Writing Excuses#Shadows Beneath anthology
{{Short description|Literary podcast}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Primary sources|date=February 2024}}
{{Unreliable sources|date=February 2024}}
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{{Infobox Podcast
| title = Writing Excuses
| image = File:Writing Excuses.png
| caption = The cover art for the Writing Excuses podcast
| host = {{unbulleted list|Mary Robinette Kowal|Dan Wells|Brandon Sanderson|Howard Tayler}}
| picture format =
| url = [https://writingexcuses.com/ https://writingexcuses.com]
| status = active
| began = 02/10/2008
| ended =
| genre = {{unbulleted list|Writing|Science fiction|Fantasy|Horror}}
| ratings =
}}
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", the hosts and guests discuss different topics involved in the creation and production of genre writing and webcomics.
Premise
File:Writing Excuses website 20191227.jpg
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
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. At the end of 2022, Erin Roberts and DongWon Song became hosts, replacing Sanderson, who became a "host emeritus."{{Cite web |title=Who is Writing Excuses? |url=https://writingexcuses.com/about-2/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |language=en-US}}
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.
Awards
The Writing Excuses podcast has received the following recognition:
| class="wikitable" style="width:95%;" cellpadding="5" |
| scope="col" style="width:30px;"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:120px;"| Organization ! scope="col" style="width:150px;"| Award title, ! scope="col" style="width:150px;"| Work ! scope="col" style="width:10px;"| Result ! scope="col" style="width:10px;"| Refs |
|---|
| 2009
| FarPoint Media | Parsec Award, | - | {{won}} |
| 2010
| FarPoint Media | Parsec Award, | - | {{won}} |
| 2010
| Podcast Connect | - | {{nom}} |
| 2011
| World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, | Writing Excuses Season 4 | {{nom}} |
| 2012
| World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, | Writing Excuses Season 6 | {{nom}} |
| 2013
| World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, | Writing Excuses Season 7 | {{won}} |
| 2014
| World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, | Writing Excuses Season 8 | {{nom}} |
''Shadows Beneath'' anthology
{{Infobox book
| italic title = no
| name = Shadows Beneath
| image =
| image_size =
| border =
| alt =
| caption = Cover image from hardcover.
| author = {{unbulleted list|Mary Robinette Kowal|Brandon Sanderson|Eric James Stone|Howard Tayler|Dan Wells}}
| editor = Peter Ahlstrom
| illustrator = {{unbulleted list|Kekai Kotaki|Kathryn Layno|Ben McSweeney|Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein|Howard Tayler}}
| cover_artist = Julie Dillon
| country = United States
| language = English
| genre = Science fiction, fantasy, horror
| publisher = Dragonsteel Entertainment
| pub_date = July 2014
| media_type = Print, digital
| pages = 366
| isbn = 978-1-938570-03-2
| isbn_note = (hardcover)
| oclc = 884923884
| congress = PS648.F3 S494 2014
| notes =
| website =
| exclude_cover = yes
}}
Shadows Beneath, an anthology of four stories written by the members of Writing Excuses, was published in 2014. 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. The stories are illustrated by Kekai Kotaki, Kathryn Layno, Ben McSweeney, Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein, and Tayler.
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." GraphicAudio described it as "an exhaustive look at the entire process [of writing]". MySF Reviews described the behind-the-scenes part of the book as "the most interesting thing about this collection". The anthology was a preliminary nominee for the Hugo Award for Best Related Work in 2015, but did not make the final ballot.
Writing Excuses was sponsored by Audible from October 2009 through July 2016, after which it became listener-supported.
References
{{reflist|30em|refs=
| url=http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/10/25/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-22-idea-to-story/
| title=11.30: Elemental Thriller Q&A
| publisher=Writing Excuses
| date=24 July 2016
| access-date=18 September 2021
| archive-date = 24 January 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210124172435/https://writingexcuses.com/2016/07/24/11-30-elemental-thriller-qa/
| url-status = live
}}
| url = https://www.graphicaudio.net/shadows-beneath-the-writing-excuses-anthology.html
| title = Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology
| publisher = GraphicAudio
| access-date = 6 January 2020
| archive-date = 6 January 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200106174237/https://www.graphicaudio.net/shadows-beneath-the-writing-excuses-anthology.html
| url-status = live
}}
| url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2011-hugo-awards/
| title = 2011 Hugo Awards
| date = 25 April 2011
| publisher = World Science Fiction Society
| access-date = 20 April 2014
| archive-date = 19 October 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111019215116/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2011-hugo-awards/
| url-status = live
}}
| url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2012-hugo-awards/
| title = 2012 Hugo Awards
| date = 7 April 2012
| publisher = World Science Fiction Society
| access-date = 20 April 2014
| archive-date = 5 September 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120905055450/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2012-hugo-awards/
| url-status = live
}}
| url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/2013/09/2013-hugo-award-winners/
| title = 2013 Hugo Award Winners
| publisher = World Science Fiction Society
| access-date = 9 February 2013
| archive-date = 7 September 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130907011401/http://www.thehugoawards.org/2013/09/2013-hugo-award-winners/
| url-status = live
}}
| url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2014-hugo-awards/
| title=2014 Hugo Awards
| date=18 April 2014
| publisher=World Science Fiction Society
| access-date=20 April 2014
| archive-date = 6 October 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082804/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2014-hugo-awards/
| url-status = live
}}
| url=http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/10/25/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-22-idea-to-story/
| title=Season 3 Episode 22: Idea to Story
| publisher=Writing Excuses
| date= 25 October 2009
| access-date=9 November 2012
| archive-date = 29 October 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091029065607/http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/10/25/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-22-idea-to-story/
| url-status = live
}}
| url = http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?495182
| title = Publication: Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology
| publisher = Internet Speculative Fiction Database
| access-date = 27 December 2019
| archive-date = 27 December 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191227213511/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?495182
| url-status = live
}}
{{cite web
| url = http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?23+2015
| title = 2015 Hugo Award
| publisher = Internet Speculative Fiction Database
| access-date = 6 January 2020
| archive-date = 6 January 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200106175815/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?23+2015
| url-status = live
}}
| url=http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/06/05/writing-excuses-6-1-can-creativity-be-taught/
| title=6.1: Can Creativity be Taught?
| publisher=Writing Excuses
| date= 5 June 2011
| access-date=9 November 2012
| archive-date = 9 June 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110609005921/http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/06/05/writing-excuses-6-1-can-creativity-be-taught/
| url-status = live
}}
| url = http://www.my-sf.com/2014/08/22/anthology-review-shadows-beneath-the-writing-excuses-anthology-brandon-sanderson-mary-robinette-kowal-dan-wells-howard-tayler/
| title = Shadows Beneath – The Writing Excuses Anthology by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler – anthology review
| publisher = MySF Reviews
| author = Joe
| date = 22 August 2014
| access-date = 6 January 2020
| archive-date = 15 November 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191115020140/http://www.my-sf.com/2014/08/22/anthology-review-shadows-beneath-the-writing-excuses-anthology-brandon-sanderson-mary-robinette-kowal-dan-wells-howard-tayler/
| url-status = live
}}
| url = http://www.nitwitty.net/reviews/shadows-beneath-writing-excuses/
| title = Nitwitty Review – Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology
| publisher = Nitwitty Magazine
| date = 19 May 2016
| access-date = 6 January 2020
| first = Eric
| last = Seal
| archive-date = 6 January 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200106173523/http://www.nitwitty.net/reviews/shadows-beneath-writing-excuses/
| url-status = live
}}
| url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2009-parsec-award-winners-finalists/
| title = 2009 Parsec Award Winners & Finalists
| publisher = Parsecawards.com
| access-date = 9 November 2012
| archive-date = 30 June 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110630024816/http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2009-parsec-award-winners-finalists/
| url-status = dead
}}
| url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2010-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/
| title = 2010 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists"
| publisher = Parsecawards.com
| access-date = 9 November 2012
| archive-date = 30 June 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110630025026/http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2010-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/
| url-status = dead
}}
| publisher = Podcast Connect
| url = http://www.podcastawards.com/
| title = 2010 Podcast Awards Voting Open
| website = PodCastAwards.com
| access-date = 9 November 2012
| archive-date = 3 December 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101203192926/http://www.podcastawards.com/
| url-status = dead
}}
| title = Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology
| author-link1 = Dan Wells (author)
| first1 = Dan
| last1 = Wells
| author-link2 = Howard Tayler
| first2 = Howard
| last2 = Tayler
| author-link3 = Mary Robinette Kowal
| first3 = Mary Robinette
| last3 = Kowal
| author-link4 = Brandon Sanderson
| first4 = Brandon
| last4 = Sanderson
| asin = B00LDOM8A2
| publisher = Dragonsteel Entertainment
}}
| url = https://www.brandonsanderson.com/introducing-the-writing-excuses-anthology/
| title = Shadows Beneath
| website = brandonsanderson.com
| first = Brandon
| last = Sanderson
| date = 30 June 2014
| access-date = 27 December 2019
| archive-date = 13 July 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140713050031/https://www.brandonsanderson.com/introducing-the-writing-excuses-anthology/
| url-status = live
}}
| url=http://www.writingexcuses.com
| title=Writing Excuses
| publisher=Writing Excuses
| access-date=9 November 2012
| archive-date = 18 February 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080218152052/http://www.writingexcuses.com/
| url-status = live
}}
| url=https://writingexcuses.com/patreon-sponsors/
| title=Sponsors
| publisher=Writing Excuses
| date= 13 June 2016
| access-date=18 September 2021
| archive-date = 12 July 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160712152718/http://www.writingexcuses.com:80/patreon-sponsors
| url-status = live
}}
}}
{{Brandon Sanderson}}