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Writing Excuses — 1,000 episodes · page 1 of 10
21.41: Barrier Breaking- Physical Fatigue
21.40: The DREAM of a Structured Character Arc
21.39: Write What You Feel
21.38: Rules, Tools, and History’s Fools
21.37: Barrier Breaking: The World Is on Fire
21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel Inevitable
21.35: The Four Acts of Kishōtenketsu
21.34: Knowing the Distance
21.33: When To Shift Gears
21.32: Barrier Breaking- Time Constraints
21.31: Deconstructing Save the Cat
21.30: Chapter Breaks Soon
21.29: How to Make a Scene
21.28: Narrative Transitions
21.27: The Expository Throttle
21.26: Setting the Pace
21.25: Follow the Bouncing Ball
21.24: Deconstructing the Seven Point Plot Structure
21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions
21.22: The Order of the Telling
21.21: Rhythm and Words
21.20: Sequencing from Mega to Micro
21.19: Getting Everything Connected
21.18: Deconstructing the Three Act Structure
21.17: The Up and Down Escalators
21.16: Tension and Release as Call and Response
21.15: Using Contrast for Maximum Effect
21.14: Because at First, They Don’t Succeed
21.13: Does The Middle Have To Be Soggy?
21.12: Breaking Down Barriers- Environment
21.11: The Cold Open- Action
21.10: The Cold Open- Voice
21.09: Grounding The Reader
21.08: Setting Expectations
21.07: Deep Dive- “With Her Serpent Locks”
21.06: Begin and the Beginning
21.05: The Same But Different
21.04: Deconstructing the Hero's Journey
21.03: Deconstructing Plots
21.02: My Process is Not Your Process
21.01: Welcome to the New Year!
20.52: 2025 End-of-Year Wrap Up
20.51: Howard Tayler’s Personal Writing Process
20.50: Dan Wells’ Personal Writing Process
20.49: Using Tone and Mood
20.48: Now Go Write- How to Pitch Your Work
20.47: Now Go Write- All the Eggs in All the Baskets
20.46: Now Go Write- Break All The Rules (Part 2)
20.45: Now Go Write- Break All The Rules (Part 1)
20.44: Now Go Write- How to Handle Relationships
20.43: An Interview with Dr. Tara Lepore on Paleontology
20.42: Erin Roberts’ Personal Writing Process
20.41: DongWon Song’s Personal Writing Process
20.40: Mary Robinette Kowal’s Personal Writing Process
20.39: Wrapping up our Conversation about Lenses
20.38: An Interview with Charlie Jane Anders
20.37: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of Why
20.36: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of When
20.35: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of Where
20.34: Deep Dive into “All the Birds in the Sky” - Using the Lens of Who
20.33: Raising Children as a Metaphor for Writing
20.32: Revision and Character Consciousness Téa Obreht
20.31: Framing the Lens
20.30: Using Why To Shape Tone
20.29: Authorial Intent
20.28: The Lens of Tradition
20.27: The Lens of Why
20.26: Gaming as a Writing Metaphor
20.25: Writing Confrontation (LIVE Aboard the WX Cruise)
20.24: An Interview with Charles Duhigg
20.23: The Lens of the Senses
20.22: The Lens of Time
20.21: The Lens of Context
20.20: The Lens of Where and When
20.19: Cooking as a Writing Metaphor
20.18: LIVE: The Art of Teaching
20.17: An Interview with Christopher Schwarz
20.16: Second Person
20.15: Third Person Omniscient
20.14: Third Person Limited
20.13: First Person
20.12: Fashion as a Writing Metaphor
20.11: Kit Lit. Q&A Aboard the WX Cruise, with Mark Oshiro, Kate McKean, and Sandra Tayler
20.10: Interview with Chuck Tingle: Breaking the Rules
20.09: The Reaction of Who?!
20.08: Character Stakes and Fears
20.07: Motivation and Goals
20.06: History and Community
20.05: The Lens of Who
20.04: Puppetry as a Writing Metaphor
20.03: Polishing Your Writing Lens
20.02: Q&A Aboard the Writing Excuses Cruise, with Mark Oshiro and Kate McKean
20.01: Welcome to 2025!
19.52: End of Year Reflections: Navigating Speedbumps
19.51: And That Was That
19.50.5: An Interview with DIY MFA Founder Gabriela Pereira (BONUS EPISODE)
19.50: All Systems Go
19.49: Getting to Know You
19.48: Beginning With A Thrill
19.47.5: Interview with Andrew Buckley of the StoryCentric podcast (BONUS EPISODE)