19.13: A Close Reading on Voice: Blue's Perspective - Confidence and Vulnerability
Writing Excuses
Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler
4.6 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2024
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On our third episode diving into Voice through the novella “This Is How You Lose The Time War,” we begin to explore the different voices that make up the two main characters in the story. Last episode we dove into Red’s voice– if you haven’t already, we recommend you listen to that first!
Today, we are doing a close read of Blue at the tea shop and how voice establishes character, growth, and vulnerability. How do the authors make Blue’s voice distinct from Red’s? Is it in the tone, the structure, or something else completely?
Thing of the Week: The Late Mrs. Willoughby By Claudia Gray
Homework: Write a short note from one of your characters to another about something important to them. Now rewrite it as a text message (change the format), as a letter that will be screened before it gets to them by an outsider (change the context), and as a final message they will get to send (change the stakes).
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Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by our listeners, patrons, and friends. |
| 0:05.6 | If you would like to learn how to support this podcast, visit |
| 0:08.9 | www.patreon.com slash writing excuses. |
| 0:15.0 | Season 19 episode 13 |
| 0:20.0 | This is writing excuses. |
| 0:22.0 | A close reading on voice, blues perspective, confidence and vulnerability. |
| 0:27.0 | 15 minutes long. |
| 0:28.0 | Because you're in a hurry. |
| 0:30.0 | And we're not that smart. |
| 0:31.0 | I'm Mary Robinette. |
| 0:32.0 | I'm Dongwan. I'm Aaron. And I'm |
| 0:34.6 | terribly vulnerable. Also I'm Howard and I get to drive this episode. I love |
| 0:42.1 | Blues perspective. I maybe it's because I love plants |
| 0:46.0 | maybe it's because I know a male |
| 0:49.0 | who is responsible as we have learned for most of the writing of Blues perspective. |
| 1:00.0 | Let's begin with a reading from London next. |
| 1:05.0 | London next. |
| 1:06.0 | London Next. |
| 1:08.0 | The same day, month, year, but one strand over, |
| 1:11.0 | is the kind of London other London's dream. |
| 1:14.3 | C. P. tinted, skies strung with dirgeples. |
| 1:18.4 | The viciousness of empire acknowledged only where a it, all meat pies and monarchy. This is a place Blue loves and hates herself for |
... |
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