The Short Story Workshop

We start season 2 of The Short Story Workshop with a look at this controversial story originally published in The New Yorker. We discuss how to write effective social commentary in stories and our favourite examples.

In the Sentinel, a recently widowed woman faces a growing sense of unease...

This story has been kindly contributed by special guest Catherine Mitchell. She is currently taking the MA Creative Writing Course at the University of East Anglia. 

Find out more about Catherine here or follow @CaffrineM on Twitter. 

Conan Doyle's brother-in-law also wrote stories about eccentric geniuses, but his characters have a more lenient morality. We compare this story with the Sherlock Holmes stories, talk about how it carefully conceals and reveals information, and about certain homoromantic implications.

Based on a true story, this unnerving tale concerns the illegal acquisition of human bodies for the purposes of medical science. We discuss the parallels to the true story, the unusual structure, and whether horror is timeless.

We discuss the classic fairytale - the little mermaid's family, the deal she makes and unrequited love. Also, find out why Hans Christian Andersen was a terrible house guest.

We feature an original story this week, a fantasy parody about a hero who just wants to bake a cake. Discussion topics include humour and satire, common fantasy tropes, and writing good endings.

This is a comical tale from the author of many Irish ghost stories. We discuss humour and how to write it, what makes stories fun, framing narratives, and more.

Carmilla web series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QzRfvkJZ4

On Carmen Maria Machado: https://electricliterature.com/carmen-maria-machado-carmilla-lefanu-vampire-interview/

This week's story is The Dream by Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.  We discuss Shakespearian influences, enemies to lovers, Mary Shelley's gothic soul and more.

TW: 35:14 - 37:45 We give a brief overview of the main legend surrounding St Catherine, as she is the saint the main character of The Dream seeks advice from. The legend includes torture and execution. 

This subversive take on a classic fairy tale may surprise you... We discuss playing with expectations, how beauty is linked to morality in stories, and whether a bad person can be a hero.

O Henry's most famous story about a young couple buying each other the perfect Christmas gifts. We discuss sacrifices in romances, writing the perfect twist and more.