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In this episode, we discuss “Gender Studies” by Curtis Sittenfeld.  How can a stereotype become a nuanced and unexpectedly deep character?  How can a character who doesn’t understand their own desires affect or drive a story?  Why do we write in the present tense?

We also mention (and spoil) “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian.

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In this episode, we read “Lady Tigers” by Nick White.  We discuss what we can learn about the all-too-familiar writer’s advice to “show, don’t tell” and how this story helps us understand that advice.  When should we show and not tell? Also, how can we structure the deployment of background information that is necessary for the reader?  How can that structure lend the story emotional resonances?  How can we make a story be about itself and explore character?

Apologies for the quality of JC’s audio in this episode.

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In this episode, we discuss “The Babysitter” by Robert Coover.  What lessons can we take from such a unique piece that takes so many chances and nevertheless succeeds wildly?

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In this episode, we discuss “Closer” by Greg Egan.  What can we learn about writing fiction in general from a “Hard” Science Fiction story?  How can philosophical questions influence our fiction?

Find Egan’s paper about superpermutations here: “Superpermutations” by Greg Egan.

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In this episode, we discuss “Girls, At Play” by Celeste Ng.  What lessons can we draw from a story with such a startling premise?  Is there more to learn about perspective and point of view?  How do our intentions for a story affect how the story ought to unfold and what readers are meant to care about?  How can paying attention to how we feel as we read influence the way we write our own stories?

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In this episode, we discuss “Only Tourists Remember the Alamo” by Alicia D. Ortega.  How can a specific, real-life setting influence a story?  How does a non-linear structure that allows you to quickly slip in and out of scenes give you more freedom in your story?

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In this episode, we discuss “Victory Lap” by George Saunders.  What can we learn about writing character and stream of consciousness and point of view from a master of characterization and perspective.

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In this episode, we discuss “How to Become a Writer” by Lorrie Moore.  What lessons can we learn about fiction, about being a writer, and the craft of point of view from Moore’s “second-person mock imperative” parody of a self-improvement manual for fiction writers?

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In this episode, we discuss “When They Came to Us” by Debbie Urbanski.  What can we learn about fiction by looking at a story about aliens?

We also briefly discuss Nathan W. Pyle’s “Strange Planet”

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In this episode, we discuss “Voices” by Alice Munro.  We find lessons about the pace of description and how the struggle of remembering can create drama in a memoir, among other things.

Here is a good list of Munro stories available online: “25 Alice Munro Stories You Can Read Online Right Now”

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