The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Minot, Susan. Why I Don't Write. Alfred A. Knopf, 2020.

Susan Minot's Why I Don't Write is a collection of 10 short stories. The pieces are each written from distinct points of view, and employ unique linguistic and structural stylings. The following summary employs a traditional mode of narrative portrayal.

In "Polepole," Daisy travels to Kenya to work on a documentary about sick children living in orphanages. She thinks the unfamiliar environment, culture, and language will grant her a sense of escape. Despite the country's newness, Daisy continues longing for some event to sweep her away from herself. One night, she meets a nameless man at a party. She feels a wonderful sense of detachment. In the morning, however, the brightness of the man's room jars her back into the reality of who she is. When the man admits he is married and has children, Daisy moves to leave. She gets distracted watching him interact with people in the street. Just before leaving, she sees a woman look at her with pity. She remembers who she is, and where she really belongs.

In "The Torch," Andrew visits a dying woman. She keeps calling him by her husband John's name. Andrew does not challenge the woman's version of reality, pretending to be John. After the woman falls asleep, the doctor comforts Andrew.

In "Occupied," single mother and visual artist, Ivy, bikes down to the Occupy Wall Street encampment. She has just enough time before picking up her son. Though she thinks she would have participated if she were young, once she arrives, she is disgusted by what she sees. The protesters look fake, and disengaged. None of their signs mean anything. Ivy wanders around scoffing, wondering why they think their cause is so important. Meanwhile, her mind wanders to her recent lover, Dexter Fleming. Though her girlfriends insist she does not want him, Ivy knows she does. Yet when she thinks she sees him the crowd, she hides and runs away. Biking away, she falls. While protesters rush to her aid, Ivy realizes she does need people after all.

In "Green Glass," couple Fran and Tom argue. Fran is annoyed that Tom's ex will also be attending their mutual friend's wedding. Tom assures her she has nothing to worry about. At the ceremony, Fran remarks on the ex's appearance, believing it is a sign of her desperate hope to win back Tom's attention. Tom ignores Fran. At the reception, Tom gets annoyed when he learns Fran used to date an arrogant man. On the ride home, he tells Fran his ex slapped him when he called her a whore.

In "Why I Don't Write," the unnamed narrator lists a series of reasons why she can never sit down and compose anything. People keep asking her questions. She keeps cleaning the house, worrying about money, checking the news. Sometimes she wanders the city listening to people. The only real reason to write is survival. If she does not write it does not matter because the world is capable of producing its own stories.

In "While It Lasts," Bonnie and George leave Isabel's apartment. When the elevator operator hears they are in love, he insists that love never lasts. His words make Bonnie reconsider her relationship with George. Though she has enjoyed the distraction George offers from her life, he suddenly does not seem real. When they return to her apartment, she realizes he is always making her hurry. The love dream cracks open.

In "Café Mort," the unnamed narrator starts serving dead people at Café Mort after her lover dies in a tragic accident. Though it has been some time since his passing, he is the substance of her thoughts. She knows working at the café is a sign of desperation, but it is familiar. Then one night, a woman named Anita comes in insisting she does not belong at the café. When the narrator dismisses her, Anita says the narrator does not belong there either. Suddenly the narrator realizes the truth. She can leave.

In "Boston Common at Twilight," Ned travels to his aunt's for Christmas. On the way, he wanders through Boston Common, hoping to score some pot. A woman approaches and offers to sell him some. Suddenly she is twisting his arm demanding he come to her apartment. She holds a knife to his back throughout the ride. At her place she rapes him. Ned is troubled for years, unable to express the gravity of the trauma to anyone.

In "Listen," two nameless characters discuss unnamed world events and mutual friends. Their dialogue begins coherently, by rapidly strays. Neither individual seems to be listening to the other.

In "The Language of Cats and Dogs," college senior, Sophie Vincent, has been in a state of numbness ever since her mother's death. Though she has heard rumors that her new professor R. M. Tower is sexually perverted, she signs up for his class. Nothing matters to her anymore anyway. She soon realizes Tower has singled her out. One day after class he pressures her into driving her home. At a carpark he rapes her. Forty years later, Sophie returns to the day in an attempt to understand what actually happened, and why. She realizes nothing will ever change.