Writing Excuses Season 2 Episode 23: Avoiding the Cliché with Tracy Hickman
Writing Excuses16 Mar 2009

Writing Excuses Season 2 Episode 23: Avoiding the Cliché with Tracy Hickman

We took Writing Excuses on the road last month for "Life, The Universe, and Everything," the symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy at Brigham Young University. The Guests of Honor were Tracy and Laura Hickman, and poor Tracy agreed to join us for a podcast or two, recorded in front of a live audience.

After the initial introductions we dig into clichés, starting with characters - specifically, how to avoid these kinds of problems in our characters. What's the difference between a cliché and an archetype? Tracy saves us time and again with great answers that beg a dozen or more podcasts. It's a good thing Tracy and Laura have their own podcast.

This episode has "clipping" problems. We need to buy some good audio gear for Jordan so he can fix problems like this. Or maybe some audio gear that will let him prevent problems like this. But don't discuss that in the comments. Discuss clichés, please.

Writing Prompt: Howard gets attacked by monkeys. Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe and use my code homeserve.com/excuses for a great deal: https://www.homeserve.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Episoder(995)

21.26: Setting the Pace

21.26: Setting the Pace

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21.25: Follow the Bouncing Ball

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21.24: Deconstructing the Seven Point Plot Structure

21.24: Deconstructing the Seven Point Plot Structure

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21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions

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21.22: The Order of the Telling

21.22: The Order of the Telling

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21.21: Rhythm and Words

21.21: Rhythm and Words

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21.20: Sequencing from Mega to Micro

21.20: Sequencing from Mega to Micro

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21.19: Getting Everything Connected

21.19: Getting Everything Connected

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