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.
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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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
116: “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
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In this episode, we discuss “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. What can we learn from this classic of speculative fiction? How does its cartoonishness impact its humanity? How important is it for fiction to be grounded in human experience? How does our modern technology affect how we read this story? Is Vonnegut’s prose really “mechanical”?
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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November 15th, 2023 by Naples Writers' Workshop
115: “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu
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In this episode, we discuss “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu. What can we learn from this fanciful story? How does language help create the mood of the unfolding of the story? How can summaries benefit from little vivid moments? How can we make richly realized momentary characters?
Alternate version here.
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November 1st, 2023 by Naples Writers' Workshop
114: “The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon
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In this episode, we discuss “The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon. What can we learn from this dreamlike science fiction story? How versatile and variable is point of view? How many different kinds of second person are there? What can we learn about point of view for our own stories? How do point of view and other devices create a sense of mental confusion for the character in the story? What can we learn about our own writing by recognizing a tone or character type we enjoy in other stories?
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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October 15th, 2023 by Naples Writers' Workshop
113: “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende
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In this episode, we discuss “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende. What can we learn from this story based on real events? How does point of view help define the emotional distance of a story? How can we turn real events or disasters into stories?
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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October 1st, 2023 by Naples Writers' Workshop