Writing Excuses
Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart.
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20.49: Using Tone and Mood
This week, Mary Robinette pulls back the curtain on some of fiction?s sneakiest power tools: tone and mood. Drawing from a recent craft class she taught for her Patreon, Mary Robinette breaks down how these elements shape a reader?s emotional experience?and why they deserve as much attention as plot or structure. DongWon, Erin, and Howard jump in to poke at the definitions, debate where tone and mood collide, and explore how contrast, character reactions, and even sentence rhythm can totally change a scene. Expect examples ranging from Wizard of Oz to Mike Flanagan as we dig into practical ways to use tone and mood to supercharge your storytelling.
Homework:
Take a five-part mystery structure (crime ? investigation ? twist ? breakthrough ? conclusion) and write a story that uses that structure but is not obviously a mystery.
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Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.48: Now Go Write- How to Pitch Your Work
In this episode, DongWon digs into one of the business topics of our upcoming craft book: pitching. How do you talk about your work so other people immediately understand its category, vibe, and why it matters? They break pitching into two parts?content (what you say) and presentation (how you say it)?and share concrete tools like comp titles, short taglines, and simple back-cover formulas to sharpen your pitch. You?ll hear how iteration, audience-awareness, and practicing aloud (think karaoke for pitches) turn a clumsy elevator spiel into something that lands. Tune in for hands-on advice you can use next time an editor, agent, bookseller, or potential reader asks, ?So, what?s it about??
Homework:
Write three short, 2?3-sentence pitches for your book (or other WIP) that each take a different angle?one focused on worldbuilding, one on character, one on plot. Then read them aloud to someone and watch where they light up, glaze over, or lean in, so you can see which pitch actually works.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Last Annual Cruise
The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026?don?t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.
*Scholarship applications for our cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here.
Call for Writing Breakthroughs
Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
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20.47: Now Go Write- All the Eggs in All the Baskets
Dan shares his experience of rebuilding and reinventing his writing career from his section of our forthcoming book Now Go Write. Our hosts walk through practical ways that writers can diversify their work? from writing for RPGs and video games to writing in a new genre like middle grade or nonfiction ? and why having multiple, truly separate revenue streams matters. They also dig into the psychological work of redefining yourself as a writer (not only a novelist), staying flexible when setbacks hit, and protecting time for the projects that keep your heart in the work. Listen for concrete strategies and encouragement to lean into new formats without losing sight of why you write.
Homework: Write something in a genre or format you?ve never tried before ? a single TV episode scene, a short RPG adventure, a tie-in short story, a script, or a 500?1,000-word nonfiction piece. And see how it feels!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Call for Writing Breakthroughs
Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!
Last Annual Cruise
The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026?don?t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.
*Scholarship applications for our cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
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* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.46: Now Go Write- Break All The Rules (Part 2)
In this episode, Erin returns with the final two ?rules? from her section of our forthcoming book Now Go Write?and why it might be worth breaking them. With DongWon and Mary Robinette, Erin explores the classic advice to ?show, don?t tell,? and the debate over whether magic needs a system. We unpack when these conventions can strengthen a story?and when they can get in your way.
Homework: Choose one of the four rules Erin covered across both ?Break All The Rules? episodes (20.45 & 20.46) and rewrite a scene from your own work to deliberately break it. See what changes when you do.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Call for Writing Breakthroughs
Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!
Last Annual Cruise
The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026?don?t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.45: Now Go Write- Break All The Rules (Part 1)
In this episode, Erin shares a sneak peek from her section of our forthcoming book, Now Go Write. (To learn more about our book, sign up for our newsletter!) Erin explores four classic writing ?rules,? when it?s worth breaking them, and what that can reveal about your own craft. Today, our hosts dive into two of these rules?examining how they can both help and hinder your storytelling. Tune in next week for part two, when we tackle the remaining two rules that Erin wants us to break.
Homework: Write down some of the rules you think you follow most rigidly in your own writing. Take one of these rules and begin to think about ways you can challenge this rule, or break it, or soften it in some way!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Call for Writing Breakthroughs
Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!
Last Annual Cruise
The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026?don?t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.44: Now Go Write- How to Handle Relationships
We have an exciting announcement! Writing Excuses is publishing a book, Now Go Write, which will feature writing from all of our hosts! Sign up for our newsletter to learn when our book is coming out!
So, for our next few episodes, we?ll have each host share one of the topics that they have written a chapter about for the book. Today, we?re starting with Mary Robinette, who will be covering the question of how to handle relationships. We explore how relationships can act like characters themselves?shifting, growing, or breaking under story pressure. Mary Robinette also introduces the ?Kowal Relationship Axes? as a way to build believable dynamics and conflict between characters. We hope you come away with practical tools to write relationships that feel real, messy, and full of momentum.
Homework: First, sign up for our newsletter to learn when our book is coming out!
Then: who does your character love because of their flaws and why? Write an exploration scene where the character is exhibiting those flaws and the other character is watching that fondly. Then, write a different scene where one character is mad at the other and the flaws are pissing them off.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Call for Writing Breakthroughs
Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!
Last Annual Cruise
The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026?don?t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, and Erin Roberts. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.43: An Interview with Dr. Tara Lepore on Paleontology
Erin and Howard sat down with paleontologist Dr. Tara Lepore for a fascinating dive into the science?and storytelling potential?of deep time. Dr. Lepore explains why paleontology is about far more than dinosaurs and how mammal teeth can reveal ?birth certificates? millions of years old. We hope you come away with new ways to think about science as story?and how to weave the vastness of deep time into your own worlds.
Thing of the Week: University of California Museum of Paleontology
Homework: Find 3 ways that deep time could be interwoven into your current or upcoming writing project.
Call for Writing Breakthroughs
Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!
Last Annual Cruise
The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026?don?t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. Our guest was Dr. Tara Lepore. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.42: Erin Roberts? Personal Writing Process
Erin describes her own writing process as, ?a bunch of random practices thrown into a bag and shaken up." Nevertheless, for today?s episode, Erin managed to organize her processes into four categories: getting work, getting in, getting done, getting right. Listen as Erin gives us tips and tricks for freelancing, deadlines, and saying no.
Homework: Write down all the tips and tricks you?ve learned about your own personal writing process on a single page.
Show Notes: https://www.pacemaker.press/
P.S. The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026?don?t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.41: DongWon Song?s Personal Writing Process
We?re continuing our episodes focusing on our hosts? personal writing practices. Like Mary Robinette?s. DongWon?s involves a bit of? chaos.
DongWon?s day job as a literary agent is demanding and unpredictable, so they often have to fit in their writing process into their free time. They are also often collaborating with other authors and friends (often writing for games)?so how does all of this inform their unique writing process? Well, first DongWon thinks a lot about the time and space that surrounds their writing? how can they make a simple, low-stimulation environment so that they can better focus? And then when they?re ready to begin, they don?t start with an outline. Instead? well, we?ll let you listen and hear them explain it to you.
Homework: Go sit somewhere. Don?t bring your phone or your headphones. Sit there until you feel the itch of irritation of doing nothing, and then push through it a little bit longer. Cultivate your boredom. Then, sit down and write.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.40: Mary Robinette Kowal?s Personal Writing Process
A lot of people ask published authors what their writing process is like, as if it is a key to being able to write. The only important process is the one that works for you.
So, we?re going to let each of our hosts spend an episode explaining their own personal process. Our idea is that the best writing process is the one that works for you. Also, this is going to change over the course of your life and career.
Today we?re learning about Mary Robinette?s writing process, which is built on having a totally random schedule.
Homework: What helps you want to do the things that aren?t writing? For instance, the other tasks and joys in your life? Because the tools that you use for those, also work for writing. Is it lists, or spreadsheets, or body-doubling? Now, see if you can use those same things to help you write more.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.39: Wrapping up our Conversation about Lenses
Today our hosts tell you why you don?t need to listen to all of our episodes?or even most of them. Each of our five hosts weighs in on how you can combine the topics, subtopics, and lenses that each episode features in order to create a structured path forward for your own writing journey.
We start with a broad overview of this season?s structure. Why did we use the simple categories that most of us learned in elementary school? Who, What, Where, When, & Why?to organize our year?s 52 episodes? How did we decide on sub-topics for each category, and how should you decide which episodes to listen to more than once, and which ones to skip. Hint: it?s going to be different for everyone.
Homework: Think about something that you do really well in your writing. Write down what it is (think of the lenses that we?ve covered in this season), and congratulate yourself on using the lens that you are using the best, the best way you can.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.38: An Interview with Charlie Jane Anders
We had the absolute joy of sitting down with Charlie Jane Anders, the author of the book we?ve focused on for our last four episodes (All the Birds in the Sky). We talked with Anders about POV, tone, and how she played around with humor ?partly by occasionally using an omniscient POV! Anders also explained how to incorporate humor and whimsy, and what it feels like to take risks as an author in today?s literary landscape.
Thing of the Week:
Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
Homework from Charlie Jane Anders:
Take a scene you?ve already written and add five or six narrative asides that are providing information that the characters in the scene couldn?t possibly know.
Ads:
If you?re interested in the Whodunit Murder Mystery cruise (which you heard a teaser for at the start of this episode)?you can visit whodunitcruises.com to learn more! The next cruise is February 6th, 2026 and leaves from Los Angeles!
For 20% off Scrivener, you can the code ?EXCUSES? for at www.literatureandlatte.com.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal and DongWon Song. Our guest was Charlie Jane Anders. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
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20.37: Deep Dive into ?All the Birds in the Sky? - Using the Lens of Why
This is our final episode before we have Charlie Jane Anders on the podcast to talk about her writing process next week! Today we?re talking about intention by analyzing thematics, the author?s intent, and the way Anders uses tone and tradition to express the core ideas of the book. We also dive into the friction created in the two opposing viewpoints of the world that Anders presents. On one side we have magic, community, and connection. And then you have rationality and science?that is, a more cerebral approach to the world. How does Anders explore these views through individual characters and also larger systems? And how can we learn how to do this in our own writing?
Homework: Take some time away from your drafting, and write down your intentions. That is, what is the why of your project? Why is this the story you want to tell right now? Now, put your intention in a desk drawer somewhere, and don?t look at it.
P.S. If you?re interested in the Whodunit Murder Mystery cruise (which you heard a teaser for at the start of this episode)?you can visit whodunitcruises.com to learn more! The next cruis is February 6th, 2026 and leaves from Los Angeles!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
Support this podcast at ? https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations
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20.36: Deep Dive into ?All the Birds in the Sky? - Using the Lens of When
If you still want to read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, you can purchase it here!
We are looking today at the lens of when. But we?re not going to look at time periods?instead, we?re going to examine flashbacks and foreshadowing. ?All the Birds in the Sky? takes place in four distinct times. For instance, one of the characters foreshadows a grim future for the children we?ve just met. This big jump forward colors the way that we see the kids, through both stakes and tension. And this begs the question, how do ?future whens? affect your reading experience?
Homework: Pick a scene in your current project and think about two moments: one moment in the past of this scene, and one that is in the future (both of these moments should still resonant with this scene in some way). Then, write two different versions of the scene: one in which the past weighs heavily on it, and one in which the foreshadowing of the future weighs heavily on it. Then, see what the difference is.
P.S. Want to come write with us in September 2025 (we know that?s soon)?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
Support this podcast at ? https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations
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20.35: Deep Dive into ?All the Birds in the Sky? - Using the Lens of Where
If you still want to read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, you can purchase it here!
Today we?re talking about places and place-moments. We?re looking at how Anders uses context, details, and relationships to create a deep, familiar, and authentic reading experience for us, even if we?ve never been to the locations in the story. In this episode we?re also analyzing how Anders creates lived-in locations by including non-essential sensory details that imply the rest of the world.
Homework: List all the locations in your WIP (work in progress). Next to each one, describe its story functions: grounding, wondrous, plot-logical, and/or worldbuilding.
P.S. Want to come write with us in September 2025 (we know that?s soon)?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
Support this podcast at ? https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations
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20.34: Deep Dive into ?All the Birds in the Sky? - Using the Lens of Who
Last season we took different works to represent different concepts. But this season, we?re looking at a single work? All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. So, for the next five episodes, we?re going to look at how Anders? novel is deploying all of the lenses we?ve talked about this season?who, where, why, and when. And for our fifth episode, we?ll have Anders on the podcast to talk about her novel! We recommend that you read this book before listening to these episodes, as they will include spoilers! So, without further ado, today we?ll dive into the lens of who. We?ll be analyzing tools such as history, community, motivation, stakes, fears, and reactions.
Homework: Who does your character envy and why? What action can they take to act on that desire?
You can purchase a copy of All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders here!
P.S. Want to come write with us in September 2025 (we know that?s soon)?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
Support this podcast at ? https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations
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20.33: Raising Children as a Metaphor for Writing
Throughout this season, we have been doing a series of episodes that feature different metaphors for writing. Today, we?re talking about raising children and what it can teach us about our own writing practice. It?s common knowledge that parents want their children to grow up to be happy and successful. But the real joy in raising children, Dan and Howard tell us, is watching them express their individuality, and meet these goals (of success and happiness) in very different ways. We talk about the importance of being open to shifts in intention, relationship, and understanding? regarding both people (and kids), but also your own writing.
Homework: If you have a person in your life that you?re mentoring or are friends with, imagine that they are doing something you don?t like. Take a moment to consider: is this actually better than what I had planned or assumed? Try to give them?and your writing? some grace.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dongwon Song, Erin Roberts, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx
* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.32: Revision and Character Consciousness Téa Obreht
Téa Obreht is a short story writer and novelist. Her debut novel, The Tiger?s Wife, won the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction, and was a 2011 National Book Award finalist and an international bestseller.
In our conversation, we focused on revision and character consciousness. Téa talked to us about the difficulty of the idea-generation stage of writing, how to cultivate layered characters, and how she writes event-first. You can learn more about Téa Obreht here.
Thing of the Week from Téa: Deadwood (TV Show)
Homework from Téa: Write an opening paragraph (roughly 3-6 lines). It could be something new, or an opener that you had already written. The paragraph should introduce some key pieces of information to your readers. Consider the information that's contained in your paragraph and then rewrite the whole thing two more times, ultimately conveying the same information, but in three different ways. How you do this is completely up to you! Maybe it?s in a different voice, maybe it?s from a different perspective, maybe it uses only dialogue. At the end of the exercise, consider the priorities of each different mode, and how each changed the way you gave information to your readers.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and Erin Roberts. Our guest was Téa Obreht. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.31: Framing the Lens
This year, we?ve been looking at writing through various different lenses. In two weeks, on August 24th, we?ll begin a 5-part deep dive into these lenses through a specific book: All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. There will be many spoilers in these episodes, so please read the book if you haven?t already!
Now, we?re talking about choosing what your lens is focused on. How do you choose what?s in your story?and what?s not? In this episode, we talk about how to make this choice, and how this informs all the other choices you?ll make. After we talk about how to decide where to draw the box around your story, we dive into the exterior framing of your story (AKA stories may exist in their own world, but they still have to be read in ours).
Homework: Take a story you?re working on and think about what happens if you shift the frame just a little. The easiest way to do this is to ask yourself, is there a scene I could take out that would change the way that the lens or the story is focused? What new scene would you add in to re-balance your story? Then, go and write that scene. And have fun with it!
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Erin Roberts. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.30: Using Why To Shape Tone
Tone is one of those words people use in many different ways when talking about fiction. On today?s episode, our hosts break down what it means, how we use it, and how it can be a tool in the writer?s toolbox. We dive into the myriad emotional shades of tone, and how you can use this to deepen your story?s themes.
Homework: Write a vignette in which one of your characters is pouring tea for a beloved partner. First, try for a joyful tone. Then, write it again but with a tone of terror.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.29: Authorial Intent
What the heck is authorial intent? Does it matter? And how do intentions end up on the page without cluttering or overwhelming the story? Today, our hosts dive into message versus content, and how to wrap your intention and narrative structure into your story?s execution.
Homework: Take your work in progress, and in two sentences, describe to yourself why you are writing this (could be a scene, a chapter, or the whole book). Then, write one sentence explaining why that is the reason that you?re writing this.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.28: The Lens of Tradition
Every story has been told. Okay, maybe not, but most stories have a tradition/ influence/ history/ genre/ style that they draw upon, even if only slightly. How do you know what traditions you're bringing to your work, and how can you use them to make your story both resonant and unique?
We?re exploring the lens of ?why? right now. Why do we write the stories that we write? And what did we read that influenced us to write our work? that is, what are our narrative traditions?
Homework: Make a list of five narratives of any type?a ghost story, a barber shop tale, a game, a movie?that form part of your storytelling tradition. Write them down, look at them, and then think: how is your current work influenced by the list? And is there one that you would like to bring even more to bear on the current story you?re working on?
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.27: The Lens of Why
We are joined by author Mark Oshiro, who primarily writes YA and middle grade books and was a guest teacher aboard our 2024 cruise! (Our 2025 cruise is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.) We ask the question, ?Why did you write this book?? while focusing specifically on theme and meaning. We discuss how authors ask questions through their work while readers bring their own answers and interpretations. The hosts and Mark emphasize the value of leaving space for readers to engage and find their own meaning in your work.This conversation also highlights how discovering a story?s true theme mid-draft can lead to major rewrites that strengthen the narrative.
Homework: Take a popular book-to-film or book-to-TV adaptation and ask yourself if the film changed the meaning or themes of the book. Then, ask yourself in what ways it did it.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. Our guest was Mark Oshiro. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.26: Gaming as a Writing Metaphor
What separates the way we experience a game versus the way we experience a prose narrative? Erin Roberts has written for many games, and she loves games particularly because they give the person experiencing the narrative more choice and more direct agency over what happens. This changes the way that we experience story. When you?re writing a game, the main thing you have to figure out is the actions: what are the potential things that could happen?and therefore, what are the verbs? We dive into decision, audience buy in, and ultimately try to answer the question: what does gaming teach us about making and finding meaning?
Homework: Take a project you?re working on and imagine that someone is making a game of it. What would that game be? What would be the actions that the characters would be doing? What would be the part of the world that the game would be focused on? Feel free to look at examples of this (like the games that were made based on Lord of the Rings.)
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.25: Writing Confrontation (LIVE Aboard the WX Cruise)
Our hosts explore how to write compelling confrontations?whether physical fights or emotional arguments?in a live episode recorded on the Writing Excuses Cruise. Building off Dan Wells' class Why Your Fight Scene Is Boring, our hosts break down reactions into four elements: focus, physicality, thought, and action. The discussion dives into how newness, character history, and anticipation shape these moments, and how effective confrontations reveal both character and motivation. Plus: sword fighting, puppetry, and driving on black ice.
Thing of the Week: Death and Other Details (on Hulu)
Homework: Watch an action scene in a movie?something that you really like. Then, to underline how different books are as a medium, transcribe it? blow for blow, step for step, and see how long you can get into that before you tear your own hair out because it becomes incredibly boring. Then, after you've proven that the blocking and the blow-by-blow doesn't work, rewrite that scene in a way that does, in a way that translates to and uses the medium of prose.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In Mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.24: An Interview with Charles Duhigg
How can listening inform the way you write? We decided to ask Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize?winning journalist and bestselling author?best known for The Power of Habit and most recently released Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, a compelling guide that explores the art and science of meaningful conversation.
We talked with Charles about myriad elements of writing, speaking, and listening?that is, communication in all its forms! We explored how passion and clarity are key parts of both pitching and book proposals. Charles also introduced us to active listening techniques, such as "looping for understanding," which can foster stronger connection in conversations. These effective and meaningful exchanges can help you showcase your project?s vision and voice.
Thing of the Week: Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
Homework: Charles has two pieces of homework for us!
1. First, tomorrow, ask someone a deep question that you might not usually ask a deep question of. Instead of asking, ?How was your day?? ask them, you know, ?I noticed that you really like Jasper. What do you admire about Jasper??
2. Write one paragraph is terrible, but you feel like indulges some aspect of your voice. Maybe it's funny, maybe it's wry, maybe it's sad. Just do something completely pointless. Set that paragraph aside for a couple of days. And when you come back to it, you are going to see something in there that surprises you at how good it is. And that is a pebble on the path to finding your voice.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.23: The Lens of the Senses
How does a room sound? Does your childhood have a taste? What is the smell of summer?
In this episode, we dive into the sensory layers that anchor worldbuilding, character, and perspective. We explore how invoking smell, sound, touch, and taste can transport readers more powerfully than sight alone. What makes a setting feel real and lived in on the page? How do the where and the when hit our reader's and character's senses? and how real is too real?
Thing of the Week: Darkfield
Homework: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 exercise from C. L. Polk: list five things your character can see, 4 things they can hear, 3 things they can touch, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can taste.
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.22: The Lens of Time
Time isn't just a backdrop?it?s a powerful tool in storytelling. In this episode, we explore how time shapes narratives, beyond just plot structure. From magnifying moments in a fight scene to revealing a character?s morals through temporal shifts, we unpack how timing, pacing, and the passage of time can deepen emotional impact, build tension, and elevate a scene's resonance.
We discuss practical techniques like character memory, flashbacks, and sensory shifts, while also considering how time reveals inner worlds?through fear, anticipation, or even a late-night zoomie session with a talkative cat. Whether you're writing action scenes or quiet reflections, this episode offers practical insights for using time as a dynamic storytelling tool.
Homework: Change the time at which a scene takes place. Try to move something from day to night, or spring to fall. What do you notice?
P.S. Our 2025 writing retreat (on a cruise! In mexico!) is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Erin Roberts. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.21: The Lens of Context
This week, we?re digging into context?what it is, why it matters, and how it can totally transform your storytelling. Whether you're working in fantasy, sci-fi, or anything in between, the details you choose to include (or leave out) can make your world feel rich, real, and emotionally resonant.
We talk about using context to deepen conflict, sharpen stakes, and land those emotional beats. And yes, we also get into puppets, geology, and the perils of overbuilding your world. (Spoiler: nobody needs to know how many toes your goblins have. . . unless it really matters.)
Homework: Take a context, some piece of world building that you've done, and come up with three different narratives that you could write that use that context. Then separately, make a narrative that you have written and come up with three new contexts in which that narrative would succeed.
Show Notes: Learn more about how Campfire can help you outline your novel, organize your world building, and publish your story!
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.20: The Lens of Where and When
Today we?re talking about setting, which in speculative fiction is often called worldbuilding. But once you?ve finished building the world, how do you convey that world on the page? That is, how do time and place shape your story?and your characters?
In this episode, we?re talking about the power of setting through the lens of ?where and when.? From daily life details like transportation and sanitation to larger societal pressures like war or peace, we explore how characters are shaped by their environment. Whether you?re building a brand new world or writing alternate history, setting isn't just a backdrop?it?s a driving force in your storytelling.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Erin Roberts. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.19: Cooking as a Writing Metaphor
What does cooking have to do with writing? In this episode, we explore how the creative choices we make in the kitchen?whether it?s improvising with missing ingredients or following a beloved recipe?mirror the choices we make on the page. From frozen dinners to fine dining, we discuss how all forms of creativity have value, how skills can be learned, and how the act of making?food or fiction?is, at its core, an act of nourishment.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.18: LIVE: The Art of Teaching
This episode was recorded live at our 2024 Writing Excuses Cruise. (Did you know that we host a writing retreat on a cruise every year!?! You can learn more at https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/)
While on a boat in Mexico, Erin Roberts was joined by Marshall Carr?our incredible recording engineer who is also a teacher during the school year? and author Mark Oshiro?who also teaches both kids and adults! For those who don?t know, our host Erin is a Creative Writing professor at UT Austin.
We wanted to record an episode with these three educators to give them a platform to talk about the art?and complexity and passion?of teaching. They discussed how they came to teaching, what they get from teaching as a writer, and why they continue to teach.
Thing of the Week: All This and More by Peng Shepherd
Homework: This homework is from Marshall! If you?re considering teaching, think of something you?re passionate about (it doesn?t have to be writing). Then, create a lesson for that thing that would work for your younger self.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mark Oshiro, Marshall Carr, and Erin Roberts. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.17: An Interview with Christopher Schwarz
This season, we?ve been exploring different approaches to writing through the lens of other crafts and their respective toolkits. We had the pleasure of speaking with furniture-maker, writer, and publisher Christopher Schwarz. Christopher is an incredible artist, writer, and is also the founder of Lost Arts Press, which publishes books on hand tool woodworking.
We talked with Christopher about his creative trajectory, and the intersection of tools, methods, and crafts.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were DongWon Song and Howard Tayler. Your guest was Christopher Schwarz. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.16: Second Person
People often think of first person POV as the most intimate voice. But in a way, we think second person might be more intimate. With second person, you?re forcing the reader?s subjectivity into the fiction itself. You are integrating the person who is reading the story into the experience of being in the story? in a way that can be a little disorienting (or fun) for the reader.
In the world of POVs, the second person can sometimes feel like a chaotic perspective. There are several different versions, depending on who the ?you? is addressing. Is it the reader? Is it another character? What happens when ?you? appears in a letter within a story? Second person often appears in conversation and on social media because it?s a way to draw your conversational group into the experience that you personally had. So, when should you use it in your writing, and how can you use it to help advance or deepen your story?
Homework: Write something in the second person, and think of something you?re getting across in the scene. Now, try to convey it with a ?you? that?s directed towards another character. Then, as a ?you? in a letter. Finally, write it again where the ?you? is the reader themselves.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.15: Third Person Omniscient
With today?s episode, we are continuing our discussion on proximity by focusing on another POV: third person omniscient. In omniscient POV, the narrator can see all and move into any character's head. It's sometimes seen as old fashioned, like Jane Austen. But writers like John Scalzi and Liza Palmer are using it to good effect as a way of exerting control over exactly what the audience sees in ways that are similar to a filmmaker. So why is it so hard to do well? And what does it allow the writer to do that no other voice does?
Homework: Describe a street scene where your main character is walking down the street. Move us through this scene through the perspective of 5-6 bystanders observing this happening. Focus on sensory details: what is everybody seeing/ smelling/ looking at? And how does this establish where your main character is in the scene?
P.S. Our Writing Excuses cruise is over 60% sold out! Secure your spot today at www.writingexcuses.com/retreats
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were DongWon Song, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, and Erin Roberts. Our guest was Chuck Tingle. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.14: Third Person Limited
Third person limited is one of the most popular storytelling lenses. Yet it is often understood differently by various authors and readers. So today we?re diving into the complexities, intricacies, and beautiful constraints of third person limited?don?t worry, we?ll be tackling third person omniscient in our next episode!
With third person limited POV, you get to use some of the tools of first person, while being able to back away from the character a little. We?re going to address the various levels of interiority and proximity that characters are afforded, why this matters, and what it would look like in your own writing.
Homework: Take a scene that you?ve written and write it in the closest third person limited that you can possibly stand. Then, write it again at a slightly more distanced, but still limited, third person. Look at these two scenes side-by-side and ask yourself: what did I do differently in each? What did I emphasize? Then, figure out which perspective you want to use when actually writing this scene.
P.S. Our Writing Excuses cruise is over 50% sold out! Secure your spot today at www.writingexcuses.com/retreats
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were DongWon Song, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, and Erin Roberts. Our guest was Chuck Tingle. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.13: First Person
We?re now going to have a few episodes focusing on the lens of proximity?specifically, how close you are to a character. Today, we?re talking about first person. First person seems like it would be one of the most natural forms of storytelling, because it's the one we use when talking about our own actions. But how do we use first person effectively? How close we are to the character and how much we get to know of their motivation and reaction can be controlled through interiority and embodiment. This often ends up defining the POV that we use in our stories. We'll talk about which tools are specific to first person, as well as flag pitfalls to watch out for.
Homework: Go pick up a book that you love. Find a scene that you think is really great that is not in first person. Then, rewrite that scene in first person from the POV of a character in the scene.
P.S. Our Writing Excuses cruise is over 50% sold out! Secure your spot today at www.writingexcuses.com/retreats
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were DongWon Song, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, and Erin Roberts. Our guest was Chuck Tingle. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.12: Fashion as a Writing Metaphor
Today, we?re returning to different personal metaphors for how we all think about writing and storytelling. In this episode, we?re talking about how DongWon uses fashion as a helpful metaphor to think about storytelling. For both fashion and writing, whether you know it or not, you are already engaging with it every single day of your life. You are writing emails, you are communicating with the people around you, you?re dressing yourself, you?re wearing certain things and not others, and you?re ordering pizza! But what?s the difference between ordering a pizza and performing a poem? Well, lots of things, but mostly intention and deliberateness.
Note: In this episode, we mention cooking as a metaphor?this episode hasn?t aired yet but will in May!
Homework: Take one article of clothing from your closet and build three different looks around it. One for everyday wear, one for a family function, and one for a night out
P.S. Our Writing Excuses cruise is over 50% sold out! Secure your spot today at www.writingexcuses.com/retreats
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were DongWon Song, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and Erin Roberts. Our guest was Chuck Tingle. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.11: Kit Lit. Q&A Aboard the WX Cruise, with Mark Oshiro, Kate McKean, and Sandra Tayler
This episode was recorded live at our 2024 Writing Excuses Cruise. (Did you know that we host a writing retreat on a cruise every year!?! You can learn more at https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/.)
While on a boat in Mexico, we were joined by author Mark Oshiro and literary agent Kate McKean. In addition to our hosts, they answered questions that were asked by our cruise attendees. Our answers included things such as how much space a character should take up and how to find the balance between plot-focused and character-focused novels. We also tackled questions about worldbuilding, motivation, and deadlines.
Homework: Ask someone a question about writing, either to learn more about what they're working on or to work through a project of your own.
P.S. Our Writing Excuses cruise is over 50% sold out! Secure your spot today at www.writingexcuses.com/retreats
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Sandra Tayler, Mark Oshiro, and Kate McKean. Our guest was Chuck Tingle. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.10: Interview with Chuck Tingle: Breaking the Rules
Today we have the pleasure of talking with author (and longtime listener!) Chuck Tingle. We invited him on the podcast to talk about breaking the rules?both in terms of how to publish and what to publish. Chuck told us about the business and creative rules that he has upended?he doesn?t do readings, he is anonymous (during our interview he wore a pink bag over his head), and he thinks you should tell and show. Chuck then shares some of his favorite failures, what he learned from them, and how failures actually aren?t real. Also featured on today?s episode: puppet bloopers, approaching art, and why LOVE IS REAL.
You can learn more about Chuck Tingle here.
Chuck?s Thing of the Week: The FrankenStand (a vegan hotdog stand in LA that serves horror-themed hot dogs)
Homework: Choose a section from your current Work In Progress (WIP). Think of the writing rule that you?re treating as the North Star of Writing At Large (what would the English Department hammer into you?). Try to rewrite that section without that rule or doing the opposite of the rule. Then, look at it and see what changes that makes. Is there a version of your writing where you can use this as a tool, and not a rule?
P.S. Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
P.P.S. Are you tired of ads?! You can join our $5 tier on Patreon and receive ad-free episodes each week!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dongwon Song, and Howard Tayler. Our guest was Chuck Tingle. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.09: The Reaction of Who?!
What do emotional beats and action scenes have in common? Well, they both need to land with your audience in order for your story not to fall flat. On today?s episode, we?re talking about the importance of reaction. Everything from portraying your characters? reactions to letting readers sit with?and witness? these reactions. The actions that a character takes?or doesn?t take? as a part of their reaction let the audience know what they are thinking and feeling. And this lets the audience react alongside the character, even if they haven?t experienced (in their own life) what just happened to the character. We?ll give you tips and tricks for building this level of resonance between your characters and readers.
Homework: Look at one of your characters? reactions and flip it. If they take an action that escalates a situation, how would that scene play if their reaction de-escalated the situation? Can you still get to the end point that you want?
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
P.P.S. Are you tired of ads?! You can join our $5 tier on Patreon and receive ad-free episodes each week!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Dongwon Song, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.08: Character Stakes and Fears
This week, we?re continuing our conversation about the lens of who. On last week?s episode we talked about a character?s motivation and goals. Now, we?re starting to think about tension in the form of a character?s stakes and fears. The fears that a character has and the stakes that they face create the story that exists around them. These tensions also help move them through the story.
So, how can you use stakes and fears to start? and build? your story? The answer may surprise you. Hint: you may not want to open with your character dangling off a cliff.
Homework: Make a list of all the major fears that your main character has. Take your MC (main character), and draw a map of all the characters that your MC is connected to. Now, describe those relationships in one sentence or less. Now, compare this list of relationships with the list of fears. See if these two lists are in conversation with each other. Are they supporting each other or are they completely disconnected? If they are disconnected, start thinking about how you could bring these two lists closer together to establish a feedback loop between relationships and fears.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
P.P.S. Are you tired of ads?! You can join our $5 tier on Patreon and receive ad-free episodes each week!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Dongwon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.07: Motivation and Goals
Do you know what your characters want? And is there a deeper desire underneath that one?
A character's motivations can help make them "relatable," drive the story's momentum, and create obstacles. Additionally, characters/ desires can serve different parts of themselves, which can help make them complex and multifaceted. But what is a good character motivation and how do you share it with your readers?
Homework: Write a scene from a secondary POVs character. Pick a concrete goal for them that is NOT the protagonist's goal. How does that change the way they react in the scene?
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
P.P.S. Are you tired of ads?! You can join our $5 tier on Patreon and receive ad-free episodes each week!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Dongwon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.06: History and Community
Have you ever wondered how much you need to know about a specific character before you start your story? Do you need to have an entire outline of their childhood before you can start writing in depth about them? We don?t think so! But it is important to listen to these questions as they emerge. This can help you figure out how to incorporate facets of each character?s identity that have narrative weight, instead of crowding the story with small facts that might not be necessary. This can help you layer and backfill as you build out ? and discover? your story.
Homework: Identify something from your character's life before your story begins - write a scene in which that element of the character weighs on the scene but is never explicitly mentioned.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
P.P.S. Are you tired of ads?! You can join our $5 tier on Patreon and receive ad-free episodes each week!
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dongwon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.05: The Lens of Who
Today we are introducing the ?lens of who? ? which means talking about characters. We try to break big character ideas down into their elements. For instance, what do terms like "relatability" or "depth" of character really mean?
One of the main take-aways from this episode is that your characters each have different sets of experiences, which *should* mean they could each describe the same exact thing differently. And you should know how to write this.
Homework: Interview two friends and yourself, asking them the questions below. Write down their answers (and yours) as completely as possible.
1) The most pain they've had
2) The happiest memory they think of first
3) A description of a person and circumstance that positively and dramatically influenced them *before the age of 18*. Family member, teacher, boss at 1st job, etc.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.04: Puppetry as a Writing Metaphor
For our 20th season, we are focusing on this belief: that the lived experience that we all have affects the way we think about writing. We?ve all heard Mary Robinette talk about puppetry for seventeen (or so) seasons. Today, she dives into puppetry as a metaphor that helps her understand writing? specifically character, voice, and genre. And she invites you to start thinking about metaphors you can use and make in your own life to help you think about writing in a new way.
Homework: Watch a puppet show.
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.03: Polishing Your Writing Lens
One of the most important tools that a writer brings to their work is their own personal lens. This is shaped by your hobbies, your job, your history, and your experiences. In this season, we're going to be looking at personal lenses as well as the narrative lens through which stories are told. We'll look at how the questions of Who, Where, When, and Why shape a story. Also, we're going to do a Deep Dive later in the year with the novel All The Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, in which we analyze it using the lens we've been talking about.
Homework: What lenses from your non-writing life shape the way you see things?
P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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20.02: Q&A Aboard the Writing Excuses Cruise, with Mark Oshiro and Kate McKean
This episode was recorded live at our 2024 Writing Excuses Cruise. (Did you know that we host a writing retreat on a cruise every year!?! You can learn more at https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/.)
While on a boat in Mexico, we were joined by author Mark Oshiro and literary agent Kate McKean. In addition to our hosts, they answered questions that were asked by our cruise attendees. Our answers included things such as how much space a character should take up and how to find the balance between plot-focused and character-focused novels. We also tackled questions about worldbuilding, motivation, and deadlines.
Homework: Ask someone a question about writing, either to learn more about what they're working on or to work through a project of your own.
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Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Erin Roberts, Mark Oshiro, and Kate McKean. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
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* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
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* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/WX
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20.01: Welcome to 2025!
For our 20th season, we are focusing on your toolbox. We?re going to be thinking about tools in terms of the lenses that we use to approach a story. We?re going to focus on the four lenses of: who, where, when, and why (don?t worry? what and how will be looked at in a later season, since they?re more about execution and less about lenses.) Our hosts talk about the lenses they?re adopting as they look towards 2025.
At the end of this season, we?re going to take all these lenses and apply them to one work: All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders.
A note: we will now only have ?thing of the week? occasionally, and not regularly!
Homework: Make a list of the tools you already have in your toolbox. Now, as an intention, think of an area that you want a tool for. Over the course of this year, we?re going to try to help you find that tool.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
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19.52: End of Year Reflections: Navigating Speedbumps
Today, we?re reflecting on 2024. Individually, all of us went through a lot throughout the year?we encountered myriad speed bumps that slowed us down in different ways.. How do you balance your workload with your own personal life and its needs? How can you help make navigating these speedbumps easier by knowing your own limits and needs? We give you specific questions you can ask yourself in order to locate your problem points and figure out how to rearrange your life (and your stories about your own life) in order to not over-exhaust yourself.
Thing of the Week: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Homework: Once a day for the next week, identify and write down something that is causing you pain. At the end of your week, look through your list and identify the one that is causing the most pain, and try to bulldoze it.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSES
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