Radio FreeWrite

Tonight we welcome writer Woz Flint to the pod to chat about her forthcoming book, The Distraction-Free First Draft .  We chat about typewriters and Woz's unique ways of using them to get into her characters' heads. Then cometh the stories. It's been a long while since we had to pause recording multiple times just to laugh, but... here we are. Stories begin around the 16:50 mark and...

We've had so many guests-- and of such a high caliber, it must be said-- that it's taken us this long to get to our first author episode of season 3! We take a look at Cormac McCarthy's style before shamelessly pillaging it for our stories. If you've never read McCarthy, buckle up. His work is depressing and glorious (unless you ask Spud, who... did not enjoy the experience of...

We welcome author Chelsea Burton Dunn aboard the pod this week to discuss the hold our characters have over us as writers. Check out her Instagram and TikTok for spooky romps through modern tales! Stories begin around the 16 minute mark and include a tale of a dragon; a group of people who have fallen for something; a Spud-style meet cute; and a lonely boy stumbling upon a shop that promises to ta...

Never-ending tasks? Sounds right up the writer's alley! We're joined again by J.W. Surface to discuss his latest book (available now!) and all things spooky. We even extended spooky season another week to do it. Heck, it's still getting darker, the leaves are whispering secrets, and something lurks in the shadows. Spooky is baked into the autumnal cake. Stories begin around the 17:3...

This week we welcome author Willow Vincenty to the pod. She brings her character-crafting A-game to Fetch , the final episode in this year's spooky season. We have several excellent and spooky ghost stories (beginning at the 16:45 mark) for you this week, featuring a fetch; another fetch; 4 micro stories; a mortician who gets murdered (and doesn't mind all that much); and... another one...

The Cru gathers for our annual breakfast episode and play a little game with our prompting. This week's prompts come from the Story Engine, a card deck story prompt generator. We each used cards to create a story we'd like to write, then had fun rearranging each other's stories. This led to a discussion on how much structure we like to have in a prompt, as well as how having a  plot...

It's all too easy to get caught up in perfectionism, particularly when first bringing an idea to paper. Tonight the Cru chats about what first drafts really are, and how to use them. Stories begin at the 17:10 mark and include a teen wolf chasing a teen girl; an interview in a hospital room; and a detective searching for a human girl. I'll warn you, Krispy's tale gets a little grues...

It's spooky season, friends! Every October we aim to provide spooky, monstery stories for your frightful delight. This time, your humble host forgot it was the launch of the spooks (you'd think the gentle aroma of leaves and pumpkin spice on the air would tip him off, but c'est la vie) and chose a decidedly unspooky prompt. The Cru then did their best to create suspenseful tales for...

Tonight we are joined by Tim Marko, a local author who promotes his children's book by reading it to strangers.  That's right: he approaches passersby and, in a daring display of chutzpah, asks to read Sammy's Sprawl to them. Follow the link to his TikTok, where you can watch videos of these encounters! One of those strangers was our own The Lotus, and... well, now he's here! W...

The Cru discuss the finer points of word choice, as well as our process of refining prose when working through the editing process. Stories this week feature a camp waiting for war; a southern car salesman; an exploration of the sort of words a weasel might say, if he could find his voice; and words spoken in a relationship. From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Weasel words. Words of...

The Cru discuss the challenges of writing humor/comedy before trying their hand at it in their own tales. Stories begin at the 12:50 mark and include voices, arguing; a contested peg leg; someone, pegging, in some ways; a pirate museum; and a false limb that dreams of being a different false limb.  From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Dot and carry one. Someone with a wooden leg. The...

Welcome to Season 3! The Cru has expanded and, for the first time ever, comes to you with full a full Cru including Spud and PC (they've drunk the kool aid for real, folks). We catch you up on our summers before swinging into the writing and reading. Stories this week begin around the 19 minute mark and include a girl who wishes she had superpowers; riffing like Kerouac; a wee beasty, unleash...

The Cru read from some personal projects in this mid-summer update. Stop by Popcon in Indianapolis on August 26th to say hi to PC! Check out the work of Jon Gerung , whose illustrations are spectacular.   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...

We're still in the thick of our summer recess (Thank God for Topo Chico, Save the Cat, and hammocks) but got together anyway to record a tribute to one of our favorite novel releases of 2023: Mummified Moon by our own P.C. Nottingham ! We discuss the book while deftly avoiding spoilers (we hope... a lot of rum was involved in the creation of this episode) and share our own stories inspired by...

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. Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative...

The Cru gather for the last time before the summer sweeps them away. Stories this episode are polished versions of stories from earlier in the season. 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 th...

This episode is a little different than our standard fare. Each story tonight is from earlier in this season. These are the drafts we originally published; next week, for the Finale, we will share the polished versions of these pieces. Enjoy! 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 episod...

Content Warning: One of this episode's stories contains brief descriptions of sexual violence in a workplace setting. The Cru explore the nature of sacrifice and redemption with five original stories in tonight's episode. Stories feature a girl on the end of a journey, hopefully; the false friendzone of the corporate world; a man who sacrifices everything for his dream; the nature of for...

The Cru wake up far earlier than usual to record with Tee Zee, an author and podcaster from Australia. We chat about how and why certain themes work their way into our writing as well as the joys of flash fiction as a form of storytelling. Stories include dreams that are more than they seem; Satan, transmigrated into a turkey; the chains of daily life (and the freedom that becomes those chains); a...

Murph brought bourbon, and that more or less sums up what you're in for. We also welcome Arm for his first appearance, and celebrate the publication of his chapbook ! Stories this week feature a history of a town; a wedding, with some death; a dream of an apartment full of secrets; a wedding, interrupted; and a girl building sandcastles. From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable : Asm...

The ladies have taken over the WriteLab Studio! #godsavedthelotus by recruiting Spud, The G, and Mint (the Fifth Beatle) for an evening of patriarchy-punching mayhem. Stories feature Love is Blind (but even more dystopian); a dream of life lost for capitalism; a love story to cars and the back seat; and dark magic friendship stones. From From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable : Shangri...

A light Cru present tales of the sailor's paradise.  Stories include a meditation on Fiddler's Green (and what you may have to do to get there); a resident's musings; and a remembrance. From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable : Fiddler’s Green. The happy land imagined by sailors where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing for dancers who never tire, p...

Spud and PC return for some springtime musings on the Norse land of ice.  Stories this week feature a Hunter-S-Thompsony encounter with a box; memories of a college trip; the opposite of seasonal affective disorder; and a few nuclear apocalypses. From The Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend , 1949 ed. Niffheim In Teutonic mythology, the region of eternal cold, mist, and darkness...

Nice! PC and Spud join for an episode about the refuse and derelicts of society, the beatific and the beat-down.  Stories include desert rats; literal rodents; a couple deciding on a change; a girl who has become the riff-raff; and a narcissist who leaves nothing behind. From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable : Riff-raff. Sweepings; refuse; the rabble. The Old French term was rif et raf...

The Cru took a writers' retreat to Zion National Park in southern Utah.  This episode was recorded deep in the desert, miles from the nearest road. We used a single mic setup and a cellphone to record, so be aware that the audio quality is slightly below our usual standards. Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? Subscribe to our Substack for a summary of our openi...