Write a story about a character experiencing anxiety.

Posted in Character on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 84 stories

“The Dead at My Door” by Joshua G. J. Insole

They were still following us. We hadn’t managed to lose them, despite our best efforts. I could hear their frenzied footfalls and their growls filling the wintry night air, just behind us. How close were they, I wondered? One step? Two? If one of us stumbled as we ran up the path, would they be upon us before we hit the ground? Would they catch us even if we didn’t? Were we one or two seconds away from being tackled to the ground and devoured, our pained screams straining into the night?

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“Ready” by Tori Routsong

Jaime couldn’t stop pacing. The waiting room was too small. Should it be taking this long? Something was going wrong. Something was going terribly wrong. “Nothing is wrong.” His husband, Eric, hadn’t moved from his chair, one leg up as if this was normal, as if they were at home and he was about to do a crossword. “Calm down.” “Something is definitely wrong,” he insisted. “It’s been hours.” “That’s normal,” Eric insisted. “Look, Julie knows what she’s doing. This is her fourth kid. It’ll be okay.” “But can’t ...

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“Alone” by Daniel Deschenes

Jackson Williams sat in English just like he did every Wednesday. Literally. He was just sitting. He wasn’t actually there. Not mentally, at least. He was typically more attentive than his fellow classmates because he enjoyed learning the finer points of the English language. He often pictured himself as a mechanic, the classroom as his garage, and the assignments he got as vehicles and machines that needed fine-tuning. He’d pull out his grammatical toolbox and tweak and turn until each sentence hummed with precision and promise. And he d...

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“24/7 Anxiety Around the Clock” by Bree Kokiri

“Deeeeep breaths sweetie.” Damon gives my shoulders a squeeze, and hands me my lunch. “Turkey and cheddar on whole wheat toast. With a little mayo smiley face in the middle.” He smiles his cheesiest grin and I roll my eyes as I take the brown paper bag“Alas, the bread will have smushed it.” I retort sarcastically. “You’ll just have to wear the smile instead, then.” He kisses me gently on the forehead, as I pick up my bag of supplies and my purse, and head for the door.“Are Brian and Britt still asleep?” I ask. ...

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“That 'Good' True Love” by Tiffy H

Love will make you do crazy things, the craziest things. And if you have never had true love before, it can be scary when you finally have it. I did not want to worry about our love; I did not want to panic about losing her, but the thoughts of her leaving me just kept entering my head, making me scared. I panicked. I did the only thing I could think to do to keep our love going. Well, to be honest, we did not have a love at first. It was just me fantasizing about her. I remember how we met. I worked at a company called The Se...

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“Knots” by Adriana K. Maxwell

He is good with knots. Not tying words together, not putting them so they make sense, not connecting people, nothing figurative or important. But he’s good at knots and string. He makes loops, pulls string through, tightens. Words come thick and fouled like retching molasses.She is looking at him again, tapping her fingers. He knows she is going to call his name.He makes another loop, grasps the string, feeds the end through, pulls it, tightens.When he was young, he was the first to l...

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“Reunion Anxiety” by John K Adams

“What are you doing here?”“Hi, Mom! It’s been a while…”“Well, you’re here now. Come in. You’re letting out all the dust.”Maybelle stepped aside and opened the door for Tom to enter. She offered her cheek for him to kiss. The house had the smell of home. ‘Only here,’ Tom thought. ‘It never changes....

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“Cobwebs” by Karen McDermott

Number 43. I’d finally found it. A weather beaten brown door. A cheerful duck egg blue terraced house. I knocked on the outskirts of the knocker, fashioned as a cool iron hand. It felt rude to put it to use somehow without shaking it first. Once I got ideas like that in my head, they were difficult to dislodge.

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“Just Like Always” by Rose McCoy

Maya shuffles down the hallway of her high school, shoulders hunched, head down. They’re looking at you, she thinks. They’re looking at and judging you. This is the worst part of the day: the pa...

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“Finding Hope” by Massiel Alberto

Finding HopeLory was a perfectly healthy young woman of 25 years old. She enjoyed walking in the park with her cat, she loved to see the sun rising and never missed a sunset because she said: “every sunset is unique”. And she was right.Lory lived alone in her apartment. The complex consisted of six apartments and she lived on the second floor. Her apartment was beautiful, nicely decorated with a big gray comfy...

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“Waiting for Dinner” by Keith Manos

“ . . . can you play me a memory? I’m not really sure how it goes, but it’s sad and it’s sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man’s clothes” [Billy Joel] Regarding Sue, his mindless sister-in-law, Jim decided to confront her later. Of course, when she visited again. W...

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“A Gory Story” by Dash GetEm

My whole body had gone numb with fear. It was impossible to focus. I sat there, shivering in my suit, damp with sweat. I looked down at the little box I was confined in, then up to the judge’s menacing glare, and finally back over to the prosecutor.“...Can you identify that man in the courtroom today?”As hard as I tried… I couldn’t.I remember wish...

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“The Aliens Inside of Me Talk.” by Rima ElBoustani

This is fiction. This is fact. I’d hide from it if I could or should but that wouldn’t be wise, nor lead to a cure, at the very least my demise. I cannot believe that it was just an act – who played me and who played them, my friends? Where do I live? That’s a trick thought, I’m certain. I stay in the ward on many an occasion, in a hospital close by. They worry though they don’t say much, but I can see the fear in their eyes. I cannot but stop and swear, and I see visions everywhere. Whenever I open my mouth, it all comes out str...

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“Fighter” by Randi W

Her hand twitched nervously towards the phone as it rung over and over; Jane’s heart pounded furiously against her ribcage. Her palms became clammy, ‘Please hang up, please hang up…I can’t do this!” thought Jane nervously as she rocked back and forth on the couch. She stared at the phone as the caller waited for her to pick up, however, she didn’t recognize the number. Jane felt helpless, trapped and fearful. Who could be calling her? It couldn’t possibly be him…could it? &...

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“Stressed Finnley is not best Finnley ” by Millie Spence

Finnley poked his head of the red velvet curtain and was greeted with a sight that horrified him. There was hundreds of people, looking as though they were prepared to eat him alive with sharp, malicious teeth. He felt his heart start to race. Knees weak, his palms were sweaty. He tried to catch his breath but he couldn’t. Was he dying? He couldn’t be dying; he’s been really healthy lately. But there was that cold lately. He felt his throat become scratchy and dry. He coughed. And coughed. And coughed. Yep, he was dying. He can’t perform,...

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Write a story about a character experiencing anxiety.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 84 stories

“The Dead at My Door” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Ready” by Tori Routsong

“Alone” by Daniel Deschenes

“24/7 Anxiety Around the Clock” by Bree Kokiri

“That 'Good' True Love” by Tiffy H

“Knots” by Adriana K. Maxwell

“Reunion Anxiety” by John K Adams

“Cobwebs” by Karen McDermott

“Just Like Always” by Rose McCoy

“Finding Hope” by Massiel Alberto

“Waiting for Dinner” by Keith Manos

“A Gory Story” by Dash GetEm

“The Aliens Inside of Me Talk.” by Rima ElBoustani

“Fighter” by Randi W

“Stressed Finnley is not best Finnley ” by Millie Spence

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character who starts out as a pessimist and ends as an optimist. (Or vice versa.)

Write a story about a character who would be described above all else as "logical."

Write a story about a day in the life of a mother.

Write a story about a character experiencing independence for the first time.

Contest #20

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

281

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: