164 - What Writers Can Learn from Short Fiction

Episode 164 - What Writers Can Learn from Short Fiction with Gabriela Pereira

December 13, 2022

Matty Dalrymple talks with Gabriela Pereira about WHAT WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM SHORT FICTION, including the importance of seeing the full story, matching the message to the medium, letting the reader fill in the details, asking why something works (as well as why it might not), and assessing your work for purpose. We also talk about her program, DIY MFA, and how one of the drivers behind that program was her belief that with traditional MFA programs, one size fits some.

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists, and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and is the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and book industry professionals. She is also the author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.

"So all of these things you ask yourself, how do those things reflect the big theme, the fortune cookie, that is your story. And then you say, all right, I know how it affects it. Is that how I want it to be affected? And so the goal, ultimately what I tell my students, is by the time you are done editing your book, every single thing that is in your book should be there on purpose." —Gabriela Pereira

The Indy Author Podcast is #MadeWithDescript

Are you getting value from the podcast? Consider supporting me on Patreon or through Buy Me a Coffee!

Links

Gabriela's Links:
https://www.instagram.com/diymfa/
https://twitter.com/DIYMFA
https://www.facebook.com/DIYMFA/
https://www.pinterest.com/diymfa/
https://diymfa.com/reading/why-writers-should-read-short-form-literature

This article includes the following Short Fiction Suggested Reading (Elements of craft represented by these stories are in italics.)
·       Aimee Bender, “Night Trilogy.” Style / Point of View (POV)
·       Truman Capote, “Miriam.” Dialogue / Character / Plot.
·       Dan Chaon, “Shepherdess.” Plot / Structure / Style.
·       E.L. Doctorow, “Edgemont Drive.” Dialogue / Character / Style.
·       Lisa Glatt, “What Milton Heard.” Character / POV / Voice
·       Patricia Highsmith, “A Mighty Nice Man.” Dialogue / Character / Plot
·       Shirley Jackson, “Mrs. Anderson.” Dialogue / Character.
·       Stephen King, “The Gingerbread Girl.” Plot / Structure / Style.
·       Ander Monson, “To Reduce Your Likelihood Of Murder.” Style / Voice.
·       Alice Munro, “Free Radicals.” Dialogue / Character / Plot.
·       Joyce Carol Oates, “Wolf’s Head Lake.” Tone / Mood / Voice / POV.
·       Davy Rothbart, “How I Got Here.” POV / Character / Voice.
·       Joy Williams, “Charity.” Plot / Dialogue.

Matty's Links:
Affiliate links
Events

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Gabriela! Are you already a reader of short fiction? What lessons have you drawn from it to inform longer works—or maybe writing in a completely different context, like business writing? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Please post your comments on YouTube--and I'd love it if you would subscribe while you're there!

NOTE: After several years of trying to cover the costs of producing the podcast with earnings from patronage and sponsorships, I finally had to acknowledge that, for now at least, The Indy Author Podcast is more a labor of love than an income stream. As a result, I needed to find ways to reduce my expenses, and the expense I finally decided to eliminate was the editing of the transcript.

However, it's valuable for me to know that you were looking for it! If you miss the transcript, please click here to drop me a note!

If you'd like to become a patron of The Indy Author, please click here.

When AI transcription improves to the point that it doesn't require the time and expense of a human edit, or once my earnings from the podcast enable me to cover the costs of a human editing, I will resume that offering!

Have you gotten value from The Indy Author? Please consider supporting my work by becoming a patron via Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee.

Become a Patron!

Are you a writer, author, or publisher with an indy mindset? Sign up for my email newsletter for insights into the writing craft and the publishing voyage.