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In this episode, we discuss “Miss Furr and Miss Skeene” by Gertrude Stein. What can we learn from this story written as prose poetry? What is a prose poem? How can we overload a word’s meaning to dig deeper into a situation? What does the writing gain or lose by being poetry or being prose?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

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In this episode, we discuss “The Fifty-Ninth Bear” by Sylvia Plath. What can we learn from this story by such an accomplished poet? How well can an author get outside of themself to portray a compelling character and story? How much can we read beyond the page into the motives and feelings of the characters, and how much should we?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

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In this episode, we discuss “Say Yes” by Tobias Wolff. What can we learn from this quick story with great depth? How can a story create depth of character without relying on backstory and character history? How can a mundane setup help focus a story on its central point? How can a story introduce the main elements it will develop right at the start?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

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In this episode, we discuss “At the Clinic” by Sally Rooney. What can we learn from this story about characters that are also the focus of a novel? How can we set up the threads that will be woven together through a story? How does point of view help focus what a story is about?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

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In this episode, we discuss “Work” by Denis Johnson. What can we learn from this story with a strong voice? How does the narrator shape the way we understand and experience the story? How does detachment play a part in the emotions of the story? How are connections and analogies drawn to help develop the feelings of important moments? How does the linear nature of prose writing dictate how we guide the reader through this kind of connective narrative? How can we create the right voice for our own stories?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

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In this episode, we discuss “Roy Spivey” by Miranda July. What can we learn from this delightful story of quirky characters? How can taking a character’s emotions to an absurd degree help get to the root of what it means to be human? How can we root a story in a truth about human experience?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast

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In this episode, we discuss “A Small Good Thing” by Raymond Carver. What can we learn from this masterful short story? How does a writer deliberately make a reader like or dislike a character? Can we deepen a character without exploring the character’s past? How does fiction employ empathy? How can we depict a character’s emotions by showing them in action?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast

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In this episode, we discuss “2BR02B” by Kurt Vonnegut. What can we learn from this piece of speculative fiction? How can we build an alternate, speculative world so quickly? How do characters who live in a world help reveal that world? How does choosing just the right set of characters help develop a story’s dynamics to their full potential? How can exaggeration help depict characters?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

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In this episode, we discuss “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty. What can we learn from this story where nothing happens? What is the plot? Is it a character portrait? How can we decide where a story begins and how much of it to tell?

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at [email protected]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast

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In this episode, we discuss “Foster” by Claire Keegan. What can we learn from this spectacular story? How does the pace of the story work with the point of view to develop tension? How can we show a character grow and learn through a story? What makes a happy ending? How can an action beat in dialogue reveal deep character truths?