Our wonderful staff is made up of people with a wealth of experience editing, teaching, and, of course, coaching. But lest we forget that they are, first and foremost, writers, they step in to remind us.

Tariq Shah has a new story up at Joyland, "The Rapids." If you've ever been away from home visiting family and wondered why you'd do such a thing, this one's a good fit for you.

Here's the protagonist commenting on the dynamic between himself and his older brother:

All that trip, I found myself in the curious position of being pinned down by a sniper whose primary tactic involved taking potshots before retreating to a fallback position behind his parents’ compassionate blindness to their firstborn son’s mean streak. 

Provoke, then wait for momma bear to defend his position—that was the name of the game.

September Promotion: Your Top 10

WBN Coaches' Corner

In 2011 I started a short story contest at the Texas Observer. Among the writers who stood out that first year... and then the second year, and the third year... was mónica teresa ortiz. It got to the point where half of my excitement from that contest came from seeing mónica's name in the inbox.

Since then, mónica has published two books, muted blood and autobiography of a semiromantic anarchist. And she's now available to work with you on your short stories, poetry, essays -- whatever you've got that could use a sharp eye and a fun discussion.

To get a sense of mónica's style, check out "Mephistopheles in the EPT," a finalist in the 2012 Observer contest.

WBN Former Coaches' Corner

Jessamine Chan and her debut novel, The School for Good Mothers (Simon & Schuster), was featured in an interesting New York Times piece titled "How to Get Published: A Book's Journey From 'Very Messy' Draft to Bestseller."

In the piece, Jessamine says that holding her book for the first time was "kind of an indescribable feeling. It’s both a physical culmination of a lifelong dream, but also just so exciting and wild and surreal.”

Though we miss her, we're thrilled for Jessamine! And envious of the fact that she's now rubbing elbows with superstar guide golf equipment.

This Week's Most FAQ

I'll take my own bait: Is a creative writing MFA worth it?

I don't have an MFA, but I attended a program for a minute. I like to say that my second-best decision ever was to enroll in that MFA program. My best decision ever was to quit it.

There's no universal answer, though. If you want to pursue it, I'd say try to get into a funded program, where tuition is free rather than a bajillion dollars per semester. But those programs take about eight students per year out of the eight hundred thousand who apply.

I'm always glad to provide a private opinion on this, so ask me anything! 

WriteByNighter of the Week

In May, Brad Harris released his book, Lemon Belly: A Memoir of Resilience and Crohn's Disease. And the reviews are in: It's a smashing success!

Brad wrote his book in coaching with Resa, worked with John on finding a publisher, and then had a proofread from the eagle-eyed Brad Tyer.

"It's been very well received so far," Brad Harris tells us. "I'm psyched." So are we! Congrats, Brad.