Author commentary on stories featured on my Freely Written podcast in December 2024: Gnome for Christmas and Merry and Bright.
At the end of each month, I’ll shed some light on my writing adventures.
If you’re new to Freely Written, this podcast offers very short stories written from a chosen prompt with no planning and very little editing. These stories are an exercise in letting go of perfection and embracing spontaneous creativity. You may even be inspired to write a story of your own!
Episodes are released every other Wednesday and are around 10 minutes long. Listen with your favorite podcast app or from the links below!
Ep. 130 – Gnome for Christmas – December 11, 2024
Listen first to avoid spoilers! Find the story here: Gnome for Christmas
Getting into the Christmas spirit was hard for me this year. For many reasons, I just wasn’t feeling it. Still, we dragged out the tree and decorations, and I did my best. In the midst of decorating, I took a break to write this podcast story. A gnome caught my eye–a gift from my lifelong bestie, Wendy–and the prompt Gnome for Christmas sprang to mind.
Here’s the thing about free-writing: your mood is going to shine through. In this case, it was my melancholy and vague hope for a happy holiday despite feeling really down about life in general. (Thanks to our recent election and current social-political climate.) The story that tumbled out was about a grieving man alone in a cabin at Christmas time. The gnome was a gift that brought him some absurd joy and ultimately became a lifeline back to his family. Yeah… super cheery stuff.
But Christmas isn’t a happy holiday for everyone, so that’s okay. It’s good to explore all the emotions and this story ultimately has a bittersweetness that could be uplifting and hopefully not to schmaltzy.
Ep. 131 – Merry and Bright – December 25, 2024
Listen first to avoid spoilers! Find the story here: Merry and Bright
Christmas happened to fall on a Wednesday this year, the same day this podcast story dropped. I didn’t expect anyone to be hurrying to their favorite podcast app to hear my Christmas story like those of us who gather ’round for a Doctor Who Christmas special. But I did want to make it a cheerier Christmas story. Especially after the last story’s sad sentiment. So I went with a promising prompt: Merry and Bright.
I also went with a rhyming scheme, a la ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. It was fun to write… at first. Really though, I should stick a post-it to my laptop that says “No Rhyming Stories!” They just take so very, very long to write. Even with the help of a rhyming dictionary, piecing together a rhyming story is more like solving a puzzle. A puzzle that just keeps going and going though the word count is so very low at every check. So this was a very short story. But hopefully it was fun and you appreciated my effort to rhyme my way through it.
As December wraps up, I’m heading into the new year on a bit of a downbeat. (More on that later.) Which means, I don’t have high hopes for a fabulous story the first week of January. Hopefully, though, things will pick up and we’ll have a happier 2025 than I’ve been anticipating. (Wow, what a ringing endorsement-ha!)
Once more with feeling… Sending you wishes for a Happy New Year!
Have a suggestion for a future writing prompt? Let me know! If your prompt is chosen, I will give you credit in the episode.