21.16: Tension and Release as Call and Response
Writing Excuses
Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler
4.6 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 19 April 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
Today, we’re talking about tension and release as a kind of call and response, and how that dynamic can guide your reader through a story. It explores how different types of tension—conflict, unanswered questions, anticipation, and microtension—can be balanced with moments of release to shape pacing and keep readers engaged. The conversation also looks at how resolving one kind of tension while sustaining another creates forward momentum, and how varying those patterns prevents a story from feeling flat or repetitive. Along the way, it examines how genres like horror and humor use this rhythm especially well, and how techniques like contrast, modulation, and layering multiple plotlines can sharpen emotional impact and control the reader’s experience.
Homework:
Look at a scene you’ve already written and identify what creates tension within it. If nothing stands out, add a source of tension—such as a question, juxtaposition, or anticipation. If tension is already present, try changing or swapping it for a different type and observe how that affects the scene.
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Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Erin Roberts, and DongWon Song. 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 | For more than a decade, we've hosted writing excuses at sea, an annual workshop and retreat on a cruise ship. |
| 0:09.8 | You are invited to our final annual cruise, September 3rd through 11th of 2026. |
| 0:17.1 | It's a chance to learn, connect, and grow all while sailing along the stunning Alaskan and |
| 0:23.4 | Canadian coast. Join us, the hosts of writing excuses, and spent dedicated time leveling up |
| 0:29.3 | your writing craft. Attend classes, join small group breakout sessions, learn from instructors |
| 0:35.5 | one-on-one during office hours, and meet with other writers |
| 0:39.4 | from around the world. During this week-long retreat, we'll dock at three Alaskan ports, |
| 0:45.6 | Juno, Sitka, and Skagway, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. Use this time to write on the |
| 0:52.3 | ship or choose excursions that allow you to get up close and personal with glaciers, go whale watching, learn more about the rich history of the region, and much more. |
| 1:02.8 | This will be our grand finale after over 10 years of successful retreats at sea. |
| 1:08.6 | Whether you're a long-time alumni or a newcomer, we would love to see |
| 1:12.8 | you on board. Learn more at writingexcuses.com slash retreats. That's writingexcuses.com slash |
| 1:22.5 | retreats. This episode of writing excuses has been brought to you by our listeners, patrons, and friends. |
| 1:30.4 | If you would like to learn how to support this podcast, visit www.com slash writing excuses. |
| 1:39.9 | Season 21, episode 16. |
| 1:43.8 | This is writing excuses. |
| 1:46.7 | Tension and release as call and response. |
| 1:49.4 | Tools not rules. |
| 1:50.6 | For writers by writers. |
| 1:52.6 | I'm Mary Robinette. |
| 1:53.8 | I'm Don Juan. |
| 1:54.5 | I'm Aaron, and I'm Howard. |
... |
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