This was the very first episode of Writing Excuses I ever heard. I listened once, found it very insightful, then promptly forgot about it - you see, I wasn't writing at the time.
But when I started writing, I eventually sought it out and re-listened. And here's the deal - this is VERY formulaic. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The people who produce this podcast are all published writers and they speak to how the formula helped them. But if you have an ensemble instead of a specific protagonist (for example - your story is more like Firefly or Leverage than it is like Iron Man) than the formula doesn't really apply to your story.
But don't let that caution stop you from checking it out. I love Writing Excuses, especially this episode, and I think it's a great jumping off point. I listen to this podcast all the time now but this specific episode can't be found on iTunes because their archive only goes so far back and this is five years old.
I will be reviewing other episodes of Writing Excuses, but if you don't want to wait, subscribe to their podcast and start listening. It really is excellent.
Rating: This episode - 4/5 stars (I found it super insightful but I haven't been able to apply it to my writing specifically yet)
The podcast in general - 5/5 stars (seriously, it's so good, go listen)
This weeks homework - The homework from the episode of writing excuses (and yes, I got the idea for homework from this pod cast.)
Check out the full episode here: http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/10/02/writing-excuses-6-18-hollywood-formula/
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