If you still want to read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, you can purchase it here!

We are looking today at the lens of when. But we’re not going to look at time periods—instead, we’re going to examine flashbacks and foreshadowing. “All the Birds in the Sky” takes place in four distinct times. For instance, one of the characters foreshadows a grim future for the children we’ve just met. This big jump forward colors the way that we see the kids, through both stakes and tension. And this begs the question, how do “future whens” affect your reading experience?

Homework: Pick a scene in your current project and think about two moments: one moment in the past of this scene, and one that is in the future (both of these moments should still resonant with this scene in some way). Then, write two different versions of the scene: one in which the past weighs heavily on it, and one in which the foreshadowing of the future weighs heavily on it. Then, see what the difference is.

P.S. Want to come write with us in September 2025 (we know that’s soon)?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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If you still want to read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, you can purchase it here!

Today we’re talking about places and place-moments. We’re looking at how Anders uses context, details, and relationships to create a deep, familiar, and authentic reading experience for us, even if we’ve never been to the locations in the story. In this episode we’re also analyzing how Anders creates lived-in locations by including non-essential sensory details that imply the rest of the world.

Homework: List all the locations in your WIP (work in progress). Next to each one, describe its story functions: grounding, wondrous, plot-logical, and/or worldbuilding.

P.S. Want to come write with us in September 2025 (we know that’s soon)?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Dan Wells, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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Last season we took different works to represent different concepts. But this season, we’re looking at a single work— All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. So, for the next five episodes, we’re going to look at how Anders’ novel is deploying all of the lenses we’ve talked about this season—who, where, why, and when. And for our fifth episode, we’ll have Anders on the podcast to talk about her novel! We recommend that you read this book before listening to these episodes, as they will include spoilers! So, without further ado, today we’ll dive into the lens of who. We’ll be analyzing tools such as history, community, motivation, stakes, fears, and reactions.

Homework: Who does your character envy and why? What action can they take to act on that desire?

You can purchase a copy of All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders here!

P.S. Want to come write with us in September 2025 (we know that’s soon)?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here.

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

Join Our Writing Community!

Writing Retreats

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