Fiction writers from the Naples Writers' Workshop read successful stories and ask "Why Is This Good?"
We discuss how fiction works, the craft of writing, literary art, and what we can learn from examples of excellent writing.
Join us twice each month for our workshop podcast.
Why Is This Good? is hosted by Kristine Gill, J. C. Bronsted, and Rob Curtin.
152: “How to Be an Other Woman” by Lorrie Moore
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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
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May 15th, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
151: “The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson
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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
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May 1st, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
150: “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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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 a character or interactions between characters? How can a story be built around a moment?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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April 15th, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
149: “The Martyr” by Mary Gordon
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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 story?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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April 1st, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
148: “A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty
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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, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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March 15th, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
147: “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick
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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, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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March 1st, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
146: “Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut” by J. D. Salinger
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In this episode, we discuss “Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut” by J. D. Salinger. What can we learn from this classic Salinger story? Can a third person point of view be purely external? How does subtext deepen a story? How can authentic dialogue and other interactions reveal underlying character?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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February 15th, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
145: “Unaccompanied Sonata” by Orson Scott Card
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In this episode, we discuss “Unaccompanied Sonata” by Orson Scott Card. What can we learn from this borderline science fiction story? What can happen when a story establishes a system in which the protagonist exists? Should we read or write with allegorical assumptions?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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February 1st, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
144: “The Werewolf” by Angela Carter
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In this episode, we discuss “The Werewolf” by Angela Carter. What can we learn from this quick, little take on a folktale? How can setting help characterize a story? How can the prose reflect the mood of a setting or character?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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January 15th, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop
143: “Zombie” by Joyce Carol Oates
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In this episode, we discuss “Zombie” by Joyce Carol Oates. What can we learn from this portrait of a real-life serial killer? How do we feel about a portrait of a monster? Why do we write fiction in the first place? What creates forward momentum in a story? How can we control the focus of a reader’s empathy? Should writers try to write from perspectives outside their personal experience?
For daily writing tips, industry news, and great short fiction, join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/napleswritersworkshop
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January 1st, 2025 by Naples Writers' Workshop