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Writing Excuses

21.19: Getting Everything Connected

Writing Excuses

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

Business, Careers, Fiction

4.61.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, our hosts discuss how to make every part of your story feel connected through causal chains, thematic resonance, and reader pattern recognition. We take the idea that each action in a story should lead naturally to the next and pair it with how readers instinctively search for meaning and connection (even in randomness). Along the way, our hosts discuss concepts like Edgar Allan Poe’s “unity of effect,” the Kuleshov effect, emergent narrative in games, and the role of thematic consistency in stories that may appear plotless on the surface. They also share techniques for creating narrative momentum, planting meaningful details, and leaving space for readers to actively participate in building the story’s meaning. Homework: Take a story you’re working on and write each scene on an index card. Shuffle the cards, pick two at random, and write a new scene that could connect them through either a causal chain or a shared thematic effect. Final WXR Cruise! Our final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—get your tickets here! Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Erin Roberts, and DongWon Song. 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

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Don't you wish everything was more rewarding?

0:03.4

With Raccutin, almost everything is.

0:05.9

You can earn cash back on those new shoes you've been wanting.

0:09.1

You can save on the next trip you book.

0:11.5

You can cash in on groceries.

0:13.7

Just join.

0:14.9

Shop your favorite brands and save.

0:17.4

Sephora, boots, argus, Timu, Adidas, Trip.com. The list is long. Save online at over 550 stores.

0:28.2

And when it's time to redeem those rewards, get your money exactly how you want it.

0:33.0

Choose bank transfer or PayPal. So go ahead, take a trip, fill a cart, get a new outfit. Recutin is a world

0:42.1

of rewards. Join today for free. Go to recutin.co.c.uk. Or get the app. That's R-A-K-U-T-E-N.

0:55.5

Don't you wish everything was more rewarding?

0:58.3

With Raccutin, almost everything is.

1:00.8

You can earn cash back on those new shoes you've been wanting.

1:03.9

You can save on the next trip you book.

1:06.4

You can cash in on groceries.

1:08.6

Just join.

1:09.8

Shop your favorite brands and save. Sephora, boots,

1:14.2

argus, Timu, Adidas, Trip.com. The list is long. Save online at over 550 stores. And when it's

1:23.5

time to redeem those rewards, get your money exactly how you want it.

1:29.6

Choose bank transfer or PayPal.

1:35.0

So go ahead, take a trip, fill a cart, get a new outfit.

...

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