19.43: A Close Reading on Structure: Parallelism and Inversion

19.43: A Close Reading on Structure: Parallelism and Inversion

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler October 27, 2024 Duration: 23:27

The structure of The Fifth Season features both mirroring and inversion. How do these structural shifts interact with the three POVs? On today’s episode, we talk about the parallelism of the perspectives and the linguistic references to seasons. This leads us to the question, how many things need to work in sync in order for readers to feel the cyclical nature of the plot (and life)? How does N.K. Jemisin use structural arcs, beats, and elements to create upheaval? And finally, how can you create overlapping emotional states and narrative rhyming in your own writing? (And what is narrative rhyming you may ask? Don’t worry, we define it for you!) 



Thing of the Week: Who Lost, I Found by Eden Royce


Homework: Take a look at one of your main character's arcs, and then try to rework another character's arc to match similar beats and structure to the first one.





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It’s a common piece of advice: if you want to be a writer, you should write. But what happens when you’re staring at the blank page, or when the business side of publishing feels like a maze? That’s where Writing Excuses comes in. Each week, hosts Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler gather not just to talk about writing, but to dissect it. They move quickly, respecting your time while packing episodes with actionable discussions on technique, from character voice to plot structure. But this podcast understands that a writing life isn’t just about craft-it’s also a career. So conversations naturally pivot to the practicalities of the business, navigating careers, and sustaining creativity in a demanding field. You’ll hear five distinct professional perspectives blending into a single, focused conversation designed to get you past excuses and back to your work. It’s like a regular, invigorating workshop session delivered directly to you, meant to equip you with tools for both your manuscript and your professional path.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 500

Writing Excuses
Podcast Episodes
13.27: Characters as Foils [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:53
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice A foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character. The foil might be a sidekick, an antagonist, a romantic interest, or really any other character who gets e…
13.26: Character Relationships [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:24
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard Our characters become far more interesting when they begin interacting with each other. These interactions—these relationships—are often how our stories get told. In this episod…
13.25: Our Journey With Character [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Your Hosts: Brandon, Valynne, Dan, and Howard Brandon wanted to ask us how our perspectives on character have changed since the very beginning of our writing. It's a difficult question to answer, and a very soulful sort…
13.23: Internal Conflicts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice Internal conflicts, simply put, are problems your characters have with themselves. In this episode we address the ways in which writers can build stories and subplots around i…
13.22: Character Arcs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:10
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard When Mary says we could do fifteen different episodes on character arcs, she's being conservative. Notwithstanding, we set out to talk meaningfully about character arcs in one e…
13.21: Q&A on Character Depth and Motivation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:08
Your Hosts: Brandon, Valynne, Dan, and Howard Our listeners submitted some great questions! * How do you fairly and even-handedly write a deeply compelling character you deeply dislike? * What's the best way to discuss a…
13.20: Fear and Writing, with Emma Newman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:42
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13.19: Backstories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:33
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice Character backstories: these are the tales that describe how the characters in your story became who they are by the time they arrive in the book. How much backstory needs to…
13.18: Naturally Revealing Character Motivation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:02
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard What motivates us? What really motivates us? Why? (Note: our motivations are probably not in service of some overarching plot.) How can we use this information to believably mot…