Writing Excuses 21.14: Because at First, They Don’t Succeed
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Apr 5, 2026 Conversation centers on the try-fail cycle and how repeated attempts and setbacks keep stories moving. They explore why failure builds empathy and keeps characters interesting. Practical mechanics like yes/no variants, MICE threads, and distinguishing barriers from attempts are discussed. Tips cover pacing, avoiding repetitive beats, and scaling cycles to different story sizes.
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Failure Humanizes And Creates Investment
- Failure humanizes characters and creates hooks for readers to root for them.
- Mary Robinette Kowal explains that competence without friction flattens story stakes, while failure reveals growth and what truly matters.
Use Yes But And No And To Shape Momentum
- Use Yes, But and No, And to control momentum so attempts either advance the goal with consequences or push the character backward with new costs.
- Mary gives a concrete airport-to-plane example: passport left at home becomes yes, but; closed plane door becomes a solid no.
Cross Threads To Raise Stakes
- Mix MICE threads (milieu, inquiry, character, event) so consequences from one thread create stakes in another and avoid predictable single-thread slogging.
- Mary shows this by making a travel failure also trigger parental disapproval to add character conflict.