Author commentary on stories featured on my Freely Written podcast in January 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. 132 – New Year, Same You – January 8, 2025
Listen first to avoid spoilers! Find the story here: New Year, Same You
My January got off to a shaky start, and, frankly, it didn’t end well either. A concussion, record cold weather, and everything that’s happened since Jan. 20. It’s been a lot. Early in the month, I wrote New Year, Same You, inspired by the push for a fresh start and new image that comes every January. I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions or trying to remake yourself with the turn of a calendar. That likely came through in this free-written story, as inner thoughts usually do.
In hindsight, I wish I had taken this story in a different direction. Or rather, the same general direction but with some more striking changes. In the story, people use a New Year Machine to get scanned, injected, and assessed for recommended changes for the coming year. The story stumbles through well enough, but if I were editing it, I’d have changed that to a New Year Machine that made obvious physical changes, like green hair and semi-permanent freckles. Linda would then have a similar path in feeling left out and finding a new friend who also wasn’t sporting this year’s trends.
Maybe I’ll revisit this story someday, tighten it up, and make a stronger finish. Though probably not, since most of my writing time is going toward my next book. Still, maybe you can see how free-writing can turn out a promising draft. Another reason to give it a try yourself.
Ep. 133 – A Herd of Turtles – January 22, 2025
Listen first to avoid spoilers! Find the story here: A Herd of Turtles
Despite the rocky week this was written, I had more fun writing A Herd of Turtles. It’s fun to personify animals and play with the meaning of idioms. When I started writing, I only knew that it would be about a group of turtles going… somewhere… to accomplish… something. A bit of a Henny Penny feel crept in, except with a threat more realistic than a falling sky.
I liked the plodding pace of the turtles and the calm determination of the elder turtle. The expression, moving like a herd of turtles, is relatively new to me and it’s an oddly reassuring idea. A slow progress toward an eventual win. Yet, it’s also a little sad if you worry about how much can go wrong before the turtles find their way to success.
Free-writing is a creative outlet that can also be therapeutic. If you’re caught up in your feelings or overwhelmed by busy thoughts, try sitting down at a blank page and making up a story. Let the words flow, gently herding them into a simple story, and see what bubbles up. You may enjoy the emotional release or end up with a draft you can polish into a stronger story. You never know until you try.
Have a suggestion for a future writing prompt? Let me know! If your prompt is chosen, I will give you credit in the episode.