Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty . What can we learn from this story where nothing happens? What is the p...
May 15, 2026•24 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “Foster” by Claire Keegan . What can we learn from this spectacular story? How does the pace of the st...
May 01, 2026•26 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “In the Heart of the Heart of the Country” by William H Gass (starts page 172, click “borrow”). What c...
Apr 15, 2026•31 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “Teenage Wasteland” by Anne Tyler . What can we learn from this story? How can we think about the stru...
Apr 01, 2026•24 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant . ( French version here .) What can we learn from this exemplar st...
Mar 15, 2026•36 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “The Wedding Party” by Taylor Koekkoek . What can we learn from this simple story elevated by literary...
Mar 01, 2026•27 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “Eveline” by James Joyce . What can we learn from this famous story? How does Joyce structure the epip...
Feb 15, 2026•28 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “A Millionaire’s Girl” by Zelda Fitzgerald . What can we learn from this story written by the less-fam...
Feb 01, 2026•22 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber . What can we learn from this funny little story? How does point o...
Jan 15, 2026•25 min
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket” by Yasunari Kawabata . What can we learn from this Japanese sho...
Jan 01, 2026•27 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” by Isabel J. Kim . What can we learn from this story that plays off another classic story? How can a clear voice set the tone for a story? What distinguishes fantasy from realist storytelling that wants to comment on real-world issues? How can we shape ou...
Dec 15, 2025•32 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C. Clarke . What can we learn from this classic story? What guides the length and development of a short story? What could turn a premise-driven story into a character-driven story? How does understanding the needs of a story determine where it should focus? For da...
Dec 01, 2025•18 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Hollow” by Breece D’J Pancake . What can we learn from this early success from a young writer? What does it mean for a writer to find their voice? What does it mean to write what you know? Is it actually bad to head-hop point of view? How do you circumscribe the events of a story to create a compelling po...
Nov 15, 2025•28 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Enormous Radio” by John Cheever ( alternate version ). What can we learn from this 1947 New Yorker story? How does the distinction between public and private life drive a story? How do stories rely on insights about human psychology? How does a story that predicts the future show us what it means to b...
Nov 01, 2025•27 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A Conversation with My Father” by Grace Paley . What can we learn from this semi-autobiographical story? How can we develop stories from our own experiences? How can an extended conversation drive a story? How does the tragedy of human mortality color the mood of a conversation? How can we capture a real-...
Oct 15, 2025•26 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A Manual for Cleaning Women” by Lucia Berlin . What can we learn from this story? How can we use a repeating structure in a story? How can the emotional shape of a story influence its structure? How does a story’s themes suggest structural features? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short f...
Oct 01, 2025•25 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor . What can we learn from one of O’Connor’s best parables? How do details make a story richer? What does it mean for a story to have a meaning? How can detailed, concrete characters help a story find insights through drama? For daily writing tips, i...
Sep 15, 2025•33 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Wood Sorrel House” by Zach Williams . What can we learn from this story? Do we need to interpret what the story means? Is there a metaphor? How can interior psychology be presented by external conflicts? How can we make sure our stories are understood as we intend? How can concrete details ground a story’...
Sep 01, 2025•29 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Garden of Forking Paths” by Jorge Luis Borges . What can we learn from this seminal work? How does the Garden of Forking Paths function in the story? How can a story maintain momentum while shifting the reader’s expectations? How can a story explain something novel? For daily writing tips, industry ne...
Aug 15, 2025•31 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Found Objects” by Jennifer Egan ( second story in this PDF ). What can we learn from this story? How can plot serve character and character serve plot? How can a character be both a device and a character? Can a scene be developed as both a present scene and a memory at the same time? How does the charact...
Aug 01, 2025•25 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Two Words” by Isabel Allende , originally “Dos Palabras” . What can we learn from this story translated from Spanish? How can we use our writing eye in descriptions? How can a story feel like a legend or myth? How does mythic storytelling influence how the narrative views its characters? How can a story l...
Jul 15, 2025•27 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Piano Teacher’s Pupil” by William Trevor . What can we learn from this short, well-crafted story? How can backstory help build the present moment? How can we establish throughlines? How are well-rounded characters developed? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Face...
Jul 01, 2025•26 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Nine Lives” by Ursula K. Le Guin . What can we learn from another great story from a master of speculative fiction? How can we portray unusual experiences that are nonetheless fundamentally human? How can we keep our focus on what it means to be human even in wildly speculative fiction? For daily writing ...
Jun 15, 2025•26 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury . What can we learn from this story of dangerous technology? How can a mystery drive a story? How can a future-looking story remain timeless? What are some ways a story can focus its concerns on humans and humanity? How wrong should things go in a story? For daily writing tips, ...
Jun 01, 2025•29 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “How to Be an Other Woman” by Lorrie Moore. (Read First Section and Second Section .) What can we learn from this mock self-help instructional story? How are emotional moments developed? How do the second person and imperative mood function? How do keen imagery and highly metaphorical descriptions function...
May 15, 2025•34 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson . What can we learn from this psychological thriller? How can anxiety drive a story? How can the prose and details create and develop a psychology or mood for a story? Can a psychological thriller provide a metaphor for social commentary? For daily writing tips, indust...
May 01, 2025•27 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald . What can we learn from this story? How can fiction subtly reveal character motives? How can we use a slippery point of view to direct the reader’s attention at what’s important for the story? How can introspective revelations show the reader the complexities of ...
Apr 15, 2025•38 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Martyr” by Mary Gordon . What can we learn from this story of a character trying to remember and understand their brother? How does foreshadowing structure the unfolding of the story and our understanding of the characters? How does hindsight help shape the unfolding of the narrator’s telling of the s...
Apr 01, 2025•22 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty . What can we learn from this story about lonely people? How can distinct characters help develop a theme from several directions? How do the characters help develop the drama? Can we represent typically stereotyped characters with more depth? For daily writing tips, in...
Mar 15, 2025•26 min
If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick . What can we learn from this classic work of science fiction? How can a story keep redefining itself? How can a consistent character keep a story connected? How can we use character memories to inform a story? For daily writing tips, industry news, ...
Mar 01, 2025•30 min
