Story Works Round Table

conversations about craft

for writers and readers curious about writers

SWRT 296 | Writers Book Club: Checkhov

SWRT 296 | Writers Book Club: Checkhov

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn discuss Chekhov’s story, “The Woman with the Little Dog.” You can get the link to read it in the show notes.

“Everything that he found important, interesting, necessary, in which he was sincere and did not deceive himself, which constituted the core of his life, occurred in secret from others.” -Checkhov

Unpack the layers of Anton Chekhov’s poignant short story, “The Lady with the Little Dog,” in this thought-provoking episode of Story Works Round Table. Alida and Kathryn dissect the narrative’s exploration of love, regret, and societal imprisonment. As they navigate through the characters internal struggles and the story’s critique of marital conventions, listeners are invited to consider depth of character emotion, subtext, and presenting social commentary through story.

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Get Alida’s reflections on life, writing, and the writing life in A Room Full of Books & Pencils. booksandpencils.substack.com

SWRT 296 | Writers Book Club: Checkhov

SWRT 295 | Writers Book Club: Gina Berriault

This week on the Story Works Round Table we discuss Gina Berriault’s flash fiction story, “The Woman in the Rose Colored Dress.” At only 2 1/2 pages, it packs in remarkable sentences, the experience of time passing, incredible subtext in minimal dialogue, and a realistic coming of age story when a girl makes a discovery about her father that shifts her understanding of the world. Get the link in our show notes to read the story yourself.

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SWRT 099 | How to Prioritize Projects & When to Walk Away

This week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss the problem of multiple projects. Our listener Deanna wanted to know how should we prioritize what to work on when we have multiple projects and no specific deadline? The question raised the issues of carrying multiple projects, productivity and making progress, how to set up priorities, and the role of passion in your writing life. Then we addressed Kathryn’s question: when do you walk away? Is walking away always a bad thing? Should you be a “completer?” We touch on taking lessons learned with you and the evolution of ideas.

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SWRT 098 | Capturing Your Character’s Shadow Side

What is the shadow side? And how should we use it in our stories? How do we develop a shadow side? And how does it humanize our characters? Remember that you must get into your characters head, show their motivations, and make a change throughout your story! So use that shadow side to help you craft a character readers want to live vicariously through.

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SWRT 097 | Writing with Humor

How do we encounter humor in fiction? Does it inspire or frustrate us as writers? How do you craft humor? What kinds of humor are there? And isn’t humor more of an audible medium? How do you learn to write humor? We dive into the benefits of studying improv, and offer some resources to learn more!

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SWRT 095 | Subplots

What exactly is a subplot? When do you need them? Who should they revolve around? And can they really alleviate the soggy middle syndrome? And please don’t forget your characters have lives too! Don’t make them live entirely in the main plot line.

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SWRT 093 | 5 Steps to Drafting with Motivation & Momentum

SWRT 093 | 5 Steps to Drafting with Motivation & Momentum

Carlee shares five tools to help us through our drafting process, whether you are in first draft or revision! We talk about setting goals, using focused writing time, keeping a log, as well as a visual progress meter, and rewarding yourself at the completion of a project. Carlee also talks about her experience with group accountability and how key it was to finishing her draft. Remember! We’re doing an accountability challenge in our Facebook group this year! Join us today!

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SWRT 092 | Going Deeper with Emotional Risks part 2

SWRT 092 | Going Deeper with Emotional Risks part 2

In part two of our conversation about taking emotional risks, we talk about what the “truth” is in our writing. How do we get to the emotional truth? And how do we take care of ourselves when we do get there? We also discuss the difference between the value of your experience, and the way that we can convey that to readers. Plus we have a special bonus segment specific to Creative Non-Fiction writers!

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