21.30: Chapter Breaks Soon
A lot of times people want to know what the "ideal length" is for a chapter. But chapters can range from one sentence, to a single scene, al...
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Writing Excuses
Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart.
Writing Excuses Podcast Guide
Listen to Writing Excuses, a Arts podcast by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. Stream 999 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.
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21.29: How to Make a Scene
What makes a scene feel like a scene? This week, we unpack one of storytelling's most basic building blocks. Our hosts explore where scenes...
21.28: Narrative Transitions
How do you move readers from one scene to the next without losing momentum? Our hosts dig into different types of transitions—from scene bre...
21.27: The Expository Throttle
How can exposition be used as a pacing tool, and not just a way to convey information? We attempt to answer this question on today’s episode...
21.26: Setting the Pace
Our hosts explore the many tools writers can use to control pacing. We discuss how cadence, transitions, tone, sentence structure, and white...
21.25: Follow the Bouncing Ball
In this episode, our hosts explore how writers control their readers’ attention with the metaphor of a bouncing ball. We break down techniqu...
21.24: Deconstructing the Seven Point Plot Structure
Dan Wells joins our conversation as we break down the seven-point plot structure! Using examples from Star Wars, Toy Story, and other films,...
21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions
In this episode, our hosts explore one of the most persistent barriers to writing: interruptions. From family members and pets to emails, me...
21.22: The Order of the Telling
*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 ord...
21.21: Rhythm and Words
*Time-Sensitive* Our final WXR cruise is almost sold out, grab your spot before June 4th, 2026 here! Today, we’re continuing the conversatio...
21.20: Sequencing from Mega to Micro
Today, we explore why writers place information in the order they do. From broad-to-narrow framing and cause-and-effect to repetition, rhyth...
21.19: Getting Everything Connected
Today, our hosts discuss how to make every part of your story feel connected through causal chains, thematic resonance, and reader pattern r...
21.18: Deconstructing the Three Act Structure
Today, we are joined by Margaret Dunlap as we dive into the three-act structure. This traditional framework—setup, confrontation, and resolu...
21.17: The Up and Down Escalators
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 raisi...
21.16: Tension and Release as Call and Response
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. I...
21.15: Using Contrast for Maximum Effect
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 pairin...
21.14: Because at First, They Don’t Succeed
Today, we’re talking about the “try-fail cycle” and why failure is essential to making the middle of your story actually interesting. It all...
21.13: Does The Middle Have To Be Soggy?
Today, we’re taking on the idea of the “soggy middle” and why stories start to lose momentum—often because characters lack clear action, obs...
21.12: Breaking Down Barriers- Environment
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 e...
21.11: The Cold Open- Action
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 p...