | 29 March 2009 | The Seven Deadly Sins of Slush Stories | Nancy Fulda, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
226 | 05 April 2009 | How Publishing is Changing in the New Century | Nancy Fulda, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
227 | 12 April 2009 | Reading Critically | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
228 | 19 April 2009 | Applying Critical Reading: Watchmen | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
229 | 26 April 2009 | How not to end your Book | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
230 | 03 May 2009 | The Most Important Thing Howard Learned in the Last Year | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
231 | 10 May 2009 | The Most Important Thing Brandon Learned in the Last Year | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
232 | 17 May 2009 | The Most Important Thing Dan Learned in the Last Year | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
233 | 25 May 2009 | How Not to Be Overwhelmed | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
Season 3
edit# | Date | Overview | Hosts | Episode Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
301 | 01 June 2009 | World Building: History | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
304 | 08 June 2009 | Non-linear Story-telling | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler] | Link |
302 | 14 June 2009 | Keeping It Real with Aprilynne Pike | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Aprilynne Pike | Link |
303 | 21 June 2009 | Stumping Howard at Conduit | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Eric James Stone | Link |
305 | 28 June 2009 | How to Take Criticism | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
306 | 07 July 2009 | Dramatic Breaks | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
307 | 12 July 2009 | Genre Blending | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, | Link |
308 | 20 July 2009 | What Star Trek Did Right | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, | Link |
309 | 26 July 2009 | Attending Concentions: Part 1 | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
310 | 02 August 2009 | The Do's and Don'ts of Attending Cons | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
311 | 08 August 2009 | Trimming | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
312 | 16 August 2009 | Subplots | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
313 | 23 August 2009 | Dialects and In-World Jargon | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
314 | 30 August 2009 | The Four Principles of Puppetry with Mary Robinette Kowal | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal | Link |
315 | 06 September 2009 | Writing Process Q&A with Mary Robinette Kowal | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal | Link |
316 | 13 September 2009 | The Anti-Mary Sue Episode | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Brown | Link |
317 | 20 September 2009 | Characters and Worldbuilding Q&A with Mary Robinette Kowal | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal | Link |
318 | 27 September 2009 | How to Not Repeat Yourself | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Brown | Link |
319 | 04 October 2009 | Emotion in Fiction with John Brown | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Brown | Link |
320 | 11 October 2009 | Plot vs. Character Driven Fiction | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Larry Correia | Link |
321 | 18 October 2009 | Pitfalls of Self-Publishing with Larry Correia | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Larry Correia | Link |
322 | 25 October 2009 | Idea to Story | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
323 | 01 November 2009 | How to Write Without Twists | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
324 | 08 November 2009 | Writing Comics with Jake Black | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Jake Black | Link |
325 | 15 November 2009 | The Business of Writing Comics | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Jake Black | Link |
326 | 22 November 2009 | NaNoWriMo | Dan Wells, Jordan Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
327 | 01 December 2009 | Mixing Humor with Drama and Horror | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
328 | 06 December 2009 | World Building: Gender Roles | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
330 | 13 December 2009 | Unreliable Narrators | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
329 | 20 December 2009 | Antiheroes | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
331 | 27 December 2009 | Tragedy | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
332 | 03 January 2010 | Collaboration | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
Season 4
edit# | Date | Overview | Hosts | Episode Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
401 | 11 January 2010 | Types of Humor | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
402 | 17 January 2010 | Heroism | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
403 | 24 January 2010 | How to Manage Your Influences | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
404 | 31 January 2010 | Agents. Do you Need One? | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
405 | 7 February 2010 | Roleplaying Games as a Tool for Storytelling | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
406 | 14 February 2010 | Pacing with James Dashner | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
407 | 21 February 2010 | Q&A with James Dashner | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
408 | 28 February 2010 | Working with Editors | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
409 | 07 March 2010 | How to Write Men with Jessica Day George | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
410 | 14 March 2010 | Writing for Young Adults | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
411 | 21 March 2010 | Brainstorming From Headlines | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
412 | 28 March 2010 | Writing An Epic | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Stacy Whitman | Link |
413 | 04 April 2010 | Juggling Multiple Viewpoints | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Stacy Whitman | Link |
414 | 11 April 2010 | Brainstorming Science Ideas | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
415 | 18 April 2010 | Visual Components of Storytelling | Isaac Stewart, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
416 | 25 April 2010 | Breaking the Fourth Wall | Isaac Stewart, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
417 | 02 May 2010 | Living with the Artist | Dawn Wells, Kenneth Pike, Sandra Tayler | Link |
418 | 09 May 2010 | How to Steal for Fun and Profit | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Willis | Link |
419 | 16 May 2010 | Discovery Writing | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Michael Stackpole | Link |
420 | 23 May 2010 | Strategies for Getting Published | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Eric James Stone | Link |
421 | 30 May 2010 | Writing Practical Fantasy | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, L.E. Modesitt Jr. | Link |
422 | 06 June 2010 | Q&A with L.E. Modesitt Jr. | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, L.E. Modesitt Jr. | Link |
423 | 13 June 2010 | How to Break into the YA Market | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Robison wells, Janci Patterson | Link |
424 | 20 June 2010 | Random Storytelling | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, James Dashner, Julie Wright | Link |
425 | 27 June 2010 | Mating Plumage | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, James Dashner, Julie Wright | Link |
426 | 05 July 2010 | Avoiding Stilted Dialogue | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
427 | 11 July 2010 | Major Overhauls to Broken Stories | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
428 | 18 July 2010 | Brainstorming the End and Working Backwards | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
429 | 25 July 2010 | Line Editing | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
430 | 01 August 2010 | World Building: the Future | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
431 | 08 August 2010 | Line Editing: Dialog | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
432 | 15 August 2010 | First Paragraphs | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
433 | 22 August 2010 | Trunk Novels | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
434 | 29 August 2010 | Q&A at Dragons & Fairy Tails | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
Season 5
edit# | Date | Overview | Hosts | Episode Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
501 | 07 September 2010 | Third Person Limited | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
502 | 12 September 2010 | Character Quirks | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Bree Despain | Link |
503 | 19 September 2010 | First Person Viewpoint | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Bree Despain | Link |
504 | 26 September 2010 | Creating Suspense | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
505 | 03 October 2010 | Writing the Unfamiliar | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
506 | 10 October 2010 | Micropodcasts | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
507 | 17 October 2010 | Avoiding Melodrama | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
508 | 24 October 2010 | The Excuses You're Out Of | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
509 | 31 October 2010 | Character Arcs with John Brown | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Brown | Link |
510 | 07 November 2010 | John Brown and the Creative Process | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Brown | Link |
511 | 14 November 2010 | Micropodcasting #2 | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
512 | 12 December 2010 | Time Travel | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
513 | 21 November 2010 | Writing the Second Book | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Brown | Link |
514 | 28 November 2010 | Visual Components of Novels with Scott Westerfield | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Scott Westerfield | Link |
515 | 05 December 2010 | Steampunk with Scott Westerfield | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Scott Westerfield | Link |
516 | 19 December 2010 | Critiquing Dan's First Novel | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
517 | 27 December 2010 | Dialogue Exercises | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
518 | 02 January 2011 | Offending You Readers | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
519 | 09 January 2011 | Fulfilling Promises to Your Readers | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
520 | 16 January 2011 | More Dialogue Exercises | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
521 | 23 January 2011 | Alternate History | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Eric Flint, Mary Robinette Kowal | Link |
522 | 30 January 2011 | Film Considerations | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Dave Wolverton, Mary Robinette Kowal | Link |
523 | 06 February 2011 | Life Day! | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Dave Wolverton, Mary Robinette Kowal | Link |
524 | 13 February 2011 | Author's Responsibility to the Reader | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Kevin J. Anderson | Link |
525 | 20 February 2011 | Writing in Other People's Universes | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Kevin J. Anderson | Link |
526 | 27 February 2011 | Scared for the Characters | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Sherrilyn Kenyon | Link |
527 | 06 March 2011 | Perseverance | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Sherrilyn Kenyon | Link |
528 | 13 March 2011 | ePublishing | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Dave Wolverton, Tracy Hickman | Link |
529 | 20 March 2011 | Rewriting | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Dave Wolverton, Tracy Hickman | Link |
530 | 27 March 2011 | Writing Action | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Larry Correia, Robison Wells | Link |
531 | 03 April 2011 | Writing Romance | Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Sarah Eden, Robison Wells | Link |
532 | 10 April 2011 | Urban Fantasy | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
533 | 17 April 2011 | Alpha Readers | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
534 | 24 April 2011 | Story Bibles | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
535 | 01 May 2011 | Brainstorming an Urban Fantasy | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler | Link |
536 | 08 May 2011 | Non-traditional Settings with Saladin Ahmed | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Saladin Ahmed | Link |
537 | 15 May 2011 | Parody and Site with Jim Hines | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Jim Hines | Link |
538 | 22 May 2011 | Dialog with John Scalzi | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, John Scalzi | Link |
539 | 29 May 2011 | Filking and Writing Music with Tom Smith | Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Tom Smith | Link |