Writing Excuses

This week, we turn our attention to one of the most stubborn traps writers fall into: assuming someone else’s process should work for you. Building on last episode’s conversation about intentions, the hosts shift the focus from what you should do to how you can figure out what actually works, starting with observation, pattern-spotting, and a little self-compassion.The discussion moves through practical ways to lower friction and build supportive rituals—linking tasks together, listening to physical and emotional cues, and treating yourself like your own best assistant. Along the way, the hosts emphasize that your reactions are data, your process is allowed to change, and permission to be human is often the missing tool. The goal isn’t discipline for discipline’s sake, but a writing life that adapts to you.Homework: Make a list of all the steps in your writing process, starting with the smallest, most concrete actions and working outward to the bigger ones. Then go through that list and notice which parts are

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.HomeworkWrite 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 CruiseThe final WXR cruise* sets sai

As our 20th season comes to a close, we reflect on the end of 2025 and a major transition for the show, as Dan Wells steps away from Writing Excuses as a full-time core host. Dan shares the thoughtful, hard-won reasoning behind his decision, while the rest of the team reflects on what his presence has meant to this podcast and our community. We recorded the first half of this episode in June and the second half in December 2025. Why is that? Because we wanted to discuss our plans for the rest of the year and later return to see how those plans actually played out—a kind of time capsule for all of us. Along the way, we talk candidly about change, ambition, and the reality of creative lives that rarely move in straight lines.Homework: 1.  We've created a publicly accessible Patreon post titled “Thank you Dan Wells” for you, our listeners, to share things you've learned from Dan, appreciation you wish to express, or even your favorite stories about Dan. Go to patreon.com/WritingExcuses and look for this

A workflow that made daily writing (and comics) possible—Howard Tayler takes us through two decades of the delightfully eccentric process behind Schlock Mercenary: text boxes in landscape Word, laser-printed pages he inked by hand, and a system that kept comics coming even through long COVID and chronic fatigue. The conversation shows how craft can stay constant even as ability, tools, and energy change. Howard shares how he rebuilt his systems to protect his writing time and created processes that served him. He also dives into practical hacks—index cards, banking writing time, moving your desk, and borrowing ideas from other creators. Expect puppy-training metaphors, unexpected tech, and a reminder that satisfaction can be the metric that matters.HomeworkTake a stack of index cards and storyboard one scene: on the front draw the panel (stick figures are fine), on the back handwrite the line of dialogue (add a little arrow to mark the speaker). Treat the scene like a comic—sequence the cards, play with the i

2 quick reminders: Scholarship applications for our 2026 cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here. AND early bird pricing for this cruise (going to Alaska in September 2026) ends on February 15th! Get your tickets here!This week, Dan Wells opens up about how depression reshaped his writing process—and what rebuilding that process has looked like in the years since. The conversation ranges from tiny, mechanical steps to full-on cognitive reframing, with the hosts comparing notes on mindfulness, spectating, trauma responses, and even puppy-training techniques for rewiring your brain. They explore how environment, routine, and self-compassion can make the difference between staring at a blank screen and finding a way back into the work. Expect honesty, humor, and a lot of practical wisdom for how to care for your mental and emotional landscape while still trying to make art.Homework:Be kind to yourself—and extend that compassion to at least one person in your life who may

This week, Mary Robinette pulls back the curtain on some of fiction’s sneakiest power tools: tone and mood. Drawing from a recent craft class she taught for her Patreon, Mary Robinette breaks down how these elements shape a reader’s emotional experience—and why they deserve as much attention as plot or structure. DongWon, Erin, and Howard jump in to poke at the definitions, debate where tone and mood collide, and explore how contrast, character reactions, and even sentence rhythm can totally change a scene. Expect examples ranging from Wizard of Oz to Mike Flanagan as we dig into practical ways to use tone and mood to supercharge your storytelling.Homework: Take a five-part mystery structure (crime → investigation → twist → breakthrough → conclusion) and write a story that uses that structure but is not obviously a mystery.ANNOUNCEMENTS: Last Annual CruiseThe 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.*Scholarship applications f

In this episode, DongWon digs into one of the business topics of our upcoming craft book: pitching. How do you talk about your work so other people immediately understand its category, vibe, and why it matters? They break pitching into two parts—content (what you say) and presentation (how you say it)—and share concrete tools like comp titles, short taglines, and simple back-cover formulas to sharpen your pitch. You’ll hear how iteration, audience-awareness, and practicing aloud (think karaoke for pitches) turn a clumsy elevator spiel into something that lands. Tune in for hands-on advice you can use next time an editor, agent, bookseller, or potential reader asks, “So, what’s it about?”Homework:Write three short, 2–3-sentence pitches for your book (or other WIP) that each take a different angle—one focused on worldbuilding, one on character, one on plot. Then read them aloud to someone and watch where they light up, glaze over, or lean in, so you can see which pitch actually works.ANNOUNCEMENTS: Last Annual

Dan shares his experience of rebuilding and reinventing his writing career from his section of our forthcoming book Now Go Write. Our hosts walk through practical ways that writers can diversify their work— from writing for RPGs and video games to writing in a new genre like middle grade or nonfiction — and why having multiple, truly separate revenue streams matters. They also dig into the psychological work of redefining yourself as a writer (not only a novelist), staying flexible when setbacks hit, and protecting time for the projects that keep your heart in the work. Listen for concrete strategies and encouragement to lean into new formats without losing sight of why you write.Homework: Write something in a genre or format you’ve never tried before — a single TV episode scene, a short RPG adventure, a tie-in short story, a script, or a 500–1,000-word nonfiction piece. And see how it feels! ANNOUNCEMENTS: Call for Writing BreakthroughsHave you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? I

In this episode, Erin returns with the final two “rules” from her section of our forthcoming book Now Go Write—and why it might be worth breaking them. With DongWon and Mary Robinette, Erin explores the classic advice to “show, don’t tell,” and the debate over whether magic needs a system. We unpack when these conventions can strengthen a story—and when they can get in your way.Homework: Choose one of the four rules Erin covered across both “Break All The Rules” episodes (20.45 & 20.46) and rewrite a scene from your own work to deliberately break it. See what changes when you do.ANNOUNCEMENTS: Call for Writing BreakthroughsHave 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! Last Annual CruiseThe 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.Credits: Your hosts for this episode were

In this episode, Erin shares a sneak peek from her section of our forthcoming book, Now Go Write. (To learn more about our book, sign up for our newsletter!) Erin explores four classic writing “rules,” when it’s worth breaking them, and what that can reveal about your own craft. Today, our hosts dive into two of these rules—examining how they can both help and hinder your storytelling. Tune in next week for part two, when we tackle the remaining two rules that Erin wants us to break.Homework: Write down some of the rules you think you follow most rigidly in your own writing. Take one of these rules and begin to think about ways you can challenge this rule, or break it, or soften it in some way! ANNOUNCEMENTS: Call for Writing BreakthroughsHave 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! Last Annual CruiseThe final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2

We have an exciting announcement! Writing Excuses is publishing a book, Now Go Write, which will feature writing from all of our hosts! Sign up for our newsletter to learn when our book is coming out! So, for our next few episodes, we’ll have each host share one of the topics that they have written a chapter about for the book. Today, we’re starting with Mary Robinette, who will be covering the question of how to handle relationships. We explore how relationships can act like characters themselves—shifting, growing, or breaking under story pressure. Mary Robinette also introduces the “Kowal Relationship Axes” as a way to build believable dynamics and conflict between characters. We hope you come away with practical tools to write relationships that feel real, messy, and full of momentum.Homework: First, sign up for our newsletter to learn when our book is coming out! Then: who does your character love because of their flaws and why? Write an exploration scene where the character is exhibiting those flaws and

Erin and Howard sat down with paleontologist Dr. Tara Lepore for a fascinating dive into the science—and storytelling potential—of deep time. Dr. Lepore explains why paleontology is about far more than dinosaurs and how mammal teeth can reveal “birth certificates” millions of years old. We hope you come away with new ways to think about science as story—and how to weave the vastness of deep time into your own worlds.Thing of the Week: University of California Museum of Paleontology Homework: Find 3 ways that deep time could be interwoven into your current or upcoming writing project. Call for Writing BreakthroughsHave 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! Last Annual CruiseThe 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.Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinett

Erin describes her own writing process as, “a bunch of random practices thrown into a bag and shaken up." Nevertheless, for today’s episode, Erin managed to organize her processes into four categories: getting work, getting in, getting done, getting right. Listen as Erin gives us tips and tricks for freelancing, deadlines, and saying no. Homework: Write down all the tips and tricks you’ve learned about your own personal writing process on a single page. Show Notes: https://www.pacemaker.press/P.S. 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.Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, 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 RetreatsNewsletterPatreonInstagramThreadsBlueskyTikTokYouTubeFacebookOur Sponsors:* Check out Aeropress and use my code WX for a great

We’re continuing our episodes focusing on our hosts’ personal writing practices. Like Mary Robinette’s. DongWon’s involves a bit of… chaos. DongWon’s day job as a literary agent is demanding and unpredictable, so they often have to fit in their writing process into their free time. They are also often collaborating with other authors and friends (often writing for games)—so how does all of this inform their unique writing process? Well, first DongWon thinks a lot about the time and space that surrounds their writing– how can they make a simple, low-stimulation environment so that they can better focus? And then when they’re ready to begin, they don’t start with an outline. Instead… well, we’ll let you listen and hear them explain it to you.Homework: Go sit somewhere. Don’t bring your phone or your headphones. Sit there until you feel the itch of irritation of doing nothing, and then push through it a little bit longer. Cultivate your boredom. Then, sit down and write. Credits: Your hosts for this episode were

A lot of people ask published authors what their writing process is like, as if it is a key to being able to write. The only important process is the one that works for you. So, we’re going to let each of our hosts spend an episode explaining their own personal process. Our idea is that the best writing process is the one that works for you. Also, this is going to change over the course of your life and career.  Today we’re learning about Mary Robinette’s writing process, which is built on having a totally random schedule.Homework: What helps you want to do the things that aren’t writing? For instance, the other tasks and joys in your life? Because the tools that you use for those, also work for writing. Is it lists, or spreadsheets, or body-doubling? Now, see if you can use those same things to help you write more. Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mast

Today our hosts tell you why you don’t need to listen to all of our episodes—or even most of them. Each of our five hosts weighs in on how you can combine the topics, subtopics, and lenses that each episode features in order to create a structured path forward for your own writing journey. We start with a broad overview of this season’s structure. Why did we use the simple categories that most of us learned in elementary school— Who, What, Where, When, & Why—to organize our year’s 52 episodes? How did we decide on sub-topics for each category, and how should you decide which episodes to listen to more than once, and which ones to skip. Hint: it’s going to be different for everyone. Homework: Think about something that you do really well in your writing. Write down what it is (think of the lenses that we’ve covered in this season), and congratulate yourself on using the lens that you are using the best, the best way you can. Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan

We had the absolute joy of sitting down with Charlie Jane Anders, the author of the book we’ve focused on for our last four episodes (All the Birds in the Sky). We talked with Anders about POV, tone, and how she played around with humor —partly by occasionally using an omniscient POV! Anders also explained how to incorporate humor and whimsy, and what it feels like to take risks as an author in today’s literary landscape. Thing of the Week:Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane AndersHomework from Charlie Jane Anders:Take a scene you’ve already written and add five or six narrative asides that are providing information that the characters in the scene couldn’t possibly know. Ads:If you’re interested in the Whodunit Murder Mystery cruise (which you heard a teaser for at the start of this episode)—you can visit whodunitcruises.com to learn more! The next cruise is February 6th, 2026 and leaves from Los Angeles! For 20% off Scrivener, you can the code “EXCUSES” for at www.literatureandlatte.com. Credits:

This is our final episode before we have Charlie Jane Anders on the podcast to talk about her writing process next week! Today we’re talking about intention by analyzing thematics, the author’s intent, and the way Anders uses tone and tradition to express the core ideas of the book. We also dive into the friction created in the two opposing viewpoints of the world that Anders presents. On one side we have magic, community, and connection. And then you have rationality and science—that is, a more cerebral approach to the world. How does Anders explore these views through individual characters and also larger systems? And how can we learn how to do this in our own writing? Homework: Take some time away from your drafting, and write down your intentions. That is, what is the why of your project? Why is this the story you want to tell right now? Now, put your intention in a desk drawer somewhere, and don’t look at it. P.S. If you’re interested in the Whodunit Murder Mystery cruise (which you heard a teaser for at

If you still want to read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, you can purchase it here!We are looking today at the lens of when. But we’re not going to look at time periods—instead, we’re going to examine flashbacks and foreshadowing. “All the Birds in the Sky” takes place in four distinct times. For instance, one of the characters foreshadows a grim future for the children we’ve just met. This big jump forward colors the way that we see the kids, through both stakes and tension. And this begs the question, how do “future whens” affect your reading experience?  Homework: Pick a scene in your current project and think about two moments: one moment in the past of this scene, and one that is in the future (both of these moments should still resonant with this scene in some way). Then, write two different versions of the scene: one in which the past weighs heavily on it, and one in which the foreshadowing of the future weighs heavily on it. Then, see what the difference is. P.S. Want to come write wi

If you still want to read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, you can purchase it here!Today we’re talking about places and place-moments. We’re looking at how Anders uses context, details, and relationships to create a deep, familiar, and authentic reading experience for us, even if we’ve never been to the locations in the story. In this episode we’re  also analyzing how Anders creates lived-in locations by including non-essential sensory details that imply the rest of the world. Homework: List all the locations in your WIP (work in progress). Next to each one, describe its story functions: grounding, wondrous, plot-logical, and/or worldbuilding. P.S. Want to come write with us in September 2025 (we know that’s soon)?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here. Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon