Radio FreeWrite

In this episode, the Cru dives into the world of submissions: the grind of rejection slips; the rare joy of a personal note from the editor; the endless predawn hours of "why did I have to fall in love with writing; " and the importance of READING THE DANG GUIDELINES when sending your work to literary magazines. We swap insights on what editors look for, how to handle feedback, and the v...

The Cru returns for Season 5 of Radio FreeWrite! In this episode, we set fresh writing goals, reflect on unions and collective action, and laugh about Monty Python as we take on the Scots phrase ca’ canny: a call to ease up, work slow, and resist . Stories this week begin at the 16:30 mark and explore resistance in many forms: a poetic plea for freedom from work and a greening earth, a Joycean ske...

In the Season 4 finale, the Radio FreeWrite crew looks back on their writing goals—ranging from dialogue practice to poetic experimentation—and what they’ve learned along the way. Krispy shares how a season of poetry shaped his approach to language, while PC, Spud, and WebEater reflect on growth, discipline, and finding focus as writers. Then, inspired by the prompt Batrachomyomachia (“the battle...

This week we got deep into writing nerd territory, swapping stories about the books that shape our craft— Slaughterhouse‑Five, Catch‑22 , and one Nabokov short story WebEater dissected like he was an eager fifth grader who'd just been handed his first owl pellet. We talked about borrowing and adapting structure from other authors, the little lies we tell ourselves to keep writing, and that we...

Krispy had wedding #2 out of 3 this year (to the same woman) but still pinched out a story. We talked about making dialogue sound natural, how to write characters who don't sound like, well, you talking to yourself, and why highlighting every line in neon colors might help. Bam! Pow! Then we read stories for the prompt Queensberry Rules (a set of regulations for boxing matches (that introduce...

We fell straight into the story‑structure void this week—Dan Harmon’s Story Circle (of Community fame, as Murph will be quick to tell you; only casuals know him from Rick and Morty ), Joseph Campbell, sitcom plotting, and the eternal “oh god, my draft needs an actual plot” realization. We shared our outlining disasters, surprise rewrites, and that moment when you finally admit the story isn’t done...

This episode special guest Matt Weinkam joins us! We talk about Literary Cleveland, a nonprofit organization and creative writing center that empowers people to explore other voices and discover their own; Cleveland's own free literary conference the Inkubator; our creative influences; and the paths that lead people back to writing. Then we reflect on early inspirations, experimenting with st...

This episode Calil Cage AKA JUST C.O.S. joins us to talk about writing, life, and The Sparrow's Fortune, a poetry collective working to inspire, educate, and encourage our community through arts, entertainment, and creative writing workshops. We discussed the challenge of learning to accept critique without losing your love for the craft, and the sheer joy of watching other people create. The...

This prompt sent us into the glorious, pulpy world of yellowbacks— sensational novels with wild covers printed on the cheapest paper available. We chatted about book covers as promises to readers, genre tropes we secretly (or not‑so‑secretly) love, and what happens when you just lean into the ridiculous. After that, we read first‑draft tales of arrogant jungle hunters, rom‑com hijinks, and paperba...

Special Guest J.W. Surface joins us for this episode! Check out J.W.'s book Something Dark and Others here: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/something-dark-and-others And check out Gargoyle Publications here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GargoylePublications We spent this week talking about the strange joys of revising poetry—line breaks that refuse to cooperate, words that suddenly look wrong, a...

Our first all‑in‑person episode in a while! We rambled (anticlockwise, of course) into a big discussion of plot vs. story—architects vs. gardeners, internal vs. external conflict, and how to give structure a story without killing the magic. Then came stories inspired by Wildcat , featuring everything from ghostly surprises to chaotic encounters that prove plot, as important as it is, isn’t everyth...

We didn’t plan a topic this week, but PC accidentally pitched us a masterclass on worldbuilding. Cue a cosmic mythology with warring gods (a sentient tree vs... a lake ), saltwater corruption, and squirrel crusaders. We talked about how to sneak in just enough lore to make a fantasy world come alive—without writing a thousand‑page slog no one will read. Then we read first‑draft stories for the pro...

Murph confessed he struggled with this week’s prompt and wound up pulling us into his mad-cap shotgun brainstorming. That led us to a chat about journaling as a writing tool, experimenting with first vs. third person, and even pre‑planning your day in prose (yes, really). Then we read stories for The Old Man on the Mountain (an expression used by Marco Polo to describe Muhammad III of Alamut, the...

This week, we dove into the eternal struggle of writing good villains: pure evil forces vs. sympathetic antiheroes, Darth Vader vs. Sauron, and why Nabokov’s Lolita is a masterclass in manipulation (of you, dear reader) . We talked about finding that tiny spark of humanity in awful characters but stopping before you accidentally make them too likable. Then we read first‑draft stories for Eblis , a...

The Cru gathers for their annual Christmas retreat a little later than usual (although, as our generous host, Spliff, was keen to point out- the Christmas Season ends with the Epiphany, and we're under the wire with that one!) From the cozy chaos of the Christmas Cabin, we talked about writing just for the fun of it—no publishing pressure, no perfectionism—plus Lord of the Rings Risk, cinnamo...

Have you ever broken the law? Well, you probably have. Actually, I'm not even sure jaywalking is illegal anymore.  But! Even if you haven't broken the law in real life, have you ever had characters in your stories cross a road they weren't supposed to cross? Somehow we started with mulled wine and ended up talking about how worldbuilding accidents turn into entire plotlines and why...

NaNoWriMo was in full swing, so we got nerdy about writing habits: Alexander Litvinovsky soundtracks, video game music for fight scenes, and how misheard lyrics sometimes better than the actual line. We also debated tropes, predictability, and how much surprise a story actually needs . This episode's got WebEater, Murph, and PC, coming at you with fresh stories and writing discussion! Winter&...

Iron Brewed (or is it Irn Bru'd??) joined us for the first time! We talked about his year‑long poetry residency, typewriter quirks, and his moderately insane method of writing three totally different drafts of the same story before stitching together the best bits. We also geeked out about favorite authors, NaNoWriMo plans, and how different tools change the way you write. Then we read first‑...

Hello! In this Minizode, Krispy and Murph discuss the various reasons people find for writing. How was writing developed, and originally used? From passion, to fame and fortune, what drives people to put words on the page (or screen)? What motivates us at Radio Freewrite as writers? How about famous writers throughout history? We hope you have a wonderful week, with some good writing and reading t...

We tumbled into a chat about onomatopoeia, comic book “WHAM!”s, and whether you can even write sound effects in languages like Mandarin. From Chekhov’s snowy sibilance to Stacy Abrams’ long‑promised book, we swapped advice about finding time to write, procrastinating like pros, and the joy of a perfectly timed “pshhht” as you crack a Pepsi. Then we read first‑draft stories for Zucchetto , a word t...

PC shares his experience of the publication process  after  a novel is accepted.  Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? Subscribe to our Substack for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!   Be sure to follow us on Instagram (if that's your sort of thing). Please do send us an email with your story if you write along,...

This week the Cru had a special prompt. We wandered the halls of the Cleveland Museum of Art, seeking inspiration, and all picked different artworks to inspire our writing. Art is it's own world: listen for mysterious galleries, goblins, bad relationships, and sonnets!  And, if you get a chance, try this exercise yourself. The CMA is free, or find your nearest museum, and, with an open mind,...

WebEater and Murph discuss different approaches to imitating--- and learning from--- an author. Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? Subscribe to our Substack for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!   Be sure to follow us on Instagram (if that's your sort of thing). Please do send us an email with your story if you...

Fresh from vacation, we talked about the dark art of editing. How do you know which pieces deserve your time, when to let stories sit for months (or years)? What about the stubborn love we feel for broken drafts no one else believes in? We offer our advice, dear reader, on this and more. Then we shared stories for Unhinged —a prompt that inspired creepy mechanics, ominous flights, and characters t...

The Cru riff on strategies for reading as a writer.  Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? Subscribe to our Substack for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!   Be sure to follow us on Instagram (if that's your sort of thing). Please do send us an email with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. Ep...