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...
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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 994 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.
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20 of 994 episodes
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...
21.10: The Cold Open- Voice
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 — cade...
21.09: Grounding The Reader
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...
21.08: Setting Expectations
In this episode, we explore what it really means to set reader expectations at the beginning of a story. We talk about how openings communic...
21.07: Deep Dive- “With Her Serpent Locks”
To celebrate Mary Robinette’s birthday today (!!), she is taking us inside the craft (and emotional engine) of her short story “With Her Ser...
21.06: Begin and the Beginning
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...