Writing Excuses

21.24: Deconstructing the Seven Point Plot Structure

14 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Wells joins our conversation as we break down the seven-point plot structure! Using examples from Star Wars, Toy Story, and other films, we discus...

21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions

07 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, our hosts explore one of the most persistent barriers to writing: interruptions. From family members and pets to emails, meetings, fa...

21.22: The Order of the Telling

31 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

*Time-Sensitive*Our final WXR cruise is almost sold out, grab your spot before June 4th, 2026 here!This week, we are talking about the order in which ...

21.21: Rhythm and Words

24 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

*Time-Sensitive*Our final WXR cruise is almost sold out, grab your spot before June 4th, 2026 here!Today, we’re continuing the conversation on seque...

21.20: Sequencing from Mega to Micro

17 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we explore why writers place information in the order they do. From broad-to-narrow framing and cause-and-effect to repetition, rhythm, and sur...

21.19: Getting Everything Connected

10 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, our hosts discuss how to make every part of your story feel connected through causal chains, thematic resonance, and reader pattern recognition...

21.18: Deconstructing the Three Act Structure

03 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we are joined by Margaret Dunlap as we dive into the three-act structure. This traditional framework—setup, confrontation, and resolution—i...

21.17: The Up and Down Escalators

26 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today we zoom out from moment-to-moment tension and look at how escalation and de-escalation shape a story at the structural level—how raising stake...

21.16: Tension and Release as Call and Response

19 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about tension and release as a kind of call and response, and how that dynamic can guide your reader through a story. It explor...

21.15: Using Contrast for Maximum Effect

12 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about how to use contrast to make key moments in your story hit harder, especially in the middle. We explore how pairing light ...

21.14: Because at First, They Don’t Succeed

05 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about the “try-fail cycle” and why failure is essential to making the middle of your story actually interesting. It allows ...

21.13: Does The Middle Have To Be Soggy?

29 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re taking on the idea of the “soggy middle” and why stories start to lose momentum—often because characters lack clear action, obsta...

21.12: Breaking Down Barriers- Environment

22 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When writing feels harder than it should, the problem might not be the story— it might be the room. In this episode, our hosts explore how environme...

21.11: The Cold Open- Action

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

21.10: The Cold Open- Voice

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A cold open can hook a reader with nothing more than voice. In this episode, our hosts explore what makes a voice-driven opening work — cadence, rhy...

21.09: Grounding The Reader

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Grounding a reader starts in the very first lines of a story. Where are we? Who are we with? What kind of story are we in? Our hosts explore how emoti...

21.08: Setting Expectations

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we explore what it really means to set reader expectations at the beginning of a story. We talk about how openings communicate the sh...

21.07: Deep Dive- “With Her Serpent Locks”

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate Mary Robinette’s birthday today (!!), she is taking us inside the craft (and emotional engine) of her short story “With Her Serpent L...

21.06: Begin and the Beginning

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, our hosts dive into what makes a strong beginning and why it matters so much to readers. They talk about openings as an act of hospit...

21.05: The Same But Different

01 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, our hosts dig into how stories can feel fresh without losing what readers love. They explore the idea of “same but different” across genres...

21.04: Deconstructing the Hero's Journey

25 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our hosts take on the Hero’s Journey—where it came from, why it endures, and why it can make writers uneasy. They break it down as a tool (and not...

21.03: Deconstructing Plots

18 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Plot isn’t a set of commandments—it’s a collection of patterns we’ve learned to recognize. This episode kicks off the season’s deep dive int...

21.02: My Process is Not Your Process

11 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

21.01: Welcome to the New Year!

04 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

20.52: 2025 End-of-Year Wrap Up

28 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

20.51: Howard Tayler’s Personal Writing Process

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A workflow that made daily writing (and comics) possible—Howard Tayler takes us through two decades of the delightfully eccentric process behind Sch...

20.50: Dan Wells’ Personal Writing Process

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

20.49: Using Tone and Mood

07 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ta...

20.48: Now Go Write- How to Pitch Your Work

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 im...

20.47: Now Go Write- All the Eggs in All the Baskets

23 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan shares his experience of rebuilding and reinventing his writing career from his section of our forthcoming book Now Go Write. Our hosts walk throu...

20.46: Now Go Write- Break All The Rules (Part 2)

16 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 breakin...

20.45: Now Go Write- Break All The Rules (Part 1)

09 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 newsl...

20.44: Now Go Write- How to Handle Relationships

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ou...

20.43: An Interview with Dr. Tara Lepore on Paleontology

26 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Erin and Howard sat down with paleontologist Dr. Tara Lepore for a fascinating dive into the science—and storytelling potential—of deep time. Dr. ...

20.42: Erin Roberts’ Personal Writing Process

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Erin describes her own writing process as, “a bunch of random practices thrown into a bag and shaken up." Nevertheless, for today’s episode, E...

20.41: DongWon Song’s Personal Writing Process

12 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re continuing our episodes focusing on our hosts’ personal writing practices. Like Mary Robinette’s. DongWon’s involves a bit of… chaos. ...

20.40: Mary Robinette Kowal’s Personal Writing Process

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

20.39: Wrapping up our Conversation about Lenses

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

20.38: An Interview with Charlie Jane Anders

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

20.37: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of Why

14 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

20.36: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of When

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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’...

20.35: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of Where

31 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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-momen...

20.34: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of Who

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last season we took different works to represent different concepts. But this season, we’re looking at a single work— All the Birds in the Sky by ...

20.33: Raising Children as a Metaphor for Writing

17 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout this season, we have been doing a series of episodes that feature different metaphors for writing. Today, we’re talking about raising chi...

20.32: Revision and Character Consciousness Téa Obreht

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Téa Obreht is a short story writer and novelist. Her debut novel, The Tiger’s Wife, won the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction, and was a 2011 National ...

20.31: Framing the Lens

03 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This year, we’ve been looking at writing through various different lenses. In two weeks, on August 24th, we’ll begin a 5-part deep dive into these...

20.30: Using Why To Shape Tone

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tone is one of those words people use in many different ways when talking about fiction. On today’s episode, our hosts break down what it means, how...

20.29: Authorial Intent

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What the heck is authorial intent? Does it matter? And how do intentions end up on the page without cluttering or overwhelming the story? Today, our h...

20.28: The Lens of Tradition

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every story has been told. Okay, maybe not, but most stories have a tradition/ influence/ history/ genre/ style that they draw upon, even if only slig...

20.27: The Lens of Why

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are joined by author Mark Oshiro, who primarily writes YA and middle grade books and was a guest teacher aboard our 2024 cruise! (Our 2025 cruise i...

20.26: Gaming as a Writing Metaphor

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What separates the way we experience a game versus the way we experience a prose narrative? Erin Roberts has written for many games, and she loves gam...

20.25: Writing Confrontation (LIVE Aboard the WX Cruise)

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our hosts explore how to write compelling confrontations—whether physical fights or emotional arguments—in a live episode recorded on the Writing ...

20.24: An Interview with Charles Duhigg

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can listening inform the way you write? We decided to ask Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and bestselling author—best kn...

20.23: The Lens of the Senses

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How does a room sound? Does your childhood have a taste? What is the smell of summer? In this episode, we dive into the sensory layers that anchor wo...

20.22: The Lens of Time

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time isn't just a backdrop—it’s a powerful tool in storytelling. In this episode, we explore how time shapes narratives, beyond just plot stru...

20.21: The Lens of Context

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re digging into context—what it is, why it matters, and how it can totally transform your storytelling. Whether you're working i...

20.20: The Lens of Where and When

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking about setting, which in speculative fiction is often called worldbuilding. But once you’ve finished building the world, how do...

20.19: Cooking as a Writing Metaphor

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does cooking have to do with writing? In this episode, we explore how the creative choices we make in the kitchen—whether it’s improvising wi...

20.18: LIVE: The Art of Teaching

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was recorded live at our 2024 Writing Excuses Cruise. (Did you know that we host a writing retreat on a cruise every year!?! You can lear...

20.17: An Interview with Christopher Schwarz

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This season, we’ve been exploring different approaches to writing through the lens of other crafts and their respective toolkits. We had the pleasur...

20.16: Second Person

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People often think of first person POV as the most intimate voice. But in a way, we think second person might be more intimate. With second person, yo...

20.15: Third Person Omniscient

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With today’s episode, we are continuing our discussion on proximity by focusing on another POV: third person omniscient. In omniscient POV, the narr...

20.14: Third Person Limited

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Third person limited is one of the most popular storytelling lenses. Yet it is often understood differently by various authors and readers. So today w...

20.13: First Person

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re now going to have a few episodes focusing on the lens of proximity—specifically, how close you are to a character. Today, we’re talking ab...

20.12: Fashion as a Writing Metaphor

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re returning to different personal metaphors for how we all think about writing and storytelling. In this episode, we’re talking about h...

20.11: Kit Lit. Q&A Aboard the WX Cruise, with Mark Oshiro, Kate McKean, and Sandra Tayler

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was recorded live at our 2024 Writing Excuses Cruise. (Did you know that we host a writing retreat on a cruise every year!?! You can lear...

20.10: Interview with Chuck Tingle: Breaking the Rules

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we have the pleasure of talking with author (and longtime listener!) Chuck Tingle. We invited him on the podcast to talk about breaking the rule...

20.09: The Reaction of Who?!

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do emotional beats and action scenes have in common? Well, they both need to land with your audience in order for your story not to fall flat. On...

20.08: Character Stakes and Fears

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re continuing our conversation about the lens of who. On last week’s episode we talked about a character’s motivation and goals. N...

20.07: Motivation and Goals

16 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know what your characters want? And is there a deeper desire underneath that one? A character's motivations can help make them "relata...

20.06: History and Community

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 thei...

20.05: The Lens of Who

02 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we are introducing the “lens of who” – which means talking about characters. We try to break big character ideas down into their elements....

20.04: Puppetry as a Writing Metaphor

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 he...

20.03: Polishing Your Writing Lens

19 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

20.02: Q&A Aboard the Writing Excuses Cruise, with Mark Oshiro and Kate McKean

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was recorded live at our 2024 Writing Excuses Cruise. (Did you know that we host a writing retreat on a cruise every year!?! You can lear...

20.01: Welcome to 2025!

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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....

19.52: End of Year Reflections: Navigating Speedbumps

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 d...

19.51: And That Was That

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 des...

19.50.5: An Interview with DIY MFA Founder Gabriela Pereira (BONUS EPISODE)

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Gabriela Pereira, founder and instigator of DIY MFA, which is the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master of A...

19.50: All Systems Go

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 des...

19.49: Getting to Know You

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we wrap up our Close Reading Series, we’re shifting our focus towards helping you integrate what you’ve learned. For December, we’ll be relea...

19.48: Beginning With A Thrill

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we wrap up our Close Reading Series, we’re shifting our focus towards helping you integrate what you’ve learned. For December, we’ll be relea...

19.47.5: Interview with Andrew Buckley of the StoryCentric podcast (BONUS EPISODE)

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be building a career as an author in this day and age? We talk with author and speaker Andrew Buckley about everything from autho...

19.47: Final Thoughts on Our Close Reading Series

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We reminisce on when we were on a writing retreat on a cruise in 2023, planning this close reading series. We have loved how this series grounded our ...

19.46: An Interview on Structure with N.K. Jemisin

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We had the pleasure of sitting down with N.K. Jemisin to talk about the structures and processes that helped create The Fifth Season. We talk about ou...

19.45: A Close Reading on Structure: Tying It All Together

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve loved doing our close reading series throughout 2024, and The Fifth Season has been no different. Today, we’re reflecting on what we learned...

19.44: A Close Reading on Structure: Tradition and Innovation

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re zooming out to see where N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season fits into the canon of fantasy literature. How does Jemisin interact with mag...

19.43: A Close Reading on Structure: Parallelism and Inversion

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The structure of The Fifth Season features both mirroring and inversion. How do these structural shifts interact with the three POVs? On today’s epi...

19.42: A Close Reading on Structure: Whose Perspective is it Anyways?

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Structure and POV (point of view) are often intertwined. In N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, we see this in the myriad perspective shifts. In this e...

19.41: A Close Reading on Structure: An Overview and Why Fifth Season

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just a reminder that we will be talking about a lot of spoilers, so if you haven’t read The Fifth Season, go and do so now! As we dive into N.K. Jem...

19.40: An Interview on Tension with P. Djèlí Clark

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We sat down with the author of Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark, in order to wrap up our close reading of tension. We talked with Clark about his influenc...

19.39: A Close Reading on Tension: Tying It All Together

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode, we’re talking about how important tension is in creating a world where your readers feel fully immersed. We talk about the importance ...

19.38: A Close Reading on Tension: Anticipation and Subversion

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re subverting your readers’ expectations, do you need to do the exact opposite of what they’re anticipating? Today, we dive into this q...

19.37: A Close Reading on Tension: Movement and Resolution

15 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re using music as an entry-point for tension. Howard introduces us to the power of the half-step, and other musical metaphors that can hel...

19.36: A Close Reading on Tension: Narrative vs. Contextual

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about the tension that is actually happening on the page, and the contextual tension is what the reader is bringing to the tabl...

19.35: A Close Reading on Tension: An Overview and Why Ring Shout

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Compared to This is How You Lose The Time War, which we read earlier this year, Ring Shout deals with a very real world. This discordance, where autho...

19.34: Grants and Fellowships

25 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we have a wildcard episode for you! We are talking about all the different ways you can sustain your writing career. Our host, Erin Roberts, has...

19.33: Workshops and Retreats

18 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re taking a break from our Close Reading Series to discuss writing workshops and retreats! We dive into how to find and prepare to attend a...

19.32: An Interview on Character with CL Clark

11 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We sat down with CL Clark to talk about character—specifically, how they build different POV characters in the compressed space of a short story. We...

19.31: A Close Reading on Character: Tying it All Together

04 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re taking a higher view on the techniques we’ve been talking about over the last four episodes and focusing on how you can use our takea...