2 quick reminders: Scholarship applications for our 2026 cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here. AND early bird pricing for this cruise (going to Alaska in September 2026) ends on February 15th! Get your tickets here!

This week, Dan Wells opens up about how depression reshaped his writing process—and what rebuilding that process has looked like in the years since. The conversation ranges from tiny, mechanical steps to full-on cognitive reframing, with the hosts comparing notes on mindfulness, spectating, trauma responses, and even puppy-training techniques for rewiring your brain. They explore how environment, routine, and self-compassion can make the difference between staring at a blank screen and finding a way back into the work. Expect honesty, humor, and a lot of practical wisdom for how to care for your mental and emotional landscape while still trying to make art.

Homework:

Be kind to yourself—and extend that compassion to at least one person in your life who may be struggling, too. Then take a close look at your own rhythms, spaces, and habits to identify when and where you work best, and experiment with those ideal conditions this week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Last Annual Cruise

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.

*Scholarship applications for our cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here.

Call for Writing Breakthroughs

Have 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!

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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This week, Mary Robinette pulls back the curtain on some of fiction’s sneakiest power tools: tone and mood. Drawing from a recent craft class she taught for her Patreon, Mary Robinette breaks down how these elements shape a reader’s emotional experience—and why they deserve as much attention as plot or structure. DongWon, Erin, and Howard jump in to poke at the definitions, debate where tone and mood collide, and explore how contrast, character reactions, and even sentence rhythm can totally change a scene. Expect examples ranging from Wizard of Oz to Mike Flanagan as we dig into practical ways to use tone and mood to supercharge your storytelling.

Homework:

Take a five-part mystery structure (crime → investigation → twist → breakthrough → conclusion) and write a story that uses that structure but is not obviously a mystery.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Last Annual Cruise

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.

*Scholarship applications for our cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here.

Call for Writing Breakthroughs

Have 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!

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

Join Our Writing Community!

Writing Retreats

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Bluesky

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In this episode, DongWon digs into one of the business topics of our upcoming craft book: pitching. How do you talk about your work so other people immediately understand its category, vibe, and why it matters? They break pitching into two parts—content (what you say) and presentation (how you say it)—and share concrete tools like comp titles, short taglines, and simple back-cover formulas to sharpen your pitch. You’ll hear how iteration, audience-awareness, and practicing aloud (think karaoke for pitches) turn a clumsy elevator spiel into something that lands. Tune in for hands-on advice you can use next time an editor, agent, bookseller, or potential reader asks, “So, what’s it about?”

Homework:

Write three short, 2–3-sentence pitches for your book (or other WIP) that each take a different angle—one focused on worldbuilding, one on character, one on plot. Then read them aloud to someone and watch where they light up, glaze over, or lean in, so you can see which pitch actually works.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Last Annual Cruise

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.

*Scholarship applications for our cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here.

Call for Writing Breakthroughs

Have 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!

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and DongWon Song. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

Join Our Writing Community!

Writing Retreats

Newsletter

Patreon

Instagram

Threads

Bluesky

TikTok

YouTube

Facebook