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 “Wikihistory” by Desmond Warzel . What can we learn from this story set on an internet forum? How can we be creative with pseudo-paratext? How can we rely on a reader’s understanding of format to fill in the blanks of a story? How can we generate story ideas by thinking about the many ways people communica...
Aug 15, 2022•20 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 Black Phone” by Joe Hill . What can we learn from a story by one of Stephen King’s kids? How does horror work in written form? How can we craft prose that lets the reader zip through the story? What can we learn from the prose of this story? What can we learn from the structure of this story? How can ...
Aug 01, 2022•23 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 “Referential” by Lorrie Moore . What can we learn from a story inspired by another famous story? What can we learn from the changes Moore makes in the story? What about the story elements and even language that are the same? What is the artistic value in rewriting someone else’s story? For daily writing ti...
Jul 15, 2022•20 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 “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx . What can we learn from the quiet voice of this story? How does the narrative voice represent the characters? How can the setting determine the voice of the story? How can a voice embody the whole story? Can we learn from the underlying story of characters who can’t ha...
Jul 01, 2022•17 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 Future is Blue” by Catherynne M. Valente . What can we learn from this cli-fi story? What makes a great prose style? How can we make our prose fun to write and fun to read? How can sentence rhythm be evocative? How can we quickly build an immersive fictional world? For daily writing tips, industry new...
Jun 15, 2022•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 “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber . What can we learn from this happy little story and its main character’s vivid daydreams? How does the literary form help us create this kind of character or experience? What does Walter Mitty tell us about the literary arts in general? How can we use ono...
Jun 01, 2022•21 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 “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid . What can we learn from this little story? Is it flash fiction? What is it? How can we create rich characters by presenting only what they say? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersw...
May 15, 2022•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/whyisthisgoodpodcas t In this episode, we discuss “Town of Birds” by Heather Monley . What can we learn from this story? Does there have to be a metaphorical meaning? How can a strong image or concept drive a story? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworks...
May 01, 2022•16 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 Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien . What can we learn from this classic story? How does the conceit of the narration help tell the story? How does the setting and situation impact the story? How can we manipulate point of view to create narrative effects? Should we ever ignore writing advice? For da...
Apr 15, 2022•21 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 Hunter’s Wife” by Anthony Doerr . What can we learn from a story with a fantastical premise? What do we get from a slow-building, patient story? How do pace and story work together? How can we use our deep familiarity with a setting in our writing? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great shor...
Apr 01, 2022•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 Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J. D. Salinger . How can a simple presentation provide such a complex story? What’s the effect of a third-person, psychically distant point of view? How do we know what a character is thinking if we never see their thoughts? What should we as writers provide for readers to...
Mar 15, 2022•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 “Sweethearts” by Richard Ford . What can we learn from this story? How can a character’s emotions create tension in a story? How can a story’s premise wind up the tension? How can we establish an authoritative voice for the narrator? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our ...
Mar 01, 2022•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 “This is Pleasure” by Mary Gaitskill . What can we learn from a story with two first-person narrators? How can physical description help characterize a character? How do the feelings point-of-view characters have about something frame a story’s overall perspective? What’s the difference between a story and...
Feb 15, 2022•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 “Snow” by Dale Bailey . What can we learn from this action-packed apocalyptic survival story? How much does a story like this rely on our familiarity with the genre? How do we determine what a story should focus on? How can we use refrains or motifs to represent the building pressures on a character’s deci...
Feb 01, 2022•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 “Leaf by Niggle” by J. R. R. Tolkien . What can we learn from this little tale? Is this a religious allegory? How does an allegorical framework limit how we understand or how we might write a story? What are the limitations of interpretive criticism? How is this story so much more than an allegory? What do...
Jan 15, 2022•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 “This is How You Fail to Ghost Him” by Victoria McCurdy . What can we learn from a piece of flash fiction? How can flash fiction satisfy us? What can be accomplished in such limited space? How does flash fiction allow us to try things out, like unusual points of view? For daily writing tips, industry news,...
Jan 01, 2022•24 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 “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver . What can we learn from a paradigm example of a short story? How can we fit an emotionally satisfying character arc into a short story? How can we craft great dialogue? How can we achieve a legitimately moving ending in a story? For daily writing tips, industry news, and grea...
Dec 15, 2021•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 “Ghosts and Empties” by Lauren Groff . What can we learn from a ruminative story with very little plot? How can we turn our own real experiences into fiction? How does a story differ from a personal essay? How does fiction establish a character’s state of mind by paying attention to what they notice and re...
Dec 01, 2021•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 Country of the Blind” by H. G. Wells . Can a story be based on an aphorism? How does the Utopian tradition affect the telling? How would modern storytelling styles impact the structure and narration? What are we meant to take away from it? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction...
Nov 15, 2021•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 “Sea Oak” by George Saunders . What can we learn from this crazy, hilarious story? How can fiction bring internal conflict into concrete reality? How can we create a concrete representation of a character’s self-reflective feelings? How can we create a satirical tone that is true to character? How do we im...
Nov 01, 2021•30 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 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce . What can we learn from a story with such a devastating twist? How can we create an engaging story out of a cheap trick that we’re usually advised to avoid? What’s a good length for a story? Is this a story? Does fiction need to be a story? For daily w...
Oct 15, 2021•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 “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury . What can we learn from a quick science fiction story? How can a science fiction premise generate a story with such strong emotions? How can we show emotions in a story? What makes good science fiction? How can a simple story still be so affecting? How can an emotiona...
Oct 01, 2021•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 “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson . What can we learn from this quiet horror story? How does foreshadowing work? How can good, small-town chat help a story? How can something familiar be undermined to make it horrifying? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group...
Sep 15, 2021•30 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 White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett . Why did Kristine choose an old, nineteenth-century story, and what can we learn from it? How have the attention spans of readers changed over the past century? How does the character’s connection with the setting help drive the story? For daily writing tips, industry ...
Sep 01, 2021•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 “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang . What can we learn from this complex and heart-wrenching science-fiction story? How can we use very specific ideas from specialized fields to drive a narrative? How do we make sure the science that informs the story’s conceit helps to propel the drama of the story? How d...
Aug 15, 2021•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 Girls in Their Summer Dresses” by Irwin Shaw . What can we learn from a story driven by dialogue? How does a story like this generate momentum? How is the spare writing achieved? How much can be accomplished with good dialogue? What makes dialogue feel realistic? How can we use non-verbal communicatio...
Aug 01, 2021•27 min
In this episode, Anna talks to eminent novelist and prolific short story writer Richard Bausch. They discuss his short story, “Isolation,” his novella, “Donnaiolo,” and what it’s like to have one’s work optioned and filmed in Hollywood. Richard will also read his recently published short story, “Trigger Warnings.” If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing to our newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join ou...
Jul 22, 2021•51 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 “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates . What can we learn from this timeless story? How can we handle dialect in our stories? How can we develop good tension for a story? How can we show a character’s motivations without being specific? How can a story linger in its emotions? For...
Jul 15, 2021•24 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 “Herman Wouk is Still Alive” by Stephen King . What can we learn from a short story by a master storyteller? How can we develop plot in a short story? How can we establish character? For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/na...
Jul 01, 2021•28 min
In this episode, we interview Benjamin Percy. Find out more about Benjamin Percy here: https://benjaminpercy.com/ Buy The Ninth Metal here: https://www.contentbookstore.com/ If you enjoy this episode, consider subscribing to our newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop...
Jun 22, 2021•51 min
