Writing Excuses

By Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart.

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4.6

12811,281 ratings

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The podcast currently has 1,084 episodes available.

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Number 1: 21.34: Knowing the Distance
How close is your reader to the story? Should they be closer? Today, our hosts get nerdy about narrative distance: the space between reader, narrator, character, and world. We talk POV, sensory detail, and familiarity—and how each can zoom a reader in or pull them back. From The Lord of the Rings to Severance, we look at what changes when we experience one person’s pain up close versus an entire battle from afar. Homework: Write an action scene where the heroes violently dispatch their enemies. Then rewrite it with a perspective and distance shift so it becomes a horror scene about those enemies being miserably dispatched. WAITLIST for our Final WXR Cruise! Our final WXR cruise is sold out, but you can join our waitlist here! Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, 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! Writing Retreats Newsletter Patreon Instagram Threads Bluesky TikTok YouTube Facebook Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
August 23, 202624min
Number 2: 21.32: Barrier Breaking- Time Constraints
There never seems to be enough time to write—but is time really the problem? Our hosts explore the reality of working within limited hours, changing life circumstances, and competing priorities. We share practical strategies like time blocking, micro writing sessions, and the Pomodoro Technique that do and don’t work for us. We hope this conversation helps you build systems that support your writing instead of relying on motivation alone. Homework: Track how you actually spend your time for a week without judging yourself or trying to be aspirational. Then review your schedule and identify one or two realistic systems you can put in place to better support your writing goals. WAITLIST for our Final WXR Cruise! Our final WXR cruise is sold out, but you can join our waitlist here! Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, 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! Writing Retreats Newsletter Patreon Instagram Threads Bluesky TikTok YouTube Facebook Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
August 09, 202628min
Number 3: 21.33: When To Shift Gears
A story doesn’t always need the same tools from beginning to end. In this episode, we talk about recognizing when it’s time to shift gears—and how to make those changes feel intentional rather than abrupt. Our hosts look at transitions between action, dialogue, and tone, while exploring ways to signal those shifts to the reader. We also discuss how to use your own writing environment to help you change modes– sometimes the right gear is simply the one that makes the story easier to write. Homework: Choose a scene and write down your intention for it. Change something about your physical environment—your music, lighting, chair, etc.—to match that intention, then write the scene. Next, give the scene a different intention, change your environment again, and see how your writing changes. WAITLIST for our Final WXR Cruise! Our final WXR cruise is sold out, but you can join our waitlist here! Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, 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! Writing Retreats Newsletter Patreon Instagram Threads Bluesky TikTok YouTube Facebook Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
August 16, 202623min
Number 4: 21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel Inevitable
A great twist shouldn’t just surprise us—it should make us rethink everything that came before. This week, our hosts explore reader expectations, misdirection, and hiding clues in plain sight. We look at twists from The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Ocean’s Eleven, and O. Henry, and ask why some twists make a story even better on a reread. Homework: If your work in progress has a twist, write out all the logical steps that lead to the reveal. Then start removing details until the twist stops making sense. Play with what’s truly load-bearing and what you can hide or leave out. 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! Writing Retreats Newsletter Patreon Instagram Threads Bluesky TikTok YouTube Facebook Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
September 06, 202624min
Number 5: 21.35: The Four Acts of Kishōtenketsu
This week, our hosts explore kishōtenketsu, an Asian story structure that appears under different names in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Unlike the Western three-act structure, it isn’t built around conflict. Instead, it moves through four stages: introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. We dig into how stories like Parasite and The Tatami Galaxy create tension through discovery, contrast, and changing perspective, rather than direct confrontation. And don’t worry, we find time to get delightfully nerdy about poetry, RPGs, Star Wars, and why a “twist” can be less about surprise and more about seeing the story in a new way. Homework: Take something you’ve already written and map it onto a kishōtenketsu structure. See what opportunities emerge when you group the story into introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. Liner Notes Video explaining the argument that Super Mario follows Kishōtenketsu 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! Writing Retreats Newsletter Patreon Instagram Threads Bluesky TikTok YouTube Facebook Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
August 30, 202622min