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.
126: “The Destructors” by Graham Greene
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In this episode, we discuss “The Destructors” by Graham Greene. What can we learn from this quick but complex story? How can group dynamics be quickly introduced in a story? How can the central action of a story produce and maintain narrative momentum? How can we keep ramping up the reader’s interest in 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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April 15th, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
125: “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson
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In this episode, we discuss “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson. What can we learn from this deceptively simple story? What does it mean that a story’s ending should be surprising yet inevitable? How do you build up characters and endings around a strong premise? How can speculative elements direct 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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April 1st, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
124: “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe
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In this episode, we discuss “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe. What can we learn from this own-voice story? How can a story use a refrain or leitmotif? How can a theme or exploration of a specific kind of moment create a story structure?
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, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
123: “Woman at Exhibition” by E. Lily Yu
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In this episode, we discuss “Woman at Exhibition” by E. Lily Yu. What can we learn from this brief story? How can real-life, historical people be incorporated into speculative fiction? How can a narrative theme connect different aspects of a story for the reader? How can we make a story linger in the reader’s mind in a good way?
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, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
122: “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” by Denis Johnson
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In this episode, we discuss “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” by Denis Johnson. What can we learn from this great little story? What is a writer’s “eye”? How does sentence structure help develop a style? What can we learn from an inebriated voice? How do connections between moments and scenes reflect a writer’s unique eye?
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, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
121: “When Stars Collide” by Ottessa Moshfegh
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In this episode, we discuss “When Stars Collide” by Ottessa Moshfegh. What can we learn from this work of Flash Fiction? How do specific actions and details help define a character? How can a character sketch undermine a character’s sense of themself? When should a story be written as flash fiction? Can we let our ideas create the structure and style of a story? When can a character tell us about their own feelings?
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, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
120: “The Dead” by James Joyce
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In this episode, we discuss “The Dead” by James Joyce. What can we learn from the story T. S. Eliot called “one of the greatest short stories ever written”? What can we learn from Joyce’s masterful prose and rhythms? How does point-of-view play a part in the story? What is it possible to do with the artform of short fiction?
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, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
119: “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro
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In this episode, we discuss “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro. What can we learn from this story with an unexpected but inevitable ending? How does the structure function? How can we build to a culminating moment in a story? How is a great character brought to life on the page?
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, 2024 by Naples Writers' Workshop
118: “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges
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In this episode, we discuss “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges. What can we learn from this work of Philosophical Fiction? How can a speculative story be built upon a philosophical question? How does a story signal its thematic focus? How does a character make speculation into 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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December 15th, 2023 by Naples Writers' Workshop
117: “Drive My Car” by Haruki Murakami
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In this episode, we discuss “Drive My Car” by Haruki Murakami. What can we learn from this quietly contemplative story? What kind of structure can we find in a relatively structureless piece? How does the idea of grief influence the structure? What can drive a story forward?
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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December 1st, 2023 by Naples Writers' Workshop