Writing Excuses

20:52

21.40: The DREAM of a Structured Character Arc

Writing Excuses ·

2026/10/04

What if a character arc had a structure you could actually map? This week, our hosts break down the DREAM arc: denial, resistance, exploration, acceptance, and manifestation. We look at how characters move through these stages—and why stopping at acceptance can make an arc feel incomplete. From Casablanca and Avatar: The Last Airbender to Parasite and Kylo Ren, we explore how the structure can create heroes, villains, and characters who change in messier ways.Homework:Take the DREAM arc out to play

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26:02

21.39: Write What You Feel

Writing Excuses ·

2026/09/27

Your life is probably weirder—and more useful to your writing—than you think. This week, our hosts explore how to turn lived experience into fiction, from borrowing sensory details and emotional reactions to reshaping real people and events. We dive into the feelings wheel, specificity, and the layers of belief, feeling, thought, and action that can make characters feel human. Plus, how journaling can become a surprisingly useful bank of material for your future self. Homework:Journal about a

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23:31

21.38: Rules, Tools, and History’s Fools

Writing Excuses ·

2026/09/20

Today, we’re celebrating Erin’s birthday by talking about a topic of her choice. Which means we’re flipping “tools, not rules” its head. Our hosts revisit the Turkey City Lexicon, a snarky collection of writing “rules” that circulated widely among speculative fiction writers in 1988, and ask what still holds up—and what happens when useful terminology turns into rigid prescription. From “show, don’t tell” to white room syndrome and TV Tropes, we look at our recurring desire for an easy answer to

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28:05

21.37: Barrier Breaking: The World Is on Fire

Writing Excuses ·

2026/09/13

How do you keep writing when the world is on fire? This week, our hosts talk about protecting our narrative energy when the news, social media, or our own lives feel overwhelming. We explore boundaries, boredom, intentional information consumption, and why sometimes the most useful thing a writer can do is log off. We also look at how writing can become a place to process what’s happening around us—giving our characters our emotions, interrogating difficult systems through worldbuilding, and making

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23:47

21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel...

Writing Excuses ·

2026/09/06

A great twist shouldn’t just surprise us—it should make us rethink everything that came before. This week, our hosts explore reader expectations, misdirection, and hiding clues in plain sight. We look at twists from The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Ocean’s Eleven, and O. Henry, and ask why some twists make a story even better on a reread. Homework:If your work in progress has a twist, write out all the logical steps that lead to the reveal. Then start removing details until the twist stops making sense

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21:43

21.35: The Four Acts of Kishōtenketsu

Writing Excuses ·

2026/08/30

This week, our hosts explore kishōtenketsu, an Asian story structure that appears under different names in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Unlike the Western three-act structure, it isn’t built around conflict. Instead, it moves through four stages: introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. We dig into how stories like Parasite and The Tatami Galaxy create tension through discovery, contrast, and changing perspective, rather than direct confrontation. And don’t worry, we find time to get

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23:35

21.34: Knowing the Distance

Writing Excuses ·

2026/08/23

How close is your reader to the story? Should they be closer? Today, our hosts get nerdy about narrative distance: the space between reader, narrator, character, and world. We talk POV, sensory detail, and familiarity—and how each can zoom a reader in or pull them back. From The Lord of the Rings to Severance, we look at what changes when we experience one person’s pain up close versus an entire battle from afar. Homework:Write an action scene where the heroes violently dispatch their enemies. Then

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22:30

21.33: When To Shift Gears

Writing Excuses ·

2026/08/16

A story doesn’t always need the same tools from beginning to end. In this episode, we talk about recognizing when it’s time to shift gears—and how to make those changes feel intentional rather than abrupt. Our hosts look at transitions between action, dialogue, and tone, while exploring ways to signal those shifts to the reader. We also discuss how to use your own writing environment to help you change modes– sometimes the right gear is simply the one that makes the story easier to

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27:51

21.32: Barrier Breaking- Time Constraints

Writing Excuses ·

2026/08/09

There never seems to be enough time to write—but is time really the problem? Our hosts explore the reality of working within limited hours, changing life circumstances, and competing priorities. We share practical strategies like time blocking, micro writing sessions, and the Pomodoro Technique that do and don’t work for us. We hope this conversation helps you build systems that support your writing instead of relying on motivation alone. Homework:Track how you actually spend your time for a week

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27:22

21.31: Deconstructing Save the Cat

Writing Excuses ·

2026/08/02

Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder was published in 2005 and is widely popular because it offers a reliable, repeatable storytelling framework. Today we are joined by guest Margaret Dunlap as we attempt to answer: why Save the Cat is such an influential story structure and why so many writers have strong opinions about it. Our hosts break down Blake Snyder's 15-beat framework, exploring where it overlaps with the Hero's Journey, Three-Act

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27:56

21.30: Chapter Breaks Soon

Writing Excuses ·

2026/07/26

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, all the way up to Terry Pratchett who doesn't use chapters at all. Our hosts explore chapters as a pacing tool rather than a fixed unit of length, discussing how chapter breaks shape reader momentum, create natural pauses, and influence the experience of reading. Along the way, we look at how chapters have evolved throughout publishing history—and why

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28:58

21.29: How to Make a Scene

Writing Excuses ·

2026/07/19

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 begin and end, how they differ from beats, and why framing and narrative purpose matter more than rigid definitions. We also explore practical prompts for troubleshooting scenes that aren't working and discuss how structure and instinct can work together. Homework:Take one or two scenes from something you've written. Using whatever scene framework

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26:48

21.28: Narrative Transitions

Writing Excuses ·

2026/07/12

How do you move readers from one scene to the next without losing momentum? Our hosts dig into different types of transitions—from scene breaks and interruptions to brief “through scenes” that bridge time and space. Along the way, we compare prose techniques to music, film editing, and game design, exploring how transitions can carry emotion, maintain tension, and signal intention. We also discuss why transitions are often easier to solve during revision than during drafting. Sometimes all you need

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20:54

21.27: The Expository Throttle

Writing Excuses ·

2026/07/05

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! Our hosts discuss how exposition naturally slows a story down, creating space for readers to process events, build tension, and deepen their understanding of the world. We give specific examples for successful exposition (i.e. that won’t bore your reader). We also give you practical tools to add to your exposition toolkit– such as emotional context and

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24:22

21.26: Setting the Pace

Writing Excuses ·

2026/06/28

Our hosts explore the many tools writers can use to control pacing. We discuss how cadence, transitions, tone, sentence structure, and white space can all speed up or slow down a reader’s experience. And remember, fast is not inherently better than slow! This conversation highlights the importance of contrast—pairing fast and slow moments, tension and calm, or different emotional states—to make pacing more effective. Along the way, we examine examples from fiction, personal experiences, and

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25:49

21.25: Follow the Bouncing Ball

Writing Excuses ·

2026/06/21

In this episode, our hosts explore how writers control their readers’ attention with the metaphor of a bouncing ball. We break down techniques for guiding focus on the page, including POV choice, selective description, rhythm, and where details appear within sentences and paragraphs. The discussion highlights how structure often matters more than individual word choice, with emphasis on primacy/recency effects, white space, and pattern recognition like the rule of threes. Each host shares their

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35:07

21.24: Deconstructing the Seven Point Plot Structure

Writing Excuses ·

2026/06/14

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 discuss how each point creates conflict, drives character growth, and moves a story forward. We explore the difference between plot points that move characters toward their goals and pinch points that place obstacles in their way. We also examine how the midpoint shifts a protagonist from reacting to events to taking action. And remember– seven-point

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29:38

21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions

Writing Excuses ·

2026/06/07

In this episode, our hosts explore one of the most persistent barriers to writing: interruptions. From family members and pets to emails, meetings, fatigue, and neurodivergence, they discuss how disruptions can derail creative focus—and how writers can build systems to work with them instead of against them. The conversation touches on hyperfocus, ADHD, task-switching, and the emotional cost of being pulled out of the zone. Practical strategies include leaving “breadcrumbs” to re-enter a project,

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27:20

21.22: The Order of the Telling

Writing Excuses ·

2026/05/31

*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 we present information to the reader as contrasted with the order in which events actually progressed in the universe of this story and why those things might be completely different. We are joined by Margaret Dunlap as we explore nonlinear timelines with examples from novels, television, film, anime, and interactive fiction. We discuss how

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23:34

21.21: Rhythm and Words

Writing Excuses ·

2026/05/24

*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 sequencing by focusing on rhythm—how the musicality of language shapes pacing, emphasis, and emotional impact. Our hosts explore how sentence length, stress patterns, sound, negative space, repetition, and even page layout influence the way readers move through a story. They discuss poetic meter (iambs, trochees, spondees), examples from Shakespeare, hip-hop,

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