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In this episode, we discuss “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor. What can we say about a story with so much already written about it? How is this story like a Greek Tragedy? How can we use the form of a Greek Tragedy to inform our own fiction? How can fiction handle so many characters in a scene? How can POV help handle many characters? Can we try to introduce more characters into our short stories?

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In this episode, we discuss “River of Names” by Dorothy Allison. What can we learn from this dark story? How do lists help develop the mood? How does a strong mood help capture the reader and create a memorable story? Where does a story end?

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In this episode, we discuss “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by ZZ Packer. What can we learn from such a strongly character-driven story? How does story relate to character? How can we create engaging and believable characters?

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In this episode, we are joined by our friend and author, Karl Luntta.  Karl is the author of the novel Know it By Heart (Northwestern University Press/Curbstone) and short story collection Swimming (SUNY Press), and has published fiction in journals including International Quarterly, North Atlantic Review, Talking River Review, Baltimore Review, Northeast Corridor, and Toronto Review. He is a firm believer in the Oxford comma.

In this episode, we discuss “A&P” by John Updike. What can we learn from such a seemingly simple story? How can a story told from the point of view of a teenager speak to adult, worldly concerns? Can a teen-aged narrator have a sophisticated voice? How does the story accomplish a storytelling voice? How does a story’s relatability help make it compelling?

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In this episode, we are joined by our friend and author, Karl Luntta.  Karl is the author of the novel Know it By Heart (Northwestern University Press/Curbstone) and short story collection Swimming (SUNY Press), and has published fiction in journals including International Quarterly, North Atlantic Review, Talking River Review, Baltimore Review, Northeast Corridor, and Toronto Review. He is a firm believer in the Oxford comma.

Karl suggested we read “The Pugilist at Rest” by Thom Jones. What can we learn from a story about the Vietnam War? What can we learn from such a clear and strong narrative voice? What can we learn from a story structured with compelling digressions and tangents? What do we make of the inclusion of the eponymous statue as a centerpiece of the story?

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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In this episode, we discuss “Girl Alone” by Sallie Bingham. What can we learn from this tightly packed feminist story? How can quickly drawn and distinct characters help a story? How can character interactions help develop a theme? How can we make flashbacks work in a story? What can we learn from a climactic scene that seems to come out of nowhere?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin. What can we learn from a non-traditional story that is not driven by character or scene? How can a story create a takeaway instead of an ending? Can we have a happy story? How can argument rather than plot give a sense of progress? How can an idea suggest the form of a story?

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In this episode we’re joined once again by our friend, author James Zwerneman. We discuss “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain.  What can we learn from Twain’s famous story? How much do we like stories about frogs? How does an introduction to a story affect the story? How does a great voice help a story? How do vivid details help the story?

Find James’s books at the Wiggins Press website.

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In this episode we invited our friend James Zwerneman to join our conversation, and James suggested we discuss a chapter from The Lost World by Michael Crichton. What can we learn from a single chapter from a novel? What can a single chapter accomplish within the context of a novel? What should a scene accomplish? What can we learn from a narrative point of view that is at a distance from the character’s interior thoughts? How do physical descriptions differ from functional descriptions? How important is pervasive conflict in a story? How much conflict can be embedded into the narrative? How can characters embody that conflict?

Find James’s books at the Wiggins Press website.

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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In this episode we discuss “Gator Butchering for Beginners” by Kristen Arnett. Can Kristine and JC handle the podcast without Rob during a pandemic? What can we learn from a piece of flash fiction that’s less than 600 words? What can we learn from an extended metaphor? How can we lead the reader to make a comparison between concrete details within a metaphor? How can we compare two things with differing emotional valences? How does a set of instruction or other form add meaning to a piece?

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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