Author commentary on stories featured on my Freely Written podcast in February 2025: New Year, Same You and A Herd of Turtles.
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. 134 – That Don’t Look Right – February 5, 2025
Listen first to avoid spoilers! Find the story here: That Don’t Look Right
It’s strange to keep up regular routines, like writing short stories, when the world feels upside down. Yet, keeping up routines can help us stay sane, while also offering a break from the chaos of real life. Free-writing can also tap into subconscious thoughts and help you process emotions. There may have been some subconscious processing happening when I wrote That Don’t Look Right.
The prompt came from my friend, Gretchen Schutte, when she was telling a story about a recent car repair. (Learn more about Gretchen’s yoga and meditation offerings at PeaceinthePause.com.) Though this story has nothing to do with cars. I stumbled through this one, unsure where it would lead but wanting to create a different world. That may be a common dream for a lot of us. A longing for a place to start fresh, away from our current troubles. Or maybe it’s a longing to have more control. Being the creator of a new world implies having the power to set up a dream society. Something I very much wish I had.
If you could create your own new world, what would it look like? What creatures would live there? Let your imagination flow, and feel free to share your imaginary world in the comments below.
Ep. 135 – Script – February 19, 2025
Listen first to avoid spoilers! Find the story here: Script
I often write the short stories for my podcast in a notebook, then type them up later. There’s something freeing about putting pen to paper and watching the words flow across the page. When I pulled out my notebook to write this story, I realized that I hadn’t chosen a prompt yet. Since I was writing longhand, the prompt became Script.
When I started writing, I had a vague idea that the story might be about someone handwriting a script for a play or movie, giving the prompt a double meaning. But I got so caught up in exploring the idea of writing in cursive that it became the heart of the story. While I know a lot of schools no longer teach cursive, I can’t quite wrap my brain around that fact. I remember being excited to learn cursive and enjoying the feeling of looping my letters together. Except for the time my teacher made me write proper lowercase fs across the blackboard because I kept writing their tails backwards. (I still think they looked cooler that way.)
As I wrote this story, I liked the idea of hiding private thoughts in a cursive words. When I was younger, I often made up codes or practiced writing backwards. Maybe that’s why my handwritten stories look like scribbles to anyone else!
To be fair, I can write with a lovely script if I take my time. But when I’m free-writing, the words tumble out in a half-print, half-script mess. I recently saw a claim that writing in a mix of print and script is a sign of being a serial killer… or crazy…? I just think it’s a sign of being a writer.
Whether you write in a notebook or type on a computer, there really is something lovely about letting your thoughts flow. You don’t have to write a story. You can simply start writing and see what thoughts and feelings come out.
Have a suggestion for a future writing prompt? Let me know! If your prompt is chosen, I will give you credit in the episode.