Write a story of fragments. Many options here: no verbs, sentence fragments, short sections, nothing but objects, etc. The fragments should relate to one another obliquely, hesitantly, subtly, ambiguously, preposterously, marvelously.

Posted in Fiction on Feb 17, 2023

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✍️ 54 stories

“Manhunt” by Elijah Rose

Submitted to Contest #186

Author's note: This story is composed entirely in Haiku. We stand tall and grim We do not believe the scene Her soul has gone out She speaks and is heard We press questions that she hates No secrets can be She confesses his sins She cannot excuse anymore We all knew long ago The marks told us too Some were hidden some were not We knew what to ask We now know for sure We ponder our final move The Hunt consumes us We divide ourselves Our Prey will hide and evade We cover more ground There's no justice here No judge or jury presid...

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“Form vs Function” by Bonnie Zel

Submitted to Contest #186

Bonnie Zelenak Form vs Function Hands touching, soothing. Minds susceptible, hopeful. Hands joining, exploring. Minds uncertain, trustful. Legs rubbing, entwining, holding. Lips meeting, Mind...

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“estate-sale-list.docx” by Jamie Gregory

Submitted to Contest #186

Hey sibs,I’ve started organizing Mom and Dad’s house. Here’s the growing list of items we’re selling. I’ll keep track of what sells so we can divvy up the profits later. Let me know if you have any questions. I know it’s going to be hard to let go of some of these things, but we have to remember that it’s just stuff, and clinging onto it isn’t going to bring them back. We still have our memories.Love,Olivia1) Item: Dad’s 1975 Chevy Silverado (AKA Ol’ Rusty)Asking price: $1,000 $500Questions/Comments/Concerns from the fam:Enzo: Does this hunk...

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“If a Butterfly Flaps its Wings” by Theresa Tiller

Submitted to Contest #186

If a Butterfly Flaps Its Wings… Robert Wrecks It The highway was almost deserted as Robert navigated his minivan towards home. Behind him, his three children slept; in the darkness, Robert smiled to himself. A Newbery, he thought. 20 years listening to critics take my work apart at the seams….and now…a fucking Newbery medal. Winners had been announced earlier in the day; Robert’s latest book of children’s poetry, titled Teddy Bear Dreams, was among them. He’d written it for his children, and his editor didn’t want to publish it, but he’d...

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“Quotations- 1999. Dayton ” by Jeremy David

Submitted to Contest #186

“It just happened, pop goes the weasel baby.”-Jamal Thompson. 35- Compton. ““It takes a man of great courage to do what that man did. He surely ain't never gonna be forgotten.”-Leroy Sellers. 56. Boardman Ohio. “That is one crazy Sumufabitch if I've eva hearda one.” -Linda Klimke. 44- Tivoli. NY. “You wanna know what I think? I think those motherfuckers did somethin’ sinister, and they're hiding it. Saying that there’s something to be afraid of. I was just telling my good friend Marv, Some very messed up things are h...

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“It's All Over” by Adri Bruckner

Submitted to Contest #186

“How long?” “Months.” “Years, maybe?” “Yeah.” Sigh. “How?” “Words. Doors. Locks.” “Why?” “Disagreed. Misbehaved.” “Really?” “Stupid. Arrogant. Ugly. Idiot.” “Him?” “No. Me.” “God. Sorry.” “S’okay.” “Now?” “Unpredictable. Sweet. Mean.” “Manipulative!” “Maybe.” “Maybe?” “Well...” “Later?” “Yes.” “Bye!” “Bye.” Counters sticky. Dishes piling. Laundry waiting. Toddler wailing. Food warming. Bathtub running. Toddler fed. Diaper changed. Bathwater stopped. Soap added. “Look, bubbles!” Giggles. Splashes. Giggles. Splashes. Breathe. Exhal...

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“Letters To Enola” by Janey El Napier

Submitted to Contest #186

CW: in comment section He’d always hated the judder. Always hated it. It felt like being in a tin can, like he was a sardine packed in oil and jelly. He knew he’d see nothing but clouds if he looked out the window. You’re cloud watching from the wrong side, Georgie would’ve said. Hey, that one looks like a dog, Dad. Dad? Do you see it? It looks like a dog, see! Woof, woof, woof. But he didn’t look out the window, couldn’t, was too busy with eyes on the blinking panel. Somewhere behind him, he heard a click. and it was terribl...

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“Strange and Charm” by Kathy Trevelyan

Submitted to Contest #186

Strange and Charm nothing what is nothing then…… something where did it come from splinters of matter dark light swirls spirals orbits something invisible essential let there be let there be light let there be tendrils and filaments let there be violent collisions and fragments let there be gasses and chemistry physics quarks and gluons muons immensity intensity unknowable insanity the glory and terror the beginning imagine imagine the birth of stars Tia walks into a room. A dark room that has been hard to find There is so...

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“Two Fingers” by Gideon Garcia

Submitted to Contest #186

One of my earliest memories of grandpa is holding two of his fingers. He had very thick fingers and I remember two of his fingers were all my chubby toddler hand could really hold. He was a veteran, but the kind that seemed to have come back with a broader worldview more so than trauma. He had killed people. However, he was either a psychopath or he had found a way to reconcile the belief and the cause because there was no apparent regret over what he had done. When I was young, he would take me out to work on weekends or after school. ...

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“Crazy, Hurt & True” by Rissa Bee

Submitted to Contest #186

Fifteen. Awkward. Acne scars, baby fat, and growing boobs. Socially inept, desperate for a chosen family of friends with the same insecurities and bad taste in music. Not extroverted enough for the popular crowd, not brazen enough for the bad kids. Just introverted and new enough to slip through cracks and be invisible. I found my group of misfits. Outcast. Weirdos and dorks. Druggies. Cutters. Cigarettes and water bottles full of every clear liquor you can find in ...

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“On a Train” by Carley King

Submitted to Contest #186

Juggling on a train. Towards the crowded room. Can’t stop. The tomorrows of today blend in with the yesterdays I’ve forgotten. I’ve forgotten I’ve forgotten. I’ve forgotten. Disjointed and removed from thoughts I snap back to the task. Juggling. Juggling on a train. Away. No that’s not right. Towards. Towards the crowded room. Hues. Blues. Reds. Purple floats towards the floor. Ominous black colours the edges. Towards. Towards. Towards. Forwards into the tomorrows. Flowering around me with blues. Hues. Towards. Juggling. Red. Juggl...

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“The Cemetery Dance” by Abigail McGovern

Submitted to Contest #186

Content Warning: Mentions of death and grief. Dirt. There’s nothing but dirt. Heavy. Wet. Shoving its way down your throat. Clinging to your skin. No one tells you this. About the clawing. The battle. That you have to fight your way back into the light. Break through the wood. Endure the bugs. Their legs, racing over your skin. Or what’s left of it anyway. Because you’re not really skin. Not even bones. Nor blood. Just shimmer. Suggestion. Moonlight on glass. Dust motes in a sunbeam. ...

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“Turn Back Time” by Deni Bee

Submitted to Contest #186

Rivers of fabric between my fingers. A lovely shade of blue. Sapphire, cerulean— or is it closer to teal? It doesn’t really matter. So soft; I sigh— Staring into space— into time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A floor length gown, swirls about the room. His arm about my waist. The scent of Old Spice lingers between us. His smile; that mysterious smile. Release— it ripples back into the box. The moment fades. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Digging deeper: beneath the satiny blue. Wool— no, it’s tweed. For a jacket perhaps, a stylish high waisted jacket. A matching sk...

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“Shattered” by Jackson Brown

Submitted to Contest #186

I’ve always preferred justice to mercy. It may sound almost morbid, but it’s true. Allow me to explain, in the form of a metaphor. I know metaphors are typically Julie’s domain, but allow me to give it a shot: Justice is like a father to me. I miss it in the mornings, when all we have is mercy, When children run wild, throwing stones and breaking pots. Mercy is like a mother. I do love mercy, I do, But when justice comes home at the end of the day, The children stop running and the pots get fixed, The damage is undone and the criminals are s...

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“The box with the” by Christine Bialczak

Submitted to Contest #186

They held onto. Running so fast. Becca hadn’t known what would happen when. But then again Veva had told her not to. They ran silently, trying to avoid tripping over things in. Where would they? If only they had trusted their. It had started when. Veva had called Becca to tell. Becca loved this kind of stuff and was so excited to. Veva was the one who was always. She would stop in each one. Rummage through all the piles. Stay for hours, headache from dust, thin layer of dust on. But she didn’t mind because what was found. She could wash th...

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Write a story of fragments. Many options here: no verbs, sentence fragments, short sections, nothing but objects, etc. The fragments should relate to one another obliquely, hesitantly, subtly, ambiguously, preposterously, marvelously.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 54 stories

“Manhunt” by Elijah Rose

“Form vs Function” by Bonnie Zel

“estate-sale-list.docx” by Jamie Gregory

“If a Butterfly Flaps its Wings” by Theresa Tiller

“Quotations- 1999. Dayton ” by Jeremy David

“It's All Over” by Adri Bruckner

“Letters To Enola” by Janey El Napier

“Strange and Charm” by Kathy Trevelyan

“Two Fingers” by Gideon Garcia

“Crazy, Hurt & True” by Rissa Bee

“On a Train” by Carley King

“The Cemetery Dance” by Abigail McGovern

“Turn Back Time” by Deni Bee

“Shattered” by Jackson Brown

“The box with the” by Christine Bialczak

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which each paragraph begins or ends (or both!) with the same sentence.

Write a story within a story within a story within a ...

Write a story that formally utilizes a mathematical sequence; e.g., the Fibonacci sequence could determine the number of words in each paragraph, or start with a number and work backwards. Make sure the formula is made clear, either within the story, or before or after it.

Write a story entirely of dialogue. Nothing but dialogue. No attributives (he said, she said, etc.). No descriptions of scenes or gestures or movements (unless these things are presented in the dialogue). Just words between quotation marks. Pure, beautiful, untainted dialogue.

Contest #186

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

481

Contest entries

142

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: