The Short Story Workshop

The four characters in The Pavilion clash with each other until events reach a horrifying conclusion. We discuss contrasting characters and how to use them in stories.

Virginia Woolf is one of the most well-known modernist writers. We discuss what modernism is and how she uses this style in A Haunted House. 

It's Matt's favourite Lovecraft story, a lesser known choice from the dream cycle. We talk about the importance of setting (and how to craft a good one) and stories that shirk the norms of central POV characters.

In this fairytale dating from 1697, the beautiful Princess Rosette sends her brothers on a quest to find King of the Peacocks. We discuss prophecies, fairytale beauty and animal companions. 

Simone's reimagining of Frankenstein is fraught with tense relationships, but also unexpected kindness. We discuss the source of our ideas, the pressures on creators, and the role of theme in short stories.

Amongst Lovecraft's key influences, The King in Yellow is an influential piece of late 19th century fiction about a play of the same name which drives people mad. We discuss this whimsical and often ambiguous story, and why it's one of the best in the collection.

The main character is unaware of the true danger around him. We discuss dramatic irony and how it uses genre, as well as the compelling and unique style of this particular story.

Jane Austen excels at crafting likeable yet flawed characters. We use this story about three fickle sisters to examine when a character needs a flaw and how to write them well.

This week's story has been contributed by one of our hosts. The protagonist carries a curse which means everyone on her daily train journey is compelled to talk to her. We discuss themes of connection, how to quickly draw characters and how to write endings.

We look at how Katherine Mansfield uses free indirect speech to great effect in this week's story. The Stranger gives a harrowing glimpse into the fraught marriage between Mr & Mrs Hammond.