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In this episode, we discuss “Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station | Hours Since the Last Patient Death: 0” by Caroline M. Yoachim. What can we learn from a “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style story? How can the form help develop a theme? How can metafiction reinforce themes and reach for “universal” truths? How can a strong attitude or emotion help drive the writing of a story and the story itself? Is anger a good driving emotion for writing?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Swimmer” by John Cheever. What can we learn from this fantastic story? What can we say about the point of view? How does Neddy’s journey drive the way we understand the story? Does a story need to be real? Does it have to mean anything? How do we figure out a story’s theme? How is emotion expressed in this story?

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In this episode, we discuss “Wikihistory” by Desmond Warzel. What can we learn from this story set on an internet forum? How can we be creative with pseudo-paratext? How can we rely on a reader’s understanding of format to fill in the blanks of a story? How can we generate story ideas by thinking about the many ways people communicate with one another?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Black Phone” by Joe Hill. What can we learn from a story by one of Stephen King’s kids? How does horror work in written form? How can we craft prose that lets the reader zip through the story? What can we learn from the prose of this story? What can we learn from the structure of this story? How can separating a story into sections help both the writing and the reading?

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In this episode, we discuss “Referential” by Lorrie Moore. What can we learn from a story inspired by another famous story? What can we learn from the changes Moore makes in the story? What about the story elements and even language that are the same? What is the artistic value in rewriting someone else’s story?

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In this episode, we discuss “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx. What can we learn from the quiet voice of this story? How does the narrative voice represent the characters? How can the setting determine the voice of the story? How can a voice embody the whole story? Can we learn from the underlying story of characters who can’t have what they really want?

Alternate version of the story: “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx

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In this episode, we discuss “The Future is Blue” by Catherynne M. Valente. What can we learn from this cli-fi story? What makes a great prose style? How can we make our prose fun to write and fun to read? How can sentence rhythm be evocative? How can we quickly build an immersive fictional world?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber. What can we learn from this happy little story and its main character’s vivid daydreams? How does the literary form help us create this kind of character or experience? What does Walter Mitty tell us about the literary arts in general? How can we use onomatopoeia in a story?

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In this episode, we discuss “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid. What can we learn from this little story? Is it flash fiction? What is it? How can we create rich characters by presenting only what they say?

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In this episode, we discuss “Town of Birds” by Heather Monley. What can we learn from this story? Does there have to be a metaphorical meaning? How can a strong image or concept drive a story?

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