And Now We Write

Today is the second day of February's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This month, we are using Dan Harmon's story circles framework to shape our outlines. If you're not familiar, it's a simple eight-point structure involving a protagonist who descends into the unknown and returns, changed. You, Need, Go, Search, Find, Take, Return, Change.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 2 and today we commit to a core idea and entertain possibilities. As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She does some light Googling about one of her "maybes" during her ten minutes -- gotta stay within the time!You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

Today is the start of February's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This month, we are using Dan Harmon's story circles framework to shape our outlines. If you're not familiar, it's a simplified eight-point structure involving a protagonist who descends and returns, changed. This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 1 and today we brainstorm story seeds. As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's leaning toward writing a piece for one of the markets she highlights in the ep.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! We're writing a conversation that's really about something else, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She has to admit that she got her core idea from a Reddit post.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.Our dialogue exercises this month, with a couple of exceptions, will focus on the mechanics of dialogue writing. The subject of the conversation is less important than the effect of specific mechanistic choices or constraints that we'll be playing with.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write a scene where a couple argues about a small issue (who left the porch light on? whose turn is it to cook dinner?). The argument they seem to be having is masking a much bigger conflict (are they going to make rent that month? is someone cheating?).Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our storiesYou can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is a love story! We're telling an artist how much we love their song, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She would lay a bet that a third of people will write to Taylor Swift.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.In the US, we celebrate Valentine's Day in February. This day is usually seen as a celebration of romantic love, but love is a many-splendored thing. We love our parents, we love our pets, we love writing, we love New York. This month we'll be writing about love in all its forms.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write fan mail to an artist, real or imagined, who wrote the sender's favorite song. The letter writer should not generally like all the artist's work or the artist themselves, but the song in question changed their life.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on comedy! We're mocking ourselves with imagery, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She hurt her own feelings a bit, but came out the other side just fine.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.Gene Perret is a master of classic humor, and in Comedy Writing Step by Step he coaches the reader from a blank sheet of paper all the way to developing a standup routine. We're going to adapt a few exercises from the book this month, and today's exercise is one of them.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Gene Perret says "not all audiences have a sense of humor about all topics." Take an aspect of yourself that may be sensitive for you or for other people with the same characteristic -- a facial feature, a belief, a funny walk.Now, brainstorm visual images that exaggerate that characteristic to a comic degree: eyelashes so long they sweep spiderwebs from the ceiling, or a nose so drippy the owner walks around holding a bucket to his chest. If any of your images suggest a complete joke, that's great, but focus on coming up with striking and exaggerated imagery.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! We're writing direct and indirect dialogue, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. One of her characters is boring the other, but which one is it?This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.Our dialogue exercises this month, with a couple of exceptions, will focus on the mechanics of dialogue writing. The subject of the conversation is less important than the effect of specific mechanistic choices or constraints that we'll be playing with.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write a back-and-forth conversation between two people who are catching up after they haven't seen each other for a while.One character's part in the conversation should be written entirely as direct dialogue -- verbatim quotes of the words they say.Use only indirect dialogue for the other character, where the narrator summarizes what they say with no quotes at all.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our storiesYou can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is a love story! We're showing love without telling, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. This is something she wants to improve in her writing, so she sets herself an extra challenge.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.In the US, we celebrate Valentine's Day in February. This day is usually seen as a celebration of romantic love, but love is a many-splendored thing. We love our parents, we love our pets, we love writing, we love New York. This month we'll be writing about love in all its forms.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write out a quiet moment in a work in progress or a story you know well in which one character shows, through their actions, that they love someone else. Neither the character(s) nor the prose may explicitly state or describe feelings of any kind.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on comedy! We're matching up nouns for fun, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. The Pink Panther is tooooo tempting, she had to cut herself off.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.Gene Perret is a master of classic humor, and in Comedy Writing Step by Step he coaches the reader from a blank sheet of paper all the way to developing a standup routine. We're going to adapt a few exercises from the book this month, and today's exercise is one of them.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Brainstorm a numbered list of nouns, leaning towards specificity when you can. Rather than a lamp, write a Tiffany lamp. Rather than a girl, write Red Riding Hood.When you have a list of fifty, close your eyes and pick a random number less than 25. Now, write a joke about that noun, but you must also incorporate a noun of your choosing from the second half of your list.Repeat until time is up.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! We're moving our dialogue tags around, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She is newly conscious of how rarely she puts her tags at the beginning of the line. This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.Our dialogue exercises this month, with a couple of exceptions, will focus on the mechanics of dialogue writing. The subject of the conversation is less important than the effect of specific mechanistic choices or constraints that we'll be playing with.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write a back-and-forth conversation between two people who are trying to drive in an unfamiliar city. For the first two lines, put the dialog tags at the end of each person's speech:"You're going the wrong way," she said.For the next two lines, put the dialog tags at the beginning. For the next two, don't use any dialog tags. Then, put the dialog tags in the middle:"The problem with traffic circles," he said, "is no one knows how they're supposed to work."Repeat this cycle -- start, end, none, middle -- as the conversation continues. Notice how the placement of the dialogue tags affects the rhythm of the scene.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our storiesYou can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is a love story! We're putting ourselves in a doggy headspace, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She is a dog owner irl and had a lot of fun with this one.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.In the US, we celebrate Valentine's Day in February. This day is usually seen as a celebration of romantic love, but love is a many-splendored thing. We love our parents, we love our pets, we love writing, we love New York. This month we'll be writing about love in all its forms.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write a scene from a dog's point of view in which the dog's favorite person comes home. They can be coming home from a war, or from a trip to the corner store.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on comedy! We're turning facts into punchlines, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She should have warmed up and stretched before taking this one on!This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.Gene Perret is a master of classic humor, and in Comedy Writing Step by Step he coaches the reader from a blank sheet of paper all the way to developing a standup routine. We're going to adapt a few exercises from the book this month, and today's exercise is one of them.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Select a topic that you would like to write a humor piece about, or just any topic you know well. E.g. the post office.Write 20 factual statements about that topic. The price of stamps has gone up to 73 cents.Now, treat each factual statement as the setup to a punchline. Write at least one punchline for each setup sentence. The postmaster had to raise the price of postage so he could afford to send out the new stamps.Repeat until time is up.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! We're using alternative verbs, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's having flashbacks to seventh grade, when she learned the exact opposite of the current conventional wisdom. Styles change! Tools are forever.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.Our dialogue exercises this month, with a couple of exceptions, will focus on the mechanics of dialogue writing. The subject of the conversation is less important than the effect of specific mechanistic choices or constraints that we'll be playing with.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:It is the current conventional wisdom (and style) to use only said or asked as the verbs in dialogue tags, with very rare exceptions.Write a conversation in which every dialogue tag uses a new and different verb.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our storiesYou can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is a love story! We're writing caring notes to a struggling loved one, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She got pretty into her idea -- she might actually build it out into a full story (or maybe save it & work it up for February's Flash Week).This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.In the US, we celebrate Valentine's Day in February. This day is usually seen as a celebration of romantic love, but love is a many-splendored thing. We love our parents, we love our pets, we love writing, we love New York. This month we'll be writing about love in all its forms.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write a series of loving notes sent daily to a loved one who is going through a hard time. It can be a lover, but it could also be a parent, a child, a sibling, a dear friend. Over the course of the story, hint at the cause of the hard time but do not state it explicitly.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! We're punching up some dull adjectives, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She wishes she had used this technique last week to get around using "gray" four times in two pages.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.Gene Perret is a master of classic humor, and in Comedy Writing Step by Step he coaches the reader from a blank sheet of paper all the way to developing a standup routine. We're going to adapt a few exercises from the book, and today's exercise is one of them.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write down a sentence that includes a bland adjective, or an adjective you know that you tend to overuse. He wore a white suit.Brainstorm at least fifteen associated entities or concepts that could be used as a substitute for that word. Perret gives examples like white -> wedding dress, snowman, blank pages, bedsheets, ghost.Now, rewrite your sentence incorporating one of the substitutes you generated. His suit was ghostly white.Now rewrite it again, and this time come around to the adjective by an indirect path through the substitute. With the suit he was wearing, this guy could flit around a haunted house and fit right in.Repeat until time is up.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! One speaker is fully present and the other just speaks, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. Washing the dishes is no fun, and one of her speakers is wishing for a little help if the other wouldn't mind.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.Our dialogue exercises this month, with a couple of exceptions, will focus on the mechanics of dialogue writing. The subject of the conversation is less important than the effect of specific mechanistic choices or constraints that we'll be playing with.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write a conversation between two people about washing the dishes, or another mundane subject you prefer.For one participant's lines, write only the words they speak and dialog tags as needed ("he said," "she asked").For the other, you may write both the words they speak and sentences describing their expressions, actions, and thoughts.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our storiesYou can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on looooove! We're writing a meet cute in a flower store, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's been listening to too many episodes of It's Christmastown and got a little self-conscious about the Hallmark-i-ness of her scene.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.In the US, we celebrate Valentine's Day in February. This day is usually seen as a celebration of romantic love, but love is a many-splendored thing. We love our parents, we love our pets, we love writing, we love New York. This month we'll be writing about love in all its forms.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:Write a meet cute scene in which a customer meets a florist. At first the florist assumes the flowers being purchased are for a lover, but they are actually for someone else.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! We're writing Dad jokes swiftly, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. It got substantially easier once she decided to work a little blue.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.Gene Perret is a master of classic humor, and in Comedy Writing Step by Step he coaches the reader from a blank sheet of paper all the way to developing a standup routine. We're going to adapt a few exercises from the book, and today's exercise is one of them.For today's ten-minute writing exercise:A "Tom Swiftie" is a classic joke form that exploits a second meaning for an adverb to make a punchline. A few examples are:"I dove into the pool and cracked my head," he said shallowly."I can't march anymore," the soldier said haltingly."I have a bigger piano than this," she said grandly.For ten minutes, write as many Tom Swifties as you can. Starting with the adverb can help.Our themes this month are:Love in all its formsDialogueComedy Writing Step by Step by Gene PerretWe will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 - Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we'll use Dan Harmon's story circles method to plan out our stories.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is focused on dialogue! We're asking questions and asking some more, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. One of her characters got realllly annoyed and the other was oblivious, hm.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is to practice with a borrowed form: the mobile app user agreement. We're threatening dire consequences, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. It escalated quickly!This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is inspired by The Tale of Genji. We're not using names, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She writes out a bit of her work in progress with new constraints, and this is probably the most directly constructive exercise so far this year.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is working on beginnings. We're setting the story in motion, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. Can't deny it: if your animals are talking, you've got yourself a story.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is based on an adapted prompt from Brian Kitely's The 3am Epiphany. We're writing a letter that won't be sent. As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She 100% followed the letter of the exercise but probably not the intention but still knocked something interesting loose.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for you to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is to practice with a borrowed form: the Reddit post (and, optionally, the comments). We're inviting judgement, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She enjoys judging, and judging the judges.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today is the seventh and FINAL day of January's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 7 and today we write Act Four (the resolution) and the words "The End". As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She made it! But she thinks the story wants to be a lil longer when she comes back to revise.You can write along with the flash week challenge, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today is the sixth day of January's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 6 and today we write Act Three (the pursuit). As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's diverging from her outline, uh oh.You can write along with the flash week challenge, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today is the fifth day of January's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 5 and today we write Act Two (the struggle). As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's blurting out a couple of things she missed from Act One right away, and the rest is smooth sailing.You can write along with the flash week challenge, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today is the fourth day of January's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 4 and today we write Act One (the setup). As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's writing speculative fiction and there's a lot of world-building to fit into 200-300 words.You can write along with the flash week challenge, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today is the third day of January's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 3 and today we write our four-act outline. As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She starts with a very rigid template and that helps a lot.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today is the second day of January's FLASH WEEK.We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 2 and today we noodle on what MIGHT happen. As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's switching protagonists and trying to write flash, not a novel.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today is the start of January's FLASH WEEK. We start with a blank sheet of paper.For seven days, we pledge our 10 minutes a day to Flash Week.We end with a complete flash fiction story of ~900-1200 words.This is still (always) a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write. But for this special flash fiction week, rather than using standalone exercises for our kickoff prompts, we will carry our work from Day 1 over to Day 2, etc, all the way through Day 7 and THE END.Today is Day 1 and today we brainstorm story seeds. As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's inspired by a weird lizard fact OR an image of bubbles, she'll have to pick.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is inspired by Inter Ice Age 4 by Kōbō Abe. We're inhabiting an underwater classroom, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's either embarrassed or proud of making a fart joke. (Both. She's both.)This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is working on beginnings. We're mirroring a closing image, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. Her heroine is hungry like the wooooooolf ...This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is based on an adapted prompt from Brian Kitely's The 3am Epiphany. We're writing an overheard phone conversation. As usual your anonymish host is writing along. It was harder than usual for her to stick with it tbh, but that's the whole point of these ten-minute sprints: they're constitutionally stick-with-able.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for you to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is to practice with a borrowed form: the Yelp review (and response). We're reviewing the reviewer, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She wrote a response from someone who wants to make nice with their negative reviewer, for Reasons.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is inspired by "In A Grove" (which inspired Rashomon) by Ryünosuke Akutagawa. We're hearing different perspectives, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. Turns out Cinderella's Dad tells the story differently than Cinderella (or anyone else).This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is working on first lines. We're changing our minds about where to begin, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She thinks she should actually start this exercise again!This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is based on an adapted prompt from Brian Kitely's The 3am Epiphany. We're telling a tall tale about ourselves! As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She switched things up after about two minutes of writing and it got much more distinctive.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for you to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is to practice with a borrowed form: the text message. We're demanding an answer from someone who's unresponsive, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's been on the receiving end of threads like this before, so writing one is ... interesting.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is inspired by Shank's Mare by Jippensha Ikku. We're road tripping with grifters, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. Her heroes end up getting a different kind of buzz than they'd been looking for.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is working on first lines. We're playing telephone with the first line of a story, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She didn't think Aunt Jean's need to one-up Julia's wedding was going to be relevant but ...This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is based on an adapted prompt from Brian Kitely's The 3am Epiphany. We're super horrified about something normal and we're not gonna tiptoe around it anymore! As usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's definitely not hanging out at Disney any time soon.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for you to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is to practice with a very stylized borrowed form: the late-night infomercial. We're bombastically pitching something ordinary, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She's convinced herself that four easy payments of $39.99 are a great deal -- un-pass-uppable, really.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is inspired by I Am A Cat by Natsume Sosheki. We're telling a story with an unconventional narrator, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She got Murdered By (Cat) Words on this one.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is working on first lines. We're writing different first lines for the same story, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. The new version of her fairy tale might turn out more like Fatal Attraction.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is based on an adapted prompt from Brian Kitely's The 3am Epiphany. We're writing in first-person plural ("we" are writing in first-person plural, how on the nose). As usual your anonymish host is writing along. "We" went off spec with this one but it worked out pretty well!This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for you to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is working with a borrowed form. We're telling a story through horoscopes, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She might actually go back and finish this one.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is inspired by The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon. We're brainstorming moving things, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She got two good images for a WIP out of this one, and possibly the seed of a new story.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise centers on first lines and beginnings. We're rewriting a familiar story starting somewhere new, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. She wishes she'd picked a crime story but ... she didn't.This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for ourselves to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.Today's 10-minute writing exercise is based on an adapted prompt from Brian Kitely's The 3am Epiphany. We're writing a bedtime story for an uncooperative child, and as usual your anonymish host is writing along. In her head the kid sounds like Bluey?This is a no-homework podcast! Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time for you to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write write write.You can write to our daily writing prompt, but you could also:journalbrainstormwrite for your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write and you don't cheat and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.

2025 New Year's writing resolution: spend 10 minutes a day getting words on the page.This is a NO-HOMEWORK daily podcast. Every episode includes a writing exercise designed to spark creativity or hone an element of your writing craft ... and we're going to build in ten minutes of writing time and do that exercise NOW. Together.Not "Someday."Not "Maybe later."Not "I'll have to remember to come back to that when work calms down a bit."Every episode, we build in ten minutes of time to do the assignment, and the assignment is always to write. You can use the daily writing prompt as your jumping off point, but you can also:journalbrainstormwrite about a page of your work in progressAll that matters is that you do write, and you don't cheat, and you don't stop writing until the music comes in.