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The Naples Writers' Workshop presents lessons from successful writing
172 Episodes
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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 epiphany? Can we use that structure in our own stories? Are there hidden symbolic depths to the details of the story? How can a writer characterize a mood by word choice? How can we distinguish between a plot of events and a plot of choices?
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-famous Fitzgerald? How would we describe the point of view of this story? How does the narrator mediate the story and depiction of Caroline? How good a writer was Zelda Fitzgerald?
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 of view function in this story? How can an objective point of view allow us to balance what the character knows with what the reader needs to know? How does simple but elegant prose help guide the reader swiftly through the story?
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 short story? What is the role of the narrator in this story? How does the narrator offer literal perspective on the story? How can we capture the emotional core of a story?
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 our own voices for different stories?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 portrait of a character?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 be human? How can we use fantastical elements to explore the psychology of characters?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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-life feeling in our stories?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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’s concerns? What makes a perfect detail?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 character’s experience drive the reader’s understanding of a story?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 leave an unanswered question and yet remain entirely satisfying?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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 tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.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
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, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com
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