In our 151st episode, The Cru dives into the unsettling world of Shirley Jackson, author of the infamous short story The Lottery.We explore what makes Jackson’s writing so enduringly disturbing, from her use of the uncanny and the “horror of the mundane” to her razor-sharp final lines. Along the way, we discuss why The Lottery remains a staple of high school reading lists even as many readers find her lesser-known stories far more powerful.We also touch on Jackson’s life, her dual career writing both domestic magazine pieces and psychological horror, and the lasting influence she’s had on modern writers.Stories begin at the 21:30 mark.Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? <a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'>Subscribe to our Substack</a> for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!  Be sure to follow us on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'>Instagram</a> (if that&apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an <a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'>email</a> with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.

<description>&lt;p&gt;In our 151st episode, The Cru dives into the unsettling world of Shirley Jackson, author of the infamous short story &lt;em&gt;The Lottery.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We explore what makes Jackson’s writing so enduringly disturbing, from her use of the uncanny and the “horror of the mundane” to her razor-sharp final lines. Along the way, we discuss why &lt;em&gt;The Lottery&lt;/em&gt; remains a staple of high school reading lists even as many readers find her lesser-known stories far more powerful.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We also touch on Jackson’s life, her dual career writing both domestic magazine pieces and psychological horror, and the lasting influence she’s had on modern writers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stories begin at the 21:30 mark.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like this weeks episode and wish you could &lt;em&gt;read&lt;/em&gt; as well as listen? &lt;a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'&gt;Subscribe to our Substack&lt;/a&gt; for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Be sure to follow us on &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt; (if that&amp;apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an &lt;a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'&gt;email&lt;/a&gt; with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons &lt;b&gt;Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) &lt;/b&gt;license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

In our 151st episode, The Cru dives into the unsettling world of Shirley Jackson, author of the infamous short story The Lottery. We explore what makes Jackson’s writing so enduringly disturbing, from her use of the uncanny and the “horror of the mundane” to her razor-sharp final lines. Along the way, we discuss why The Lottery remains a staple of high school reading lists even as many readers find her lesser-known stories far more powerful. We also touch on Jackson’s life, her dual career wr...

Bowels of Mercy: The Cru Write Horror à la Shirley Jackson

We gathered on a cold, snowy, generally Clevelandwintery evening in January to celebrate our 150th episode at Forest City Brewery! Joined by a few friends and a lot of Spud&apos;s extended family, we recorded an intimate live episode. Enjoy!Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? <a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'>Subscribe to our Substack</a> for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt! Be sure to follow us on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'>Instagram</a> (if that&apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an <a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'>email</a> with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.

<description>&lt;p&gt;We gathered on a cold, snowy, generally Clevelandwintery evening in January to celebrate our 150th episode at Forest City Brewery! Joined by a few friends and a lot of Spud&amp;apos;s extended family, we recorded an intimate live episode. Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like this weeks episode and wish you could &lt;em&gt;read&lt;/em&gt; as well as listen? &lt;a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'&gt;Subscribe to our Substack&lt;/a&gt; for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Be sure to follow us on &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt; (if that&amp;apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an &lt;a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'&gt;email&lt;/a&gt; with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons &lt;b&gt;Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) &lt;/b&gt;license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

We gathered on a cold, snowy, generally Clevelandwintery evening in January to celebrate our 150th episode at Forest City Brewery! Joined by a few friends and a lot of Spud's extended family, we recorded an intimate live episode. 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 episode, and a writing prompt!     Be sure to follow us on Instagram (if that's your sort of thing). Please d...

150th Episode Celebration: Mouthbreather

This week on Radio FreeWrite, we do something a little different. Instead of writing to a new prompt, we bring in a finished draft and talk through what happens after the writing part is over. We listen to a complete short story together, then start dissecting it to figure out where it’s strongest and weakest points are. Then, we chat about how it might grow. From there, the conversation wanders into line edits versus big-picture fixes,  giving feedback without rewriting someone else’s voice, and how stories stretch and break when they grow from flash into something longer. This is how writers talk with each other behind the scenes, when we&apos;re sitting on overturned tractor tires deep in the Maine woods with a tin mug of shine in our hands. IYKYK Anyway, whether you’re trying to revise your own work or figure out how to give better notes on someone else’s, we&apos;ve got something for you here.Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? <a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'>Subscribe to our Substack</a> for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt! Be sure to follow us on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'>Instagram</a> (if that&apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an <a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'>email</a> with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.

<description>&lt;p&gt;This week on Radio FreeWrite, we do something a little different. Instead of writing to a new prompt, we bring in a finished draft and talk through what happens after the writing part is over. We listen to a complete short story together, then start dissecting it to figure out where it’s strongest and weakest points are. Then, we chat about how it might grow.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;From there, the conversation wanders into line edits versus big-picture fixes,  giving feedback without rewriting someone else’s voice, and how stories stretch and break when they grow from flash into something longer. This is how writers talk with each other behind the scenes, when we&amp;apos;re sitting on overturned tractor tires deep in the Maine woods with a tin mug of shine in our hands. IYKYK&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Anyway, whether you’re trying to revise your own work or figure out how to give better notes on someone else’s, we&amp;apos;ve got something for you here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like this weeks episode and wish you could &lt;em&gt;read&lt;/em&gt; as well as listen? &lt;a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'&gt;Subscribe to our Substack&lt;/a&gt; for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Be sure to follow us on &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt; (if that&amp;apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an &lt;a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'&gt;email&lt;/a&gt; with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons &lt;b&gt;Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) &lt;/b&gt;license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

This week on Radio FreeWrite, we do something a little different. Instead of writing to a new prompt, we bring in a finished draft and talk through what happens after the writing part is over. We listen to a complete short story together, then start dissecting it to figure out where it’s strongest and weakest points are. Then, we chat about how it might grow.  From there, the conversation wanders into line edits versus big-picture fixes,  giving feedback without rewriting someone else’s ...

149: Craft Workshop: How Writers Edit Drafts (Their Own and Each Other’s)

The Cru dives deep into one deceptively small word with outsized consequences: had.Before writing from the prompt fanfaron—a swaggering bully or cowardly boaster—we get into a lively craft discussion about the pluperfect tense (the “past of the past”). Why does it so often feels forced? How, as a writer, do you know it&apos;s actually doing meaningful work on the page? Murph makes the case against overusing had, PC breaks down how context can replace grammar, and Father Spud champions the musicality of the pluperfect in Southern oral storytelling.Stories this week begin around the 16:30 mark.Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? <a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'>Subscribe to our Substack</a> for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt! Be sure to follow us on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'>Instagram</a> (if that&apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an <a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'>email</a> with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The Cru dives deep into one deceptively small word with outsized consequences: &lt;b&gt;had&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before writing from the prompt &lt;b&gt;&lt;em&gt;fanfaron&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/b&gt;—a swaggering bully or cowardly boaster—we get into a lively craft discussion about the &lt;b&gt;pluperfect tense&lt;/b&gt; (the “past of the past”). Why does it so often feels forced? How, as a writer, do you know it&amp;apos;s actually doing meaningful work on the page? Murph makes the case against overusing &lt;em&gt;had&lt;/em&gt;, PC breaks down how context can replace grammar, and Father Spud champions the musicality of the pluperfect in Southern oral storytelling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stories this week begin around the 16:30 mark.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like this weeks episode and wish you could &lt;em&gt;read&lt;/em&gt; as well as listen? &lt;a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'&gt;Subscribe to our Substack&lt;/a&gt; for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Be sure to follow us on &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt; (if that&amp;apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an &lt;a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'&gt;email&lt;/a&gt; with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons &lt;b&gt;Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) &lt;/b&gt;license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Cru dives deep into one deceptively small word with outsized consequences: had. Before writing from the prompt fanfaron—a swaggering bully or cowardly boaster—we get into a lively craft discussion about the pluperfect tense (the “past of the past”). Why does it so often feels forced? How, as a writer, do you know it's actually doing meaningful work on the page? Murph makes the case against overusing had, PC breaks down how context can replace grammar, and Father Spud champions the musical...

148: Fanfaron: Writing the Pluperfect Tense Without Sounding Forced

The Cru is joined by Carolyn, aka <a href='https://www.instagram.com/thewhiskytype/'>The Whisky Type</a>, to chat all things writing, typewriter, and whisky related. We had a great conversation about the importance of sharing your work, and the joy common to cigars, whisky, and typewriters: they&apos;re all meant to be enjoyed slowly. After you tune in, be sure to check out <a href='https://thewhiskytype.com/'>Carolyn&apos;s website!</a>NB, stories begin around the 17:15 mark, and while they weren&apos;t sponsored by Lagavulin (yet!), like many a Scottish babe they owe some significant part of their inception to a dram of the golden stuff.Like this weeks episode and wish you could read as well as listen? <a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'>Subscribe to our Substack</a> for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt! Be sure to follow us on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'>Instagram</a> (if that&apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an <a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'>email</a> with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The Cru is joined by Carolyn, aka &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/thewhiskytype/'&gt;The Whisky Type&lt;/a&gt;, to chat all things writing, typewriter, and whisky related. We had a great conversation about the importance of sharing your work, and the joy common to cigars, whisky, and typewriters: they&amp;apos;re all meant to be enjoyed &lt;em&gt;slowly&lt;/em&gt;. After you tune in, be sure to check out &lt;a href='https://thewhiskytype.com/'&gt;Carolyn&amp;apos;s website!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;NB, stories begin around the 17:15 mark, and while they weren&amp;apos;t &lt;em&gt;sponsored&lt;/em&gt; by Lagavulin (yet!), like many a Scottish babe they owe some significant part of their inception to a dram of the golden stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like this weeks episode and wish you could &lt;em&gt;read&lt;/em&gt; as well as listen? &lt;a href='https://radiofreewrite.substack.com/'&gt;Subscribe to our Substack&lt;/a&gt; for a summary of our opening discussion, a story from the episode, and a writing prompt!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Be sure to follow us on &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/radiofreewrite/'&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt; (if that&amp;apos;s your sort of thing). Please do send us an &lt;a href='mailto:radiofreewrite@gmail.com'&gt;email&lt;/a&gt; with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons &lt;b&gt;Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) &lt;/b&gt;license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Cru is joined by Carolyn, aka The Whisky Type, to chat all things writing, typewriter, and whisky related. We had a great conversation about the importance of sharing your work, and the joy common to cigars, whisky, and typewriters: they're all meant to be enjoyed slowly. After you tune in, be sure to check out Carolyn's website! NB, stories begin around the 17:15 mark, and while they weren't sponsored by Lagavulin (yet!), like many a Scottish babe they owe some significant part of their ...

147: La La Land: A Conversation With The Whisky Type

A podcast for lovers of stories- reading them, hearing them, and writing them. We provide a new prompt every week, then share the stories we have created from that prompt. We discuss the stories and the art of storytelling while encouraging listeners to create their own stories along with us.

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