Back in June I mentioned the Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship given out by TarValon.net and awarded based on applicants’ essays on the topic “How I plan to use my studies to become a Servant of All.” Well, the winner of this year’s scholarship has been announced, and it’s Christopher Lipnickas at Wichita State University, whose goal is to be a substance abuse counselor. Head over to TarValon.net to read his winning essay and more of his story. You can also read about the other philanthropic endeavors that TarValon.net is engaged in here.

Common advice to writers is to write what you know. But in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, things happen that no writer has experienced or ever could experience. So in this week’s episode of the Writing Excuses podcast Dan, Howard, and I talk about writing what you don’t know.

In the most recent WARBREAKER annotation, I cover Siri’s requirement to produce an heir, and viewpoint characters interacting for the first time. I also discuss whether WARBREAKER is an antiwar novel. Check it out.