Fiction Craft Essays

Jody Hobbs Hesler discusses how naming specific craft issues in writing workshops can make feedback clearer, more constructive, and more useful to writers. The author emphasizes that vague critiques—like saying a writer “doesn’t care about their character”—often leave writers discouraged and without clear direction. Instead, naming the exact problem allows writers to address and fix it. By clearly naming and defining craft problems, he says, writers can provide feedback that’s more precise, empathetic, and actionable. Naming a problem, as the article suggests, is the first—and often most powerful—step toward solving it.

Kate Kaplan uses Lorrie Moore's classic short story, "You're Ugly, Too," to illustrate how how carefully placed jokes deepen character, propel plot, and engage readers—all while exploring the fragile, risky nature of humor.

Caitlin Horrocks reflects reflects on her early MFA experience, during which she encountered mostly inspirational guides or academic textbooks rather than practical craft essays that clearly explain why certain approaches work. However, once exposed to quality craft essays, she appreciated those that introduced clear terms for essential writing concepts that created common language for discussing craft, accessible to writers at various levels.

Nick Fuller Googins recounts discovering that a woman had been gruesomely murdered in their living room over a century ago. This revelation triggered a series of unexplained phenomena that always occurred when the narrator was alone, amplifying their sense of unease and uncertainty. This sets the tone for understanding the uncanny: a liminal space where the familiar becomes subtly unhinged. Unlike horror, the uncanny unsettles through ambiguity making readers question if the extraordinary is real or imagined. The essay positions Every Human Love as exemplary in this genre, weaving a deep, unsettling undercurrent across its stories

Nancy Au reflects on Leslie Jamison’s The Empathy Exams, particularly the title essay about a patient who has seizures triggered by grief. The structured format draws a clear line between Jamison’s fictional patient and her real-life experiences. Au illustrates how fiction writers benefit from nonfiction’s discipline of empathy, structured observation, and emotional honesty. By studying Leslie Jamison’s approach, Au demonstrates how fiction can honor hidden experiences and cultivate a deeper, humbler form of knowing through creative risk.

Aaron Hamburger states that naming is often a daunting task—some writers avoid it by leaving characters unnamed (especially in early drafts), which can feel unoriginal and disorienting to readers. Authors typically assign names intentionally: every named character implies significance and realism, and unlabeled characters can feel awkward or placeholder. Hamburger concludes that, using these methods can transform naming from chore to craft. It’s not just what name you choose, but why you choose it that gives it narrative weight.