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.
First Person: Interview with Richard Bausch
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.”
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July 22nd, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
060: “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
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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?
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July 15th, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
059: “Herman Wouk is Still Alive” by Stephen King
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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?
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July 1st, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
First Person: Interview with Benjamin Percy
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/
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June 22nd, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
058: “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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In this episode, we discuss “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. What can we learn from a 19th-Century Feminist short story? How does the diary-entry structure inform the way we read? How is a first-person point of view affected by the diary format? How does the horror genre help serve the story’s social commentary?
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June 15th, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
057: “With the Beatles” by Haruki Murakami
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In this episode, we discuss “With the Beatles” by Haruki Murakami. How does structure help move the story forward and inform its themes? How do the three phases of the structure function in the story? How can ruminating on an idea propel a story? What can we learn from an ambiguous ending? How does a story intrinsically suggest connections between disparate things?
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June 1st, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
056: “The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld
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In this episode, we discuss “The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld. What can we learn from a story that unspools like a stone tumbling down a hill? How can we accomplish such mind-blowing twists? How can we use unconscious cultural dispositions to create tension in a story? How does setting the action of a story in a single day help us structure it?
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May 15th, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
055: “Wake for Susan” by Cormac McCarthy
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In this episode, we discuss “Wake for Susan” by Cormac McCarthy. What can we learn from a well-known author’s first publication? How can daydreams or telling stories to ourselves help drive a narrative? How can common experiences become the occassion for a story? How can the history of a place affect the stories that are set there? Can anyone send Kristine more vintage Garfield paraphernalia?
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May 1st, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
054: “Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure” by Téa Obreht
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In this episode, we discuss “Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure” by Téa Obreht. What can we say about a cli-fi (climate-fiction) story told with a second person point of view? How is such an intricate near-future setting realized so swiftly? How does the structure of the story reflect the emotional journey? How can we create connections between different parts of a story? How can language be so beautiful and evocative? How can so much be going on in such a simple story?
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April 15th, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop
053: “The Comet” by W. E. B. Du Bois
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In this episode, we discuss “The Comet” by W. E. B. Du Bois. What kind of science fiction did Du Bois write? How can the pace of the prose reflect the pace of the action? How can elevated language drive a story and help the depiction of characters and events? Why would we want to switch character point of view?
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April 1st, 2021 by Naples Writers' Workshop