21.01: Welcome to the New Year!

21.01: Welcome to the New Year!

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler January 4, 2026 Duration: 34:42
Writing Excuses
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Season 21 kicks off with a new theme, a fresh tagline, and a renewed focus on what Writing Excuses has always been about: tools, not rules. The hosts unpack why prescriptive writing advice so often falls short, and how understanding why tools gives you the freedom to adapt—or discard—them. And so for Season 21, we’re going to focus on deconstructing structure in order to better understand the tools that make up various story structures, and what we can learn from each. We’ll be analyzing everything from exposition to Try/Fail cycles to Save the Cat, as we dig into how structure can function more like jazz and less like a rigid formula. We hope this year of episodes (every Sunday morning, folks!) helps you choose what actually serves you as a writer. Homework Write down one thing you are letting go of from last year, starting with the sentence “I am letting go of…”. Then write one intention for the new year, starting with “This year I am embracing…”. 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. 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 Howard Tayler, Erin Roberts, DongWon Song, and Mary Robinette Kowal. 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 Our Sponsors: * Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/excuses * Check out Quince: https://quince.com/wx * Check out Talkiatry: https://talkiatry.com/wx * If you’re struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/wx Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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: 100

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Podcast Episodes
20.07: Motivation and Goals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:11
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, character…
20.06: History and Community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:54
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…
20.05: The Lens of Who [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:10
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 rea…
20.04: Puppetry as a Writing Metaphor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:24
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. To…
20.03: Polishing Your Writing Lens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:55
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 pe…
20.01: Welcome to 2025! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:18
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 (…
19.52: End of Year Reflections: Navigating Speedbumps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:41
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 per…
19.51: And That Was That [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:19
As the end of Season 19 approaches, we want to help you integrate what you’ve learned over the year. For December, we’ll be releasing episodes designed to help you make measurable progress on a writing project. So dust o…

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