20.52: 2025 End-of-Year Wrap Up

21 snips

Dec 28, 2025

As the season wraps up, major changes loom as a beloved host steps back. Discussions on mental health, career choices, and creative trajectories pop up along the way. The hosts reflect on emotional journeys and transition plans, sharing updates on personal projects and new adventures. A time capsule reveals how mid-year predictions fared by year-end. Humorous and heartfelt homework assignments encourage creativity, as the team expresses gratitude and anticipates future contributions. Join them in this bittersweet farewell and a look at what lies ahead!

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ANECDOTE

Stepping Back To Move Forward

Dan Wells shared stepping back from Writing Excuses after years of struggling with depression and anxiety and later finding a medication schedule that worked.
He framed his move as shifting from core host to a recurring guest to focus on new career phases while still supporting the show.

INSIGHT

Choose When You Are Well

Dan realized major career choices are best made when stable, not during depressive episodes.
He left because the show is healthy and he wanted space to pursue other platforms and ambitions.

ADVICE

Manage Cognitive Load, Not Just Time

Howard and the hosts reminded creators to evaluate projects by cognitive load, not just time spent recording.
Freeing cognitive space by stepping back enables new opportunities and sustainable growth.

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As our 20th season comes to a close, we reflect on the end of 2025 and a major transition for the show, as Dan Wells steps away from Writing Excuses as a full-time core host. Dan shares the thoughtful, hard-won reasoning behind his decision, while the rest of the team reflects on what his presence has meant to this podcast and our community.

We recorded the first half of this episode in June and the second half in December 2025. Why is that? Because we wanted to discuss our plans for the rest of the year and later return to see how those plans actually played out—a kind of time capsule for all of us. Along the way, we talk candidly about change, ambition, and the reality of creative lives that rarely move in straight lines.

Homework:

1. We've created a publicly accessible Patreon post titled “Thank you Dan Wells” for you, our listeners, to share things you've learned from Dan, appreciation you wish to express, or even your favorite stories about Dan. Go to patreon.com/WritingExcuses and look for this post.

2. Final Homework From Dan:

Watch some of the show Twisted Metal (warning: there’s a lot of gore and swearing). If that's not your cup of tea, then check out the interactive novel, The Book of Hungry Names by Kyle Marquis. See what you can learn from these pieces of media—they are master storytellers!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Last Annual Cruise

The final WXR cruise* sets sail for Alaska in September 2026—don’t miss your chance to be part of it. Learn more and sign up here.

*Scholarship applications for our cruise are open now until December 31st, 2025. You can learn more and apply here.

Call for Writing Breakthroughs

Have you had a breakthrough in your writing because of Writing Excuses? If so, we want to hear about it. Fill out this Writing Breakthroughs Google Form for a chance to be featured in a WX Newsletter!

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, DongWon Song, and Mary Robinette Kowal (for the first half). It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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