19.30: A Close Reading on Character: Agency vs. Choices

Writing Excuses

Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

Fiction, Business, Careers

4.7 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 July 2024

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We have a theory that we want to work through on today’s episode: agency is the ability to take action, whereas choices are more about the interior life of the character. We use Mary Robinette’s talking cat, try-fail cycles, and C.L. Clark’s Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home in order to examine this theory and its underpinnings.

Thing of the Week: Marginalia by Mary Robinette Kowal (Uncanny Magazine)

Homework: Create a scene in which your character has very little agency, but still must make a choice. Do your best to make that choice still feel critical.

Liner Notes:

Fluent pet buttons - Elsie the talking cat

“We Are the Mountain: A Look at the Inactive Protagonist” by Vida Cruz

Sign up for our newsletter:

https://writingexcuses.com

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were DongWon Song and Erin Roberts. Our guest was Arkady Martine. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

Join Our Writing Community!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

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.. slash writing excuses.
0:14.0	You're invited to the writing excuses cruise.
0:18.0	An annual event for writers who want dedicated time to focus on honing their craft, connecting with their peers,
0:25.1	and getting away from the grind of daily life.
0:28.6	Join the full cast of writing excuses as we sail from Los Angeles aboard the Navigator of the Seas from September 19th through the 27th of 2024 with stops in Ensignata, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazzadlam. The crews offers seminars, exercises, and group sessions,
0:47.6	an ideal blend of relaxation, learning and writing, all while sailing the Mexican Riviera.
0:54.0	For tickets and more information, visit writing excuses.com slash retreats.
1:00.0	Season 19, episode 30.
1:04.0	This is writing excuses.
1:08.0	A close reading on character, Agency versus Choices.
1:11.0	15 minutes long because you're in a hurry.
1:14.0	And we're not that smart.
1:15.0	I'm Mary Robinette.
1:17.0	I'm Dung-wan.
1:18.0	I'm Aaron.
1:19.0	I'm Howard.
1:20.0	We had a lot of agency in that way.
1:22.0	I made some choices.
1:24.0	I chose to pause.
1:26.0	Pause on purpose.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.