I usually send out three or four newsletters each year; you can see past ones here. In the last couple of newsletters I included just for newsletter subscribers an exclusive preview of a future book, and that trend will continue with the next newsletter that I’m sending out next week. If you’re not on the list, now is a good time to sign up. If you fill in the “Metro Areas” field in the signup form, I will also send you an email when I’m appearing at an event in or close to those areas.

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Story Structure Q & A, Wesley Chu visits with us again for a Q & A on this month’s topic: story structure. Here are the questions:

• Do you make a conscious decision about how to structure your story before you begin writing?
• Is it necessary to use multiple structures (three-act, Hollywood formula, etc) in order to ensure that your story works?
• What tools do you use to view your story’s structure?
• What do you think about cliffhangers?
• How do you come up with plot twists for your stories? (Answer: A blast from the past with Michael Stackpole! Season 1, Episode 19!)
• What structures should I use to add variety to my writing?
• Is there a specific amount of time you should spend on your introduction before getting to the inciting incident?
• What do you do when you’re halfway through with a story before you realize the structure is wrong?

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, Carl Engle-Laird endured the storm with the help of Beowulf. This week, in Chapter 33, Alice Arneson follows the aftermath of the storm with Kaladin and the Kholins.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter posts archive for March.