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Writing Excuses

Mary Robinette Kowal et al

Four writers deconstructing storytelling techniques, one aspect at a time.

Why we picked this

We picked Writing Excuses because it treats creative writing as a craft built on mechanics rather than magic. The hosts spend their time taking apart the machinery of storytelling. They focus on tools over rules. They examine pacing, narrative distance, and sensory details without resorting to vague encouragement. Each brief session breaks down a specific technical problem and offers a functional way to fix it on the page. Subscribe to the feed if you want practical vocabulary for your own drafts.

Craft12 episodes on Steadcast · Latest Sep 2026

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