Write a story about discovering a lost manuscript. It can be from a famous (or infamous) author, or an unknown one.

Posted in Mystery on May 17, 2024

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✍️ 70 stories

“You Two Make Horrible Nurses” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #251

A dragon flew from his nest atop an island mountain to do a little fishing. He reached into the waves and snagged a big one with his back claw, and ascended into the sky. As he did, he saw an odd stick floating in the water. What made it odd was that it was vertical instead of the more acceptable horizontal position. However, his attention quickly returned to his catch as it fiercely struggled to escape. He flew back to his clan's nest, securing the fish with both claws and forgot all about the strange stick in the sea.He would have known it...

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“The Passing” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #251

The PassingThe Passing has been passed on. The title is an obscure lost manuscript written by an infamous novelist who has promised it will never be published. Being the first ever penned by this well known best seller one can only imagine what genius it may harbor. Every published book has struck immediate notoriety. Eleven of these masterpieces have been adapted to successful draws at the box office. After thirty years of producing flawless works could it be possible the first would not live up to the last twenty five? Should the author be...

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“The Lost Journal of Love on the Mystical Coast ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #251

In the second half of the 1800s, Penelope’s family in Illinois sold their property, loaded up several covered farm wagons with supplies, rounded up their eight children, dairy cattle and chickens, and set off for Independence, Missouri, to join wagon caravans on the Oregon Trail. Harley Wilson, Penelope's Papa, spoke to his family at supper. “The trail is over 2,000 miles. Prairies, mountains, rivers. When we get to Oregon we will set up a homestead and start a big dairy farm."“But we’re leaving Grandpa and Grandma, the rest of the fami...

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“The House With Five Doors” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #251

The House With Five DoorsA little over a month ago, while walking my dog, I saw the for-sale sign. I admit, I’ve had my eye on this little Victorian for a while. The two turrets at the front corners just beg for tea and a book. I called the agent at once and waited for her.The three of us toured the house, but in my mind I had already moved in. I admit that I was surprised to see that one of the small bedrooms in the back, the one overlooking the small civil war era cemetery, was furnished with an antique desk, overstuffed bookcase and well-...

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“Malik in Wonderland: A Professor Deshpande Mystery” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #251

Malik had never favored dinner with “the boss.” Most of his past bosses had, at heart, been cops. His SAC at the FBI Art Theft Program had lived up to his acronym with a simmering case of Islamophobia. This despite Malik Aboud bringing a CV that included the University of St. Andrew’s, New Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Unit, and INTERPOL’s Stolen Works of Art Database.But after a day in ballrooms and breakouts with panelists convinced they were solving world hunger instead of exhuming dead artists, dinner with Chairman Deshpande provided ...

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“Book of Hours” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #251

Manuscripts are from the devil, I’d been told, but I felt it too, evil emanating out like heat from a fire. I wrapped it in cloth to be safe, tucked it in my satchel, and now I wait.I had a few hours, enough time I’m sure before my Master discovered my absence, and my theft. I drank my beer down to forget the past, to focus on my future, my hope brightening the walls of the dark Public House.My eyes followed Evelyn as she moved around me, cleaning up from the night before. Her dark hair pulled back tight showed her pale beaut...

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“The Blossoming of Gerald Bloom” by Robert Egan

Submitted to Contest #251

There is a book whose title is untitled, whose author is unknown, and whose language is not language. J.D. Salinger is said to have caught a glimpse of this book's untitled title page before fading from public view; Hemingway kept a few pages tucked away in memory before it all overflowed; and Homer made it through an entire chapter before going blind. And as for Gerald Bloom, well, he intended to read the whole damn book. A daunting task to be sure, but Bloom had one thing going for him: He wasn't a writer. Like the ageless book itself, Blo...

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“THE RIPPER’S MANUSCRIPT” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #251

There is an antiquarian bookstore in the heart of Whitechapel, with the cobbled streets whispering secrets of the past. The weathered sign above the door, "Bellamy's Antiquities," creaked in the wind as if echoing the murmurs of the ages. It was a place where history was bound between leather covers. The air inside was thick with the scent of old paper and polished oak, mingling with a hint of lavender from the sachets between the shelves.Eleanor Bellamy, a bibliophile with a penchant for the macabre, owned the shop. She was a tall woman wit...

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“The Last Chapter” by Jim Kokoris

Submitted to Contest #251

The Last ChapterCategory Prompt: A story about a Lost ManuscriptBy Jim Kokoris So it was good. More than good. Sitting on the dusty floor of the attic, his back against the dusty wall, he had to admit that. Accept that. While reading the first four chapters, his surprise had turned into amazement, before morphing into full throttle astonishment. Mother’s book about a young Southern woman living on a plantation in post-Civil War Alabama was Gone with the Wind excellent. Its mere existence defied belief. He knew, of course, that Mot...

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“The Manuscript of Kashi” by Denney Owen

Submitted to Contest #251

There are places where the veil between the known and the unfathomable is perilously thin, and it is in such realms that truths are best left forgotten. Ancient Kashi, now Varanasi, conceals more than history in its name. With dusk settling, the city wraps itself in a twilight shroud. Smoke threads twist through the air, blending with murmured prayers, thickening the atmosphere with an almost tangible sense of mystery.The Ganges River reflects the glimmering lights of ceremonial fires along the ghats, where the sacred and the profane dance i...

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“The Bookmarks” by Liane Fazio

Submitted to Contest #251

THE BOOKMARKSShe unpacked her bag and placed each item carefully on to the kitchen table. She had bought more than expected, but the estate sale's treasures were too good to pass up. Despite her tiny apartment, she always found room for them. Many items just needed a little TLC and a good home. That's how she viewed her weekend shopping sprees. Her mom once called her the ‘Indiana Jones of bargain hunting’ saying, "It's like you're always searching for that special artifact, and you won't stop until you find it.""Everything has a story, Mom,...

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“Rumspringa” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #251

After my father passed away, my brother and I helped mom clear away some of dad’s stuff he had accumulated over the years. Stuart Elwood Stanley, known to his readers as S. E. Stanley, was a creative nonfiction writer who traveled with environmental activists around the world and told their stories. His titles included Until We Breathe Again, Through Oily Waters, and Unwelcomed in the Jungle. His passions for writing, traveling, and the environment led to a fulfilling life for my father, and there was always a memento lying around the house ...

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“The Bestiarium of Shinsuke Manu” by Geir Westrul

Submitted to Contest #251

The Bear Inn, Oxford, Nazi-Occupied Britain, 1947SS-Sturmbannführer Ewald von Haupt walks into the pub.In one moment, a pleasant, warm cacophony — loud voices, clinking glasses, laughter, singing — in the next, a chilled sudden silence, heads turning and all eyes darting in the tall, blond man's direction, then eyes lowering, shoulders hunching, heads down, subdued conversations re-starting in lowered voices. A faint smile curls von Haupt’s lips as he goes to the bar and orders an ale. He scans the room with pale blue eyes. Spotting the...

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“The Six-Toed Muse” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #251

The sound of the ringing phone filled the room, prompting me to reach out and answer it. The voice on the other end was urgent, every word punctuated with a desperate tone. It belonged to my realtor, who had experienced every aspect of the real estate market, selling houses in every nook and cranny of this scorching town. “Listen,” he said, his voice filled with excitement, “I’ve got something special for you.” Leaning back in my chair, I could feel the warmth of the slanting sunrays as they streamed through the blinds, casting long, dark sh...

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“The Lost Manuscript of Orville Langley: A Madcap Tale” by J.T. Monroe

Submitted to Contest #251

The Lost Manuscript of Orville Langley: A Madcap TalePrologueNo sane person would willingly venture into the dusty attic of a decrepit Victorian mansion, but sanity had never been my strong suit. My name is Jack Turner, a struggling writer with a penchant for trouble and an unhealthy obsession with lost causes. So, when I inherited my great-uncle’s estate—a sprawling relic in the backwoods of Vermont—I knew I was in for a ride. What I didn’t know was that I’d stumble upon a literary treasure that would send shockwaves through the world of li...

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Write a story about discovering a lost manuscript. It can be from a famous (or infamous) author, or an unknown one.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 70 stories

“You Two Make Horrible Nurses” by Daniel Rogers

“The Passing” by Mary Bendickson

“The Lost Journal of Love on the Mystical Coast ” by Kristi Gott

“The House With Five Doors” by Trudy Jas

“Malik in Wonderland: A Professor Deshpande Mystery” by Martin Ross

“Book of Hours” by Marty B

“The Blossoming of Gerald Bloom” by Robert Egan

“THE RIPPER’S MANUSCRIPT” by Darvico Ulmeli

“The Last Chapter” by Jim Kokoris

“The Manuscript of Kashi” by Denney Owen

“The Bookmarks” by Liane Fazio

“Rumspringa” by Ty Warmbrodt

“The Bestiarium of Shinsuke Manu” by Geir Westrul

“The Six-Toed Muse” by Scott Taylor

“The Lost Manuscript of Orville Langley: A Madcap Tale” by J.T. Monroe

🌟 Similar prompts

Your protagonist is a writer who discovers a new favorite author. How does their writing, or even their own personality, change as the protagonist falls under the writer’s influence?

Write a story about a future academic (or another influential person) “rediscovering” a book that, in its time, was dismissed. The book can be fictitious or real.

Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What’s in the library? Why was it kept secret?

Your protagonist is a voracious reader. Lately, they’ve been noticing odd synchronicities in the books he or she is reading. What does the protagonist discover is happening?

Contest #251

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

238

Contest entries

76

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: