Writing Excuses

People respond really well to symmetry in stories. This can range from having an object from the beginning reappear at the end to having the entire plot mirrored. But why does symmetry work so well, and how can writers use it intentionally? This week, we’re trying to answer that question. We dissect callbacks, repeated images, mirrored scenes, and the satisfaction readers get from recognizing patterns. We also discuss how you can find symmetry during your revision (even if you didn't plan for it!) and why sometimes breaking a pattern is exactly what your story needs.
Homework:
Return to the beginning of a story or a scene just before a climax and look at what's already on the page: images, dialogue, settings, and other details. Then look at the corresponding scene near the end or after the climax and see what you might bring back or mirror. You can also work backward, planting something earlier that you've already written into a later scene.
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Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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Very often, writers get to the two-third or three-quarter mark of work and get stuck, sometimes abandoning it to move on to something shinier. Why does this happen? Well, it’'s a place at which we move from raising questions for the reader to needing to answer them. This change in mode requires a different set of tools than the beginning of a story, while needing to appear part of a seamless whole. Let’s dive into how you can do this!  
Homework: 
Outline the second half of your novel (or revise the outline you already have). Then find two or three questions your story asked in the first half, and come up with two different ways you could answer each one.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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Today we're focusing on the mechanics of writing endings: what needs to be resolved, what can be left dangling, and how to give your reader a sense of what has changed. We talk about symmetry between beginnings and endings, giving important moments enough room to land, and how a final line can shape the feeling your reader walks away with. We also dig into epilogues, callbacks, “avatars of success,” and why the order of your final beats matters. Plus, why you probably don’t need to know your perfect last line when you start writing—or even when you finish your first draft.
Homework: 
Ask yourself these five questions about your ending: 
Does it match the promises of your beginning? 
Do you have an avatar of success? 
What did your characters earn? 
Is there any symmetry with your opening? 
Does the closing line underline the tone or theme of the story?

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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Psychotherapist Maureen Murdock invented the Heroine's Journey in response to Joseph Campbell's monomyth Hero's Journey. He reportedly said, "Women don’t need to make the journey, they are the place that everyone is trying to get to." This version of story structure is attempting to tell different stories. This week, we’re diving into the Heroine’s Journey! We talk about its (very) gendered origins, but also about what we can take from the structure: what happens after a character gets what they thought they wanted? Our hosts also discuss the biases built into different plot structures, layering structures on top of each other, and using the Heroine’s Journey to think about a character’s relationship to themself, their community, and the expectations placed on them.
Homework: 
Pick one of three strands—your character’s relationship to community, self, or expectation—and track how it changes at each major plot point. When you get to the end, ask: is there somewhere else you can go?
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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What do you do when "take a break" isn't the answer? We’ve all ahd that feeling, "I’m just too tired to concentrate." This can be because you're worn out from work, or due to chronic fatigue or pain. This week, our hosts talk about working with the brain and body you actually have instead of expecting every writing day to look the same. We explore queuing up tasks for our tired future selves, falling back on craft, using placeholders, and shifting from productivity goals to satisfaction goals. Plus, how to recognize diminishing returns and build systems that help us stop before pushing ourselves into burnout.
Liner Notes: 
Writing Bingo Card Generator 
Homework:
Write down five things: three writing tasks you can do when you’re really tired, and two signs that tell you you’re approaching burnout—including the lies you tell yourself that keep you pushing when you need to stop. Keep the list close at hand and see if it helps when you can’t even.
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, 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! 
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* Check out Talkiatry and use my code talkiatry.com/WX for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com

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