How to Write Like Raymond Chandler
In a post on the Killzone blog, James Scott Bell examines how Raymond Chandler kept his work flowing, even when he felt demoralized by...
How Ambiguity Ramps Up Horror
In a post on Lit Hub, Susan Barker talks about the power of ambiguity in horror writing. "Horror is the genre of monsters: human...
How Your Characters View the World
In their latest episode, the Writing Excuses hosts continue their discussion of writing lenses, this time the lens of character. They examine the meaning...
Is Your Hero Status Conscious?
In a post on Killzone, Garry Rodgers examines how a character's social status impacts their role in your story and their world. "When you’re developing...
Are Writers Too “Safe” to be Great?
In a recent post, Kristen Lamb asks if writers are too domesticated to write great stories. "There is a strange cognitive distortion we can...
Can a Nice Guy be Realistically Flawed?
In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Becca Puglisi shares advice for creating believable character flaws, particularly the "nice girl/guy" type. "While it can work...
The Key to Unreliable Narrators
In an article for Writer's Digest, Carter Wilson discusses the art of writing unreliable narrators in thriller novels. "The best thrillers are often the...
Is There a Metaphor for Writing in Your Life?
In this episode, the Writing Excuses hosts discuss how a writer's lived experience affects how they think about writing. Mary Robinette talks about her hobby...
The Intersection of Writing and Research
In an article for Writer's Digest, writer and filmmaker John Sayles discusses the interplay between writing and research. "Almost all my novels have required...
When to Lean Into Interiority
In her latest post, September Fawkes continues exploring interiority, and specifically when writers should lean into this tool. Writers are often taught that we...
