Writing Excuses

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

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 2026, the podcast is on its twenty-first season.

Hosts

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

The Writing Excuses podcast has received the following recognition:

Shadows Beneath anthology

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:

• A Fire in the Heavens, by Mary Robinette Kowal
• I.E. Demon, by Dan Wells
• An Honest Death, by Howard Tayler
• Sixth of the Dusk, by Brandon Sanderson

Reception

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

1. ^ "Writing Excuses". Writing Excuses. Archived 18 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
2. ^ "6.1: Can Creativity be Taught?". Writing Excuses. 5 June 2011. Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
3. ^ "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 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
8. ^ "2012 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 7 April 2012. Archived 5 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
9. ^ "2013 Hugo Award Winners". World Science Fiction Society. Archived 7 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
10. ^ "2014 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 18 April 2014. Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine. 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 13 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
13. ^ "Publication: Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived 27 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
14. ^ Seal, Eric (19 May 2016). "Nitwitty Review – Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology". Nitwitty Magazine. Archived 6 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
15. ^ "Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology". GraphicAudio. Archived 6 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. 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 15 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
17. ^ "2015 Hugo Award". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived 6 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
18. ^ "Season 3 Episode 22: Idea to Story". Writing Excuses. 25 October 2009. Archived 29 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
19. ^ "11.30: Elemental Thriller Q&A". Writing Excuses. 24 July 2016. Archived 24 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
20. ^ "Sponsors". Writing Excuses. 13 June 2016. Archived 12 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 September 2021.