21.14: Because at First, They Don’t Succeed
From Writing Excuses by Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler
April 5, 2026 · 25 min · Season 21 · Episode 14
About this episode
The episode discusses the importance of the try-fail cycle in storytelling and how it enhances character development and narrative tension.
Today, we’re talking about the “try-fail cycle” and why failure is essential to making the middle of your story actually interesting. It allows readers to follow characters as they try something, fail, adjust, and try again until they finally succeed. Our conversation gets into how failure builds tension and empathy and how you can use “yes, but / no, and” to control your story’s momentum. We also address the difference between barriers and attempts, and how to keep things from feeling repetitive or stalled, whether you’re writing epic fantasy or a quiet coffee shop story. Homework: Look at the MICE quotient elements (milieu, inquiry, character, event) in your story and make a list of barriers for each. Then choose a smaller subset of those barriers that work well together, and use them to design try-fail cycles that keep your story dynamic without becoming repetitive or overcrowded. Locus Magazine Annual Fundraiser (ends April 14th, 2026) Join us in supporting Locus Magazine– explore the campaign and fantastic rewards for donors online at locusmag.com/igg26. Final WXR Cruise! Our final WXR cruise sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—get your tickets here! Credits: Your hosts…
People in this episode
Hosts: Mary Robinette Kowal, Erin Roberts, DongWon Song
Topics covered
- try-fail cycle
- storytelling
- character development
- tension and empathy
- writing techniques
- dynamic storytelling
Keywords
- failure
- story dynamics
- MICE quotient
- barriers
- repetitive storytelling
- epic fantasy
- coffee shop story
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Locus Magazine, Writing Excuses
More episodes of Writing Excuses
- 21.23: Barrier Breaking: Interruptions · June 7, 2026 · 30 min
- 21.22: The Order of the Telling · May 31, 2026 · 27 min
- 21.21: Rhythm and Words · May 24, 2026 · 24 min
- 21.20: Sequencing from Mega to Micro · May 17, 2026 · 34 min
- 21.19: Getting Everything Connected · May 10, 2026 · 24 min
- 21.18: Deconstructing the Three Act Structure · May 3, 2026 · 31 min
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