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 newsletter!) Erin explores four classic writing “rules,” when it’s worth breaking them, and what that can reveal about your own craft. Today, our hosts dive into two of these rules—examining how they can both help and hinder your storytelling. Tune in next week for part two, when we tackle the remaining two rules that Erin wants us to break.Homework: Write down some of the rules you think you follow most rigidly in your own writing. Take one of these rules and begin to think about ways you can challenge this rule, or break it, or soften it in some way! ANNOUNCEMENTS: Call for Writing BreakthroughsHave you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter! Last Annual CruiseThe final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—don’t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.Join Our Writing Community! Writing RetreatsNewsletterPatreonInstagramThreadsBlueskyTikTokYouTubeFacebookOur Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSESSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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20.44: Now Go Write- How to Handle Relationships
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 our newsletter to learn when our book is coming out! So, for our next few episodes, we’ll have each host share one of the topics that they have written a chapter about for the book. Today, we’re starting with Mary Robinette, who will be covering the question of how to handle relationships. We explore how relationships can act like characters themselves—shifting, growing, or breaking under story pressure. Mary Robinette also introduces the “Kowal Relationship Axes” as a way to build believable dynamics and conflict between characters. We hope you come away with practical tools to write relationships that feel real, messy, and full of momentum.Homework: First, sign up for our newsletter to learn when our book is coming out! Then: who does your character love because of their flaws and why? Write an exploration scene where the character is exhibiting those flaws and the other character is watching that fondly. Then, write a different scene where one character is mad at the other and the flaws are pissing them off. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Call for Writing BreakthroughsHave you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter! Last Annual CruiseThe final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—don’t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, and Erin Roberts. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.Join Our Writing Community! Writing RetreatsNewsletterPatreonInstagramThreadsBlueskyTikTokYouTubeFacebookOur Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSESSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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20.43: An Interview with Dr. Tara Lepore on Paleontology
Erin and Howard sat down with paleontologist Dr. Tara Lepore for a fascinating dive into the science—and storytelling potential—of deep time. Dr. Lepore explains why paleontology is about far more than dinosaurs and how mammal teeth can reveal “birth certificates” millions of years old. We hope you come away with new ways to think about science as story—and how to weave the vastness of deep time into your own worlds.Thing of the Week: University of California Museum of Paleontology Homework: Find 3 ways that deep time could be interwoven into your current or upcoming writing project. Call for Writing BreakthroughsHave you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter! Last Annual CruiseThe final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—don’t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. Our guest was Dr. Tara Lepore. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.Join Our Writing Community! Writing RetreatsNewsletterPatreonInstagramThreadsBlueskyTikTokYouTubeFacebookOur Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSESSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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28:56
20.42: Erin Roberts’ Personal Writing Process
Erin describes her own writing process as, “a bunch of random practices thrown into a bag and shaken up." Nevertheless, for today’s episode, Erin managed to organize her processes into four categories: getting work, getting in, getting done, getting right. Listen as Erin gives us tips and tricks for freelancing, deadlines, and saying no. Homework: Write down all the tips and tricks you’ve learned about your own personal writing process on a single page. Show Notes: https://www.pacemaker.press/P.S. The final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—don’t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.Join Our Writing Community! Writing RetreatsNewsletterPatreonInstagramThreadsBlueskyTikTokYouTubeFacebookOur Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSESSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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20.41: DongWon Song’s Personal Writing Process
We’re continuing our episodes focusing on our hosts’ personal writing practices. Like Mary Robinette’s. DongWon’s involves a bit of… chaos. DongWon’s day job as a literary agent is demanding and unpredictable, so they often have to fit in their writing process into their free time. They are also often collaborating with other authors and friends (often writing for games)—so how does all of this inform their unique writing process? Well, first DongWon thinks a lot about the time and space that surrounds their writing– how can they make a simple, low-stimulation environment so that they can better focus? And then when they’re ready to begin, they don’t start with an outline. Instead… well, we’ll let you listen and hear them explain it to you.Homework: Go sit somewhere. Don’t bring your phone or your headphones. Sit there until you feel the itch of irritation of doing nothing, and then push through it a little bit longer. Cultivate your boredom. Then, sit down and write. Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.Join Our Writing Community! Writing RetreatsNewsletterPatreonInstagramThreadsBlueskyTikTokYouTubeFacebookOur Sponsors:* Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/WX* Check out MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/EXCUSESSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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