Morning After

a story of texts and teases

This piece was written as part of my year-long creative writing challenge. Every Monday, I use a random number generator to select a new writing prompt and share my response by the following weekend. You can learn more about the project here.

---

Write a story told entirely through text messages, emails, or letters.

---

---

Here’s a transcript of the text messages from the video. I’ve added attribution to make it clear who’s speaking for each message.

Becca: I’m not talking to you. Just so you know.

Jacks: …

Jacks: What exactly would you call this then?

Becca: A boundary.

Jacks: Not much of a boundary if you keep breaking it, is it?

Becca: Stop it, you know what I mean.

Jacks: There! You did it again.

Becca: ….

Becca: (Blank)

Jacks: I can see you debating. You’re fighting your need to have the last word, right?

Becca: ….

Jacks: There she goes again. Don’t worry, I’ve got time.

Becca: You are such an arrogant ass.

Jacks: That’s why you love me.

Becca: Only someone out of their mind would love anyone for *that* reason.

Jacks: So you’re saying you’re out of your mind?

Becca: I didn’t say that.

Jacks: Yes you did, you said you’re out of your mind in love with me.

Becca: Stop putting words in my mouth!

Jacks: I’m not putting anything in your mouth, just observing a fact.

Becca: …

Jacks: Besides if I were to put something in your mouth, I can think of much better things than words.

Becca: (Blank)

Jacks: Want to see?

Becca: NO

Becca: Don’t you dare!

Jacks: (Sends photo of dessert)

Jacks: Cake, of course. What did you think I meant?

Becca: You’ve got to be kidding me.

Jacks: Wait…you didn’t think…

Jacks: (eggplant emoji)?!

Jacks: Oh Becca, what a dirty mind.

Becca: Were you really hoarding a photo like that just waiting for an opportunity like this?

Jacks: Of course not. Unlike some, I don’t spend all my time thinking about my ex-exes.

Becca: …

Jacks: I just made it for Nan.

Becca: (Pause)

Becca: Shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize what day it is. How is she?

Jacks: The same. Keeps asking when you’ll be by.

Becca: I hope you told her the truth?

Jacks: That you’re very busy but once you stop lying to yourself and recognize my inevitable charm, you’ll be back?

Becca: This isn’t funny Jacks.

Jacks: I’m not joking. It’s only a matter of time. You’re the one thinking about my unmentionables. Feeling a bit lonely already?

Becca: Not in the slightest.

Jacks: Hmmmm, not the impression I got last night.

Becca: Last night was a moment of complete insanity and won’t be happening again.

Jacks: Ahh so you admit it, you ARE out of your mind in love with me.

Becca: …

Jacks: I can practically see the steam coming out of your ears.

Becca: …

Jacks: Has that vein in your forehead started pulsing yet?

Becca: …

Jacks: Thought you weren’t speaking to me. Are you back to breaking your promises again?

Becca: (Blank)

Jacks: Don’t worry, B. Take your time. I’ll be here waiting when you sort yourself out.

Want more fiction and poetry? Join my email list to receive posts like this directly to your inbox ❀

Friends, it’s been a week. Teething baby, coming down from the holiday and family in town, hurrying to finish my photos for the magazine deadline. I’m quite beat. I told myself that I wasn’t going to do anything too complicated for this prompt, that I would try and tell as much story as I could in as little space possible. Just a short texting conversation. What could be so hard about that?

Surprisingly, a lot.

Not the dialogue, that was easy to write. I jotted down the lines back and forth in my phone, just like real texts. No, the challenge came from trying to figure out how to format the conversation. It made me realize just how much texting is a language unto itself. The timing of the messages is important, like body language and tone in real life.

Because I like to make things difficult for myself and can’t leave well enough alone, I wondered: can I make a video to show this conversation in its natural medium? This resulted in several hours spent last night in Canva. Honestly though, it was pretty fun to put together and I’m pleased with the result. Seeing the video back-to-back with the written transcript really drives home how texting is its own media. The pacing, the back and forth, the starts and stops—it doesn’t come across the same way in the traditional format.

Most of my stories don’t include much modern technology and I haven’t read many books that have text conversations either. This exercise made me wonder, how do writers go about translating a text conversation into written format? If you’ve seen this before in a book, please let me know in the comments.