#103: Anatomy of a Story, Part 1: Beginnings: Corpse Coins

The WHOLE CRU has assembled for this one; be sure to stay tuned for PC's coda at the end of the episode! We chat about the beginnings of stories: what they have to accomplish, the parts they often contain, and pitfalls to be avoided. Then, we share the beginnings of our stories. Tales begin around the 23:30 mark and include an undertaker pondering death; a girl who finds some coins; the opening to a murder-mystery romcom; a coin hunter on the shores of the Styx; siblings (one of whom is dead); and a grave robber. From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:  Corpse coins. An old name for the pennies placed on the eyelids of dead persons to keep them closed. In the New England states a half-dollar was traditionally used for the same purpose. 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 Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.