Stories

Short Stories from Reedsy Prompts Short stories may be small, but they are mighty! With the weight of a novel stripped away, great short stories strike directly at the heart of their topics. Often maligned as the novel’s poor cousin, the short story medium has produced some of the most beloved works of fiction. From the eerily-accurate predictions of Ray Bradbury to the spine-chilling thrills of Stephen King and the wildly imaginative worlds of N.K. Jemison, some of the best authors in the business have made their mark Whether the stories are sweeping explorations of the human condition, or slices of life vignettes that move us to tears, short fiction has the power to dazzle from first word to last. Who writes Reedsy’s short stories? Here at Reedsy, we're looking to foster the next generation of beloved authors. To that end, we've been running a weekly writing contest for over six years — and these short stories are the thousands of entries we've received over that time. Our writers come to the contest from all experience levels to hone their skills through consistent practice and friendly feedback. Some of them have even gone on to write and publish novels based on their Discover short stories of all genres and subjects Centered around themed writing prompts, these short stories range across all forms, genres, and topics of interest. Simply filter by the genre that appeals you most, and discover thousands of stories from promising new writers around the world. Maybe you w...

Stories For Kids Is there anyone who doesn't love listening to stories? Right from our toddler days, we humans have this insatiable craving for tales, of the known and the unknown, that is satisfied first by our parents and then a plethora of other sources. Go through a host of fascinating stories from KidsGen, including fables and fairytales, moral stories, short stories, mythological stories, classic stories and your favourite - animal stories. If you love reading these interesting stories for kids,

• Home • • Short Story of the Day • 100 Great Short Stories • • Children's Stories • Favorite Fairy Tales • Short Stories for Middle School • Short Stories for High School • Teachers' Resources • • • Mystery Stories • • • Winter Sports Stories • • • Short Short Stories • • • • Dog Stories • • • • Halloween Stories • Christmas Stories • Complete Short Story Library • • Short Stories for Children • Fairy Tales by Age • • • • Children's Christmas Stories • • • • Children's Poems • • Books for Young Readers • • • Winnie The Pooh • • Short Stories for High School • Short Stories for High School II • Short Stories for Middle School • Short Stories for Middle School II • Pre-K Wordplay! • Short Stories for Students • • Teachers' Resources • • All Authors • Find An Author • Female Authors • African American Library • Russian Writers • Mystery Writers • Features • • •

• Inspiring Stories • Nicest Places 2018 • Survival Stories • Nicest Places 2017 • Family • Community • Society • Nicest Places 2019 • Psychology • Love Stories • Happiness • Dogs • Marriage • Reader's Digest Classics • Parenting • Relationships • Dating • Holiday Stories • Grief • School • Celebrities • Christmas • How To • Friendships • History • Social Justice • Gift Ideas • Books • Funny Stories & Photos • Nicest Places 2020 • Disney • Facebook • Airlines • Cats • Geography • Memory • Movies • Experiences • Mental Health • Road Trip • Saving • Thanksgiving • 9/11 • Father's Day • Halloween • Mother’s Day • Robbery • Scams • Vacations • Amazon • Apple • Babies • Birthdays • Etiquette • Family Vacations • Green Living • Hacks • Retirement • Shoes & Accessories • Toddlers • Valentine's Day • Auto • Best Books & Must-reads • Cartoons • Children's Books • Facts • Fourth of July • Google • Grammar & Spelling • Hair Care • Instagram • Jokes • Memorial Day • Personal Tech • Pest Control • Poems • Pride • Products • Royal Family • St. Patrick's Day • Stress • Summer • Target • Veterans Day • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • More Items • • • • • • More Items • • • • More Items • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • • • More Items • • • •

• Home • • Short Story of the Day • 100 Great Short Stories • • Children's Stories • Favorite Fairy Tales • Short Stories for Middle School • Short Stories for High School • Teachers' Resources • • • Mystery Stories • • • Winter Sports Stories • • • Short Short Stories • • • • Dog Stories • • • • Halloween Stories • Christmas Stories • Complete Short Story Library • • Short Stories for Children • Fairy Tales by Age • • • • Children's Christmas Stories • • • • Children's Poems • • Books for Young Readers • • • Winnie The Pooh • • Short Stories for High School • Short Stories for High School II • Short Stories for Middle School • Short Stories for Middle School II • Pre-K Wordplay! • Short Stories for Students • • Teachers' Resources • • All Authors • Find An Author • Female Authors • African American Library • Russian Writers • Mystery Writers • Features • • •

“ The world is a library that contains all the books that have ever been written, but most of them are indecipherable. Many people venture to the library to find the meaning of life. It reminded me of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld library. “Perhaps my old age and fearfulness deceive me, but I suspect that the human species — the unique species — is about to be extinguished, but the Library will endure: illuminated, solitary, infinite, perfectly motionless, equipped with precious volumes, useless, incorruptible, secret.” It’s a chilling story. A man known as the Traveller is visiting a foreign penal colony where he is shown a special machine used to execute prisoners. The machine inscribes the prisoner’s crime onto their body until they die. It takes 12 hours of torture before the prisoner dies. I told you it was chilling! After you read “The Devil in America” read this story and see if you can find the parallels. This was my first time reading Zadie Smith because I’d always heard mixed reviews, but if her longer fiction is anything like this short story, I’m in love. If you need help figuring out where to start with Zadie Smith’s books, check out our “This is how we play the game: pink means kissing; red means tongue. Green means up your shirt; blue means down his pants. Purple means in your mouth. Black means all the way.” The first four sentences of this short story sent chills down my spine. A superbly told story of the extremes of girlhood and adolescence; the pressures ...

1 … The Best New Romance Short Stories Be it a sweeping romantic adventure, or a cute love story about meeting your true love on a blind date, we are absolutely here for it! And sometimes, rather than capture a single moment in the lives of two lovers, short love stories manage to tell a whole turbulent love story — from meet cute to the end. Are these perhaps the most gut-wrenching of all? Looking to indulge in some romance short stories? This page is home to all the romantic short stories submitted to Reedsy’s weekly writing contest. Penned by authors of all ages, from all over the world, there’s a short love story for everyone in this free collection. Whether you’re looking for star-crossed lovers, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, or LGBTQ+ lovers, our Reedsy Prompts authors will not let you down. And if you take a look through the stories at the top of the page, you’ll find all those that have been shortlisted by our panel of judges (and maybe even a couple of prize-winners!), so you’re sure to stumble across some of the best writing on the web. If you do, don’t forget to “follow” the author so you’ll be notified whenever they submit new romance short stories. Have you got any short love stories hidden up your sleeve? Then why not join in our Prompted , our new literary magazine)!

Best Short Stories and Collections Everyone Should Read If you are on the lookout for great storytelling but don’t want to commit to a full-length novel, then short story collections are the answer. Whether it’s just before bed, during your commute, or waiting to see your doctor, small chunks of time are perfect for reading short stories. Here we have gathered thirty-one of the best short stories and collections , from all sorts of backgrounds and sources, to help you grow your “To Be Read” pile. For your convenience, we've divided this post into two parts: 1. the ten best free short stories to read right now , and 2. best short story collections. Feel free to jump to the section that you prefer! If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great short stories out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized short story recommendation 😉 📚 Which short story should you read next? Discover the perfect short story for you. Takes 30 seconds! Start quiz Free Short Stories to Read Right Now These individual short stories are the best of the best — and the even better news is that they're available for free online for you to peruse. From classics published in the 1900s to a short story that exploded in late 2017, here are ten of the greatest free short stories for you to read. 1. “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl While not exactly a philosophical or political tale like our first two examples, For those who haven’t read it...

“ The world is a library that contains all the books that have ever been written, but most of them are indecipherable. Many people venture to the library to find the meaning of life. It reminded me of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld library. “Perhaps my old age and fearfulness deceive me, but I suspect that the human species — the unique species — is about to be extinguished, but the Library will endure: illuminated, solitary, infinite, perfectly motionless, equipped with precious volumes, useless, incorruptible, secret.” It’s a chilling story. A man known as the Traveller is visiting a foreign penal colony where he is shown a special machine used to execute prisoners. The machine inscribes the prisoner’s crime onto their body until they die. It takes 12 hours of torture before the prisoner dies. I told you it was chilling! After you read “The Devil in America” read this story and see if you can find the parallels. This was my first time reading Zadie Smith because I’d always heard mixed reviews, but if her longer fiction is anything like this short story, I’m in love. If you need help figuring out where to start with Zadie Smith’s books, check out our “This is how we play the game: pink means kissing; red means tongue. Green means up your shirt; blue means down his pants. Purple means in your mouth. Black means all the way.” The first four sentences of this short story sent chills down my spine. A superbly told story of the extremes of girlhood and adolescence; the pressures ...

• Inspiring Stories • Nicest Places 2018 • Survival Stories • Nicest Places 2017 • Family • Community • Society • Nicest Places 2019 • Psychology • Love Stories • Happiness • Dogs • Marriage • Reader's Digest Classics • Parenting • Relationships • Dating • Holiday Stories • Grief • School • Celebrities • Christmas • How To • Friendships • History • Social Justice • Gift Ideas • Books • Funny Stories & Photos • Nicest Places 2020 • Disney • Facebook • Airlines • Cats • Geography • Memory • Movies • Experiences • Mental Health • Road Trip • Saving • Thanksgiving • 9/11 • Father's Day • Halloween • Mother’s Day • Robbery • Scams • Vacations • Amazon • Apple • Babies • Birthdays • Etiquette • Family Vacations • Green Living • Hacks • Retirement • Shoes & Accessories • Toddlers • Valentine's Day • Auto • Best Books & Must-reads • Cartoons • Children's Books • Facts • Fourth of July • Google • Grammar & Spelling • Hair Care • Instagram • Jokes • Memorial Day • Personal Tech • Pest Control • Poems • Pride • Products • Royal Family • St. Patrick's Day • Stress • Summer • Target • Veterans Day • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • • More Items • • • • More Items • • • • • • More Items • • • • More Items • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • • • More Items • • • •