21.06: Begin and the Beginning

Writing Excuses

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

Business, Careers, Fiction

4.6 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 8 February 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, our hosts dive into what makes a strong beginning and why it matters so much to readers. They talk about openings as an act of hospitality, exploring how tone, control, and carefully chosen details help readers feel grounded and cared for from the first page. Using the metaphor of hosting a party, they unpack common mistakes like starting too early, overwhelming readers with detail, or failing to make a clear promise. The discussion also reassures writers that beginnings often change in revision—and that’s not just normal, it’s necessary. Homework: Create an artificial slush pile of beginnings. Read them cold and note which ones make you lean in and why. ANNOUNCEMENTS: FEBRUARY 15th: Cruise Prices Increase The final WXR cruise* sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—get your tickets now before prices increase on February 15th! Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Erin Roberts, DongWon Song, and Mary Robinette Kowal. 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 Our Sponsors: * Check out HomeServe and use my code homeserve.com/excuses for a great deal: https://www.homeserve.com * Check out Talkiatry and use my code Talkiatry.com/WX for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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 www.com.
0:11.8	www.com slash writing excuses.
0:15.2	Season 21, episode 6.
0:19.3	This is writing excuses.
0:22.1	Begin at the beginning.
0:24.0	Tools not rules.
0:25.4	For writers by writers.
0:27.3	I'm Mary Robinette.
0:28.3	I'm Dongwan.
0:29.1	I'm Aaron.
0:30.7	And this week, we're going to talk about beginnings.
0:33.8	This is one of my very favorite topics.
0:36.3	I feel like I've said that like three episodes in a row.
0:38.2	But I do love talking about beginnings.
0:40.8	I over-index on them.
0:42.9	You know, I think in part it's because of my job as an agent
0:46.8	when I'm looking at queries and I'm looking at samples.
0:49.6	I'm always looking at beginnings of stories
0:51.5	and trying to make a judgment call on them.
0:53.2	So I have read thousands upon thousands of beginnings of stories and trying to make a judgment call on them. So I have read
0:54.4	thousands upon thousands of beginnings of books and had to make judgment calls about, is this
	...

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