Write a story that includes characters who are aware they are a work of fiction.

Posted in Fantasy on Jun 9, 2021

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✍️ 74 stories

“The Tragedy of the Trainee” by Thiago Loriggio

🏆 Winner of Contest #32

“Next, please.” Paul pressed his eyes, tired, and took another aspirin. Easy job my ass, he thought, as the next interviewee entered his minuscule room. At least he had a room where he could rest in the few seconds it took for another person to come in; few trainees had that luxury. Few trainees, though, had a job as unfruitful as his. The door was opened and Paul raised his eyes, seeing an old man walking in with a stick. The man sat in the plastic chair in front of Paul and smiled. If the elder wasn’t the hundredth person Paul interv...

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“Another Cliché Murder Mystery” by Anoushka Jain

Submitted to Contest #32

'Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I have gathered you all here today to inform you..........I have been murdered.' She dragged out the last words, enunciating each word, drumming her long nails on the oak table. Several of the deceased's 'feint - hearted' neighbours passed out, landing with a soft thud on the carpeted hall. A tumult of gasps resonated around the room and Adelaide sank back into her leather chair, trying to hide her smirk, while the other 'townies' offered their condolences. She drew her hand to her face, to stifle the...

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“The Epilogue” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #32

“It worked.”Rita panted, lying flat on her back. The smells coming through her nose were unfamiliar… and yet she knew exactly what they were.“It worked.”She opened her eyes. The sky above was a placid blue. There were a few clouds, but they looked too far away to do any good. She looked around. Brown stone walls hemmed her in on three sides. The fourth side opened up into a street. She got up. Her muscles were stiff, but she shook them out and continued.The street was empty. There were a few food carts, picked clean by the birds and wild dog...

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“Papa's Story Book” by Artemisia Pearl

Submitted to Contest #32

A happily ever after lasts forever. Except for when the next person opens the book. As soon as the book opens, we spring into action. Until then we remain doing things according to normal life. We automatically go through the motions as we play to the script of the book. Our favorite audience is a little girl, who always dawns a smile and cute pigtails. She always tries to read the words but can't, so she fetches old man with a smile and spectacles upon his face. His eyes smile with his mouth as he reads to the young girl. "Place...

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“Characters Anonymous” by Megan DeRouin

Submitted to Contest #32

Characters Anonymous I bounced my knee impatiently as I sat in the circle of eight chairs that had been set up in the musty basement of some backwoods town hall. If I listened closely enough I could still hear the music and pounding of feet on the floor above that I had snuck by to get here. I’d been sitting here by myself for a half hour. I fidgeted and twirled a lock of hair around my finger for a moment. I was starting to think that no one else was coming when Aydin wa...

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“Trust In Me, Just This Once” by Dayna Scott

Submitted to Contest #32

“Okay, THAT was brutal.” Arianna flopped onto the sofa, fanning herself animatedly with her hands. “I thought she was going to kill me off for sure that time, she leaves me in way too many cliff hangers!” She whined and curled her legs up to her chest so that she could rest her pouty face on her kneecaps. Life as a protagonist was no joke, she had survived three novels so far and was barely scraping through the fourth. Matthew sat on the recliner and rolled his eyes in their sockets. “You think you’ve got it bad? She left me with this i...

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“Cliche” by Sam Kirk

Submitted to Contest #32

TOMWith his parents out of town, in Thailand, for their wedding anniversary, Tom decided to host a party. It did not take long to convince his next-door neighbor – Travis, to get him a couple of kegs of beer. Travis liked to have fun, and he did not believe in restricting others from enjoying themselves. Matt managed to also bring in a bottle of vodka he stole from his parent’s liquor cabinet.After a keg stand, a swig of vodka, and a round of beer pong, Tom came up with a brilliant idea. Through the attic, he climbed onto the roof.“Shit!” Tr...

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“Rosie's tale” by Marte Van Der Linden

Submitted to Contest #32

Right at the back of the library was a dusty shelf full of strange books that most people ignored. Sometimes a scatterbrained academic or a hipster with no sense of direction would take a wrong turn on the way to 19th century history or vegan fusion cuisine. Then they would catch sight of the strange dust jackets, and perhaps stop to read the titles and the blurbs. They invariably moved on, shaking their heads and laughing to themselves. Why on earth would anyone read that? The librarians only kept the books because it was wrong to destroy b...

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“FOR THE SAKE OF THE PLOT” by Sharat Jacob

Submitted to Contest #32

“That’s messed up.”‘’Yes, it is.”“Like so messed up.”“Yes, it is.”“Like, wow.”“Yes.”"But what is even more messed up is that you haven't told me yet what is messed up and yet I know that it is messed up. ""We haven't reached that part of the story yet. ""That doesn't help in calming me down. "Yes, I know."“Stop saying yes again and again, damn it!” Trevor snapped, “Also how are you not panicking right now?”“Well, technically, what's the point? I'm all for it. For the sake of the plot. ” Harry smiled and burst out in laughter.Trevor felt a st...

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“The Permutations of Patty Pearson” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #32

My name is Trisha Hamilton, and you’ll probably have heard of me. Especially if you’re female and aged between 40 and 60, or younger and have a Mum or Gran who keeps her childhood books, or older, if you keep the books your children had, or if you haunt secondhand bookshops and the book sections of charity shops. Who is this woman with the ego on her, you might be thinking. Well, okay, I’m being a bit mischievous. You’ll have heard of Patty Pearson. Well, probably. But Patricia ...

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“The First Character to Exit” by Kindra Robinson

Submitted to Contest #32

Henry looked in the mirror and adjusted his tie, just as he did every morning. He sighed. It just isn’t fair he thought to himself. He was in his 40s with brown hair and an average body. He really couldn’t pick out one distinctive trait about himself. Henry went downstairs where his wife had made breakfast. It felt as though he’d lived that moment thousands of times, as he walked into the kitchen and saw her standing there. Her red hair was completely in place and her makeup was already done. She was wea...

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“Dear Ms. Fox” by Adele Roman

Submitted to Contest #32

Dear Ms. Fox, a sea of strangers flows before me, going back and forth, in and out of the trains that come and go, like waves at the beach. Sat on the cold steel bench at the end of the platform, I’m tempted to get on. No, too many people. A wave of bodies each with their own little black suitcase trailing behind them. They push through and shove aside whoever dares get in their way, locked in an endless battle for more space. Their faces are stoic, might as well be dead. They have somewhere to go and they go there, a job to do and they do i...

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“The Mexican Arctic” by Sarah Harris

Submitted to Contest #32

“If we’re on some sort of Arctic expedition,” Elizabeth began, “why aren’t we cold?” She looked down at her dirty jeans and short-sleeved shirt. “And why don’t we need lights in this god-forsaken cave?” Alyssa questioned. “This isn’t real,” Lindsey replied.“Yeah, right. We’re really on some beach in Mexico right now,” Elizabeth scoffed. She climbed up a steep slope, cursing as she bumped her knee on a protruding rock. Alyssa sighed. “Mexico sounds nice. Sunlight, not this strange ambient light emanating from nowhere. Sand bene...

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“The Fantastic World of Billy Mattigan” by Suzanne Gallaway

Submitted to Contest #32

Billy sat beside his best friend Jeremy every day on the bus ride home. The two boys had been best friends forever. After school they both went home to do their homework and then met at one of their houses to play. Billy liked Legos the best, and Jeremy liked playing with action figures. Standard stuff, really. The bus rolled along and the boys, 11, talked about which girls were gross and which were cute, without much thought to the world beyond their small sphere. The bus pulled up to a stop light and Jeremy, who had the window seat looked ...

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“In Fiction” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #32

In FictionHe is a merciless God. He is a tyrannical God. It’s because of him that I endure this endless torture. I’ve lived a thousand lives and I’m poised to live a thousand more. Some last for minutes. Some last for centuries. Some lives I remember. Some I forget. And then, some I wish I could forget. I’m beyond control of my actions. I’m nothing but a series of ones and zeroes. Some guy In his mom’s basement crafted the brilliant script that resulted in me, the endless source of entertainment for an entire generation of ot...

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Ended on 23:59 - Mar 13, 2020 EST

Won by Thiago Loriggio 🏆

Title: The Tragedy of the Trainee

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Write a story that includes characters who are aware they are a work of fiction.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 74 stories

“The Tragedy of the Trainee” by Thiago Loriggio

“Another Cliché Murder Mystery” by Anoushka Jain

“The Epilogue” by Keri Dyck

“Papa's Story Book” by Artemisia Pearl

“Characters Anonymous” by Megan DeRouin

“Trust In Me, Just This Once” by Dayna Scott

“Cliche” by Sam Kirk

“Rosie's tale” by Marte Van Der Linden

“FOR THE SAKE OF THE PLOT” by Sharat Jacob

“The Permutations of Patty Pearson” by Deborah Mercer

“The First Character to Exit” by Kindra Robinson

“Dear Ms. Fox” by Adele Roman

“The Mexican Arctic” by Sarah Harris

“The Fantastic World of Billy Mattigan” by Suzanne Gallaway

“In Fiction” by Matt Render

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who works an average job — but incorporate elements of magic into it.

Write about a person who meets with the ghost of an old friend for tea every so often.

Write about two people in a relationship. One of them has special powers, the other does not.

Write a story about someone who can pause time or re-live old memories at will.

Contest #32

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

403

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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