Fruiting Bodies and Being Mean to a Child

Point-of-view characters. You love them. You understand them. They still do mean things. How can you keep your reader empathizing with your point-of-view character even if they do something villainous?

Also: Ben (a philosophy major) and Emily (an outdoor enthusiast) interpret the climax pretty differently.

• Read this short story before listening to the episode: "Algal Bloom" by Kathryn Harlan in Michigan Quarterly Review
• Buy the whole collection Fruiting Bodies (Emily's short story collection of the year!) here
• A poem that rocks: "Taking a Visitor to See the Ruins" by Paula Gunn Allen

Good Writing is a podcast where two MFA friends read like writers and lay out craft ideas for fellow writers to steal. Co-hosted by Emily Donovan and Benjamin Kerns.

Twitter: @goodwritingpod 

Email: goodwritingpodcast@gmail.com