21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions

21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler June 7, 2026 Duration: 29:38
In this episode, our hosts explore one of the most persistent barriers to writing: interruptions. From family members and pets to emails, meetings, fatigue, and neurodivergence, they discuss how disruptions can derail creative focus—and how writers can build systems to work with them instead of against them. The conversation touches on hyperfocus, ADHD, task-switching, and the emotional cost of being pulled out of the zone. Practical strategies include leaving “breadcrumbs” to re-enter a project, using phone settings and routines to protect writing time, and adjusting expectations around productivity. Rather than trying to eliminate interruptions entirely, the episode encourages writers to understand their habits and create sustainable ways to return to the work. Homework Practice handling interruptions in a low-stakes environment by setting a series of alarms for 5, 7, 9, and 15 minutes while you write. Each time an alarm goes off, leave yourself a quick “breadcrumb” note about what you were working on, take a short break, and then return to writing when the next timer starts. The goal is to get better at re-entering your work after interruptions so everyday disruptions feel less frustrating. Final WXR Cruise! Our final WXR cruise is almost sold out, grab your spot before June 4th, 2026 here! Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Erin Roberts, and DongWon Song. 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
13.17: What Writers Get Wrong, with Jamahl Crouch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:18
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard, with Jamahl Crouch Jamahl Crouch (Illusmm1 on Instagram) joined us at the GenCon Indy Writers Symposium to talk about what writers get wrong about street art. Jamahl is many th…
13.16: Avoiding Flat Characters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:43
Your Hosts: Brandon, Valynne, Dan, and Howard For our purposes, the term "flat character" refers to a character who lacks the depth required to maintain reader interest. In this episode we discuss how to avoid putting fl…
13.15: What Writers Get Wrong, with Mike Stop Continues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:05
Recorded live at WXR 2017. Your Hosts: Dan, Mary, Aliette, and Howard, with special guest Mike Stop Continues Mike has multiple areas of expertise, but for this episode he's talking to us specifically about the things th…
13.14: Character Nuance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:46
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice Let's talk about characters who have conflict built right into them; characters whose attributes and attitudes might seem to contradict one another; characters who like, y'kno…
13.13: Character Voice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:40
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard Character voice, the flow, order, and feel of words that is unique to a particular character, is extremely useful in defining characters for the reader. In this episode we discu…
13.12: Q&A on Heroes, Villains, and Main Characters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:14
Your Cast: Brandon, Valynne, Dan, Howard You had questions about heroes, villains, and main characters. We have answers! Here are the questions: * How do you make planned power increases not seem like an ass-pull¹? * Wha…
13.11: Writing Secondary Characters, with Charlaine Harris [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:14
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard, with special guest Charlaine Harris Charlaine Harris joined us in front of a live audience at the GenCon Writers Symposium to talk with us about secondary characters—why they'r…
13.10: Handling a Large Cast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:14
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice What are our favorite techniques for managing large casts of characters, and how do our processes differ from when we're writing small casts? What does "large" and "small" mea…
13.9: Quick Characterization [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:16
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard How do you go about defining a character for your readers when you don't have many words to devote to the project? What are the tricks for quickly establishing someone's individ…
13.8: Making Characters Distinctive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:21
Your Hosts: Brandon, Valynne, Dan, and Howard What do we do to make our characters distinctive? Often we categorize the distinctions as flaws or quirks, and in this discussion we use those as our starting points. Credits…