21.11: The Cold Open- Action

21.11: The Cold Open- Action

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler March 15, 2026 Duration: 23:20
Sometimes the fastest way to hook a reader is to start with something exploding. In this episode, our hosts dig into the promise — and the pitfalls — of opening with action, and why survival alone is rarely enough to make us care. We explore how voice, worldbuilding, and character stakes must all be doing work beneath the punches and gunfire, especially in prose where readers can’t “see” the cool factor. From The Matrix to hockey rinks to fantasy prologues gone wrong, we look at how action can function as a delivery system for tension, authority, and emotional investment. The goal isn’t just spectacle — it’s giving readers a reason to turn the page. Homework: Choose an action cold open from a movie. Write down everything it’s doing beyond the visible action — how it builds the world, establishes stakes, defines character, and makes you feel. Then rewrite that scene in prose, making those elements explicit on the page. Final WXR Cruise! Our final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—get your tickets here! Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Erin Roberts, DongWon Song, 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 Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe and use my code homeserve.com/excuses for a great deal: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out Talkiatry and use my code Talkiatry.com/WX for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com 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: 500

Writing Excuses
Podcast Episodes
18.12: The Long Shadow of Unanswered Questions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:03
Our continuing exploration of tension has taken us to a favorite technique: unanswered questions. Sure, this obviously applies to mysteries, but consider the question posed in romances: “will they get together?” In its s…
18.11: Turning Up the Contrast With Juxtaposition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:51
Our deconstruction and categorization of tension continues this week with an exploration of Juxtaposition, which is a contrast between two elements that supplies tension by allowing the reader to insert themselves. Credi…
18.10: Anticipation is More Than Just Making Us Wait [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:16
Last week we talked about tension, and promised that we'd be breaking it down into more pieces. This week we're discussing one of those pieces: Anticipation. We sub-divided it as follows: * Surprise * Suspense * Humor *…
18.09: Unpacking the Tension [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:41
For the next several episodes we'll be talking about tension. That may seem like a lot of time to spend on just one word, but as we unpack that word we see that there's plenty of material to work with, and there's a gene…
18.08: Building a Mystery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:13
After last week's deep dive into The Spare Man we're ready to talk more generally about mysteries, and the tools we use to write them. Obviously we can't cover all of that in just one episode, but don't worry. In upcomin…
18.07: Deep Dive into THE SPARE MAN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:18
Spoiler Alert! This week is our deep dive into Mary Robinette Kowal's The Spare Man. It's a sci-fi mystery novel often described as "The Thin Man in space." Deep dive episodes are necessarily full of spoilers because we…
18.06: An Interview With Howard Tayler [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:02
Your Hosts: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler In this episode we interview Howard Tayler, one of the founding members of the podcast, and the creator of Schlock Mercenary. The…
18.05: An Interview with Mary Robinette Kowal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:44
Your Hosts: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler In this episode Howard Tayler conducts our interview with Mary Robinette Kowal, leading with a wide-open question: "Where did you…
18.04: An Interview With Dan Wells [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:48
Your Hosts: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler In this episode Erin Roberts very enthusiastically launches our interview with "OG" Dan Wells with a delightfully difficult quest…
18.03: An Interview With Erin Roberts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:52
Your Hosts: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler As we announced in the first episode of the year (and in this press release), DongWon Song and Erin Roberts are joining us as per…