The Short Story Workshop

You never know what kind of flower a podcast will become until it reaches full bloom. We descend gracefully into the night with a return to the author from our first episode.One more episode of reminiscing is to come, and then we will be embarking on a new project with better everything. I'm so excited!

Keawe buys a bottle with an imp inside who grants as many wishes as you like. You can only sell the bottle for less than you bought it. If you possess it on your death, you will go to hell.We discuss story stakes, consider if the imp checks the exchange rate and explain the Bottle Imp Paradox, named after this story. 

It's The Happy Prince. Look how happy he is. Aren't you glad that he's happy?

A tale of two scientists racing to find the key to invisibility. We discuss made-up science, rivalries and sandwich metaphors.

This week we talk about monsters, especially the big kind. Ray Bradbury's story is a little sad and often poignant - what makes it so effective?

We discuss breaking the fourth wall in fiction, horror vs ghost stories and more in our discussion of this ghostly tale by M.R James. 

A dubious scientist experiments on his friends with water from The Fountain of Youth in one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's most popular short stories. We discuss why you shouldn't be friends with dubious scientists.

Turns out Lovecraft can write a good story that also feels a tad more mainstream than his usual. Who knew? We talk about why many people (including Lovecraft himself) consider this one of his best stories.

We discuss why we felt guilty for laughing at Moonface, whether optimists are annoying and writing villain protagonists.

The title is funny because it's also a story about depending on others. In this episode, we attempt to explain this story as neatly as I just explained my own joke. We talk about character agency, feminine "ideals" and whether calling people bro influences your sexuality.

We discuss raising the stakes, describing characters and ABCs aka Alien Big Cats in this short horror story

A winding time travel tale from the 50s that will keep you guessing. At times more of a puzzle than a story, we discuss internal consistency, our favourite time travel systems, and building character motivations.

Arsene Lupin is a gentleman thief and only steals the finest of things. We discuss the first story written about this character, who was said to be a master of disguise.

The return of Ray Bradbury with a light sci-fi story that's both funny and a little creepy. We discuss use and abuse of the 'creepy children' trope, the use of non-diegetic information in short stories and Bradbury's distinctive style.

This story contains one of the first examples of invisibility in fiction. We discuss the elements of terror and why everyone wants to be invisible.

This charming fairy tale about a talented mouse is a fun little story. We discuss happy vs ambiguous endings, the Finnish language, translation and more.

Take a journey to heaven in EM Forster's The Celestial Omnibus. We discuss snobbery in literature, transitions between worlds and try to work out some of the story's many literary references.For more on EM Forster - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/17/e-m-forster-my-policeman

This week's story is the winner of our competition we ran at the end of last year. We talk about keeping a story moving and how to come up with a strong concept.

An unusually-titled story from Kurt Vonnegut that shows how everything can go horribly wrong, even with good intentions. We discuss the idea of collective vs individualistic ideals, dark humour, and contrasting themes.

Guy de Maupassant's naturalist writing style influenced O Henry and Kate Chopin.  This story about marriage has plenty of twists and turns. How to say Guy de Maupassant's name actually and properlyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOkQLmlokAE&ab_channel=JulienMiquel(With thanks to Holly and Andy for the reading material!)

TW: disease, cancerThis story is a little unusual, but memorable. We discuss what it does right and what it does wrong, as well as the creepiest kinds of monsters and how to tie a story together.

This masterful story is dripping with sarcasm, dry humour and character. We look at what makes its first (and last) lines so great, how we might approach beginnings and endings ourselves, and how to create humourous characters.Mentioned article from The Guardian:https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/sep/14/saki-my-hero-naomi-alderman

This week we talk about various short story collections and how to construct a good one. Here's a list of the books we mentioned:The Stories of Ibis by Hiroshi YamamotoStronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys DaytonBefore the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu KawaguchiThe Language of Thorns by Leigh BardugoKissing the Witch by Emma DonoghueThe King in Yellow by Robert W. ChambersSalt Slow by Julia ArmfieldPretty Monsters by Kelly Link

There's no story this week - instead, we bring you a discussion about the craft of writing. We talk about the dual approaches of planning or 'pantsing' and why the writing community has it all wrong.

This week's story is the classic be-careful-what-you-wish-for story The Monkey's Paw. We discuss why sensible characters are no fun, blending genres and challenging fate.

I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me~Matt reads his story amidst the silence that serves as the foundation of creativity.

It's Halloween, so here's a horror story that's shockingly relevant almost 180 years after its publication. We talk about the various interpretations of this story and Poe's 'unity of effect', one of the most important defining features of short stories as a form.

This classic romance story is from the once controversial but now loved writer Kate Chopin. We discuss settings for romance stories, how to make a story linger in the reader's head, and how to marry both external and internal plot lines.Story of the Week page as mentioned: https://storyoftheweek.loa.org/2021/02/a-shameful-affair.html

We discuss this cheery story about why there isn't a mermaid at this one lake or something. We talk about ways to build conflict and character quickly in romance and the mystery that is Charles Weathers Bump.

This uniquely structured story paints an intriguing scene and then unravels the details from several different perspectives. We discuss its unique structure and the different characters it illuminates.

This is one of the first stories to feature the character of Solomon Kane, and one of the first in the sword and sorcery subgenre of fantasy. We discuss the evolution of the genre, tips for writing a story with a good pace, the rise of pulp fiction and how markets and reader demographics have changed. 

This story follows a flawless kidnapping plot cooked up by two bumbling criminals. We discuss grounding the absurd with truthful writing and the difficulties of writing humourously. 

In this mysterious tale from ghost aficionado Algernon Blackwood, a fork in the road is not as it seems. We talk about building intrigue and suspense in stories, managing the passage of time, and Blackwood's interest in a certain ghost club.

This week we look at another sci-fi story, this time from Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury. We talk about genre writing and how genres change reader's expectations, and how to manage this. We also talk about setting up characters and settings for the story ahead.

The last of our sequel challenge stories - Mel's sequel to The Little Mermaid. We discuss descriptions, fantasy settings and more!If you'd like to take part in the challenge and write a sequel to a story we discussed on the podcast, we'd love to see it!

This humorous story starts with the understated conflict of a girl just trying to brush her hair, but moves onto something meaningful. We discuss how to introduce conflict to a story without recruiting gun-blazing action heroes, and how to plan character arcs that won't fall flat.

This week's story is Simone's sequel to The Vampire Maid by Hume Nesbit. We discuss first person perspective, writing dialogue and the popularity of vampire stories.

What's a wub? I bet you'd wub to find out! We look at this short story from one of the best classic sci-fi authors and discuss the use of dialogue and morality.(Apologies for the slightly worse audio quality during the discussion this week - we had some technical trouble and had to use a backup recording. Will be back to normal for the next episode).

This week's story is about the consequences of not getting enough sleep. We discuss dramatic endings, Chekhov's gun and more.Content warning: Violence, death, dark themes

Matt has challenged each of our hosts to write their own sequel to a story from a previous episode. First up is Matt's follow-up to The Mask by Robert W Chambers. We talk about what it means to have a style, definitions of weird fiction, and stories that resonated with us.We'd love you hear your feedback - leave a review or a comment on our website at www.theshortstoryworkshop.com. And if you're a writer, we'd love to read your attempts at the sequel challenge!

The four characters in The Pavilion clash with each other until events reach a horrifying conclusion. We discuss contrasting characters and how to use them in stories.

Virginia Woolf is one of the most well-known modernist writers. We discuss what modernism is and how she uses this style in A Haunted House. 

It's Matt's favourite Lovecraft story, a lesser known choice from the dream cycle. We talk about the importance of setting (and how to craft a good one) and stories that shirk the norms of central POV characters.

In this fairytale dating from 1697, the beautiful Princess Rosette sends her brothers on a quest to find King of the Peacocks. We discuss prophecies, fairytale beauty and animal companions. 

Simone's reimagining of Frankenstein is fraught with tense relationships, but also unexpected kindness. We discuss the source of our ideas, the pressures on creators, and the role of theme in short stories.

Amongst Lovecraft's key influences, The King in Yellow is an influential piece of late 19th century fiction about a play of the same name which drives people mad. We discuss this whimsical and often ambiguous story, and why it's one of the best in the collection.

The main character is unaware of the true danger around him. We discuss dramatic irony and how it uses genre, as well as the compelling and unique style of this particular story.

Jane Austen excels at crafting likeable yet flawed characters. We use this story about three fickle sisters to examine when a character needs a flaw and how to write them well.

This week's story has been contributed by one of our hosts. The protagonist carries a curse which means everyone on her daily train journey is compelled to talk to her. We discuss themes of connection, how to quickly draw characters and how to write endings.

We look at how Katherine Mansfield uses free indirect speech to great effect in this week's story. The Stranger gives a harrowing glimpse into the fraught marriage between Mr & Mrs Hammond. 

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.