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Looking for a steady supply of creative nonfiction short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

5280+ Creative nonfiction Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. The creative nonfiction stories on this page deliver exactly what it says on the tin: true stories told in weird and wonderful ways.

Creative nonfiction Short Stories – Page 31 of 353

Greece, I will never forget you

Submitted to Contest #276

It has always been rather tough for one like me, shy and often misplaced, always sitting gatherings out by the corner of everybody’s eyes, to get properly acquainted with strangers in a natural and fun way. I don’t know whether the impression I make on others is ever strong enough or too strong and I have always tried to be reserved and ‘play it safe’, so to speak. Whenever I choose to initiate a conversation or get to know someone else, I pick my words carefully and I make it through; however, if I am faced with an unexpectedly difficult si...

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The Center of Attention

Submitted to Contest #276

“I don’t care if you hang out with him, but I won’t be around if you do.”The only thing that matched the heat of my anger was the depth of my confusion. Ruthie had been there. I couldn’t fathom why she wanted to hang out with Blake, who was the single most obnoxious man to ever disgrace the halls of our school.Let me set the scene. It was the fall semester, and my best (and only) friend and I were sitting in the student center, studying.Enter man: he’s five-foot-ten, dirty blonde hair, and a smirk that says he’s looking forward to the fight ...

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Friends with Benefits

Submitted to Contest #276

(Sexual Encounter) Thinking back to my childhood, I can clearly remember sneaking into my dad's Playboy magazine stash and gazing at the beautiful women and their big boobs. I would later return to my room and play with myself, imagining those women being with me. Little did I know that this was the start of something much bigger than myself. In college, I'd talk to other girls about their sexual escapades, but I was a virgin until I was 18. So many boys kept telling me, “Look me up when you hit 18. I ain’t no jail bait.”  I knew that I...

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Friends with Benefits

Submitted to Contest #276

(Sexual Encounter) Thinking back to my childhood, I can clearly remember sneaking into my dad's Playboy magazine stash and gazing at the beautiful women and their big boobs. I would later return to my room and play with myself, imagining those women being with me. Little did I know that this was the start of something much bigger than myself. In college, I'd talk to other girls about their sexual escapades, but I was a virgin until I was 18. So many boys kept telling me, “Look me up when you hit 18. I ain’t no jail bait.”  I knew that I...

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Christmas in Lockdown

Submitted to Contest #276

I had one job, and I had to get it done, failure was not an option.  With only two days to go, I had to get the impossible-to-find gift by Christmas Eve, or I would ruin a 4-year-olds Christmas. My family goes crazy over getting Christmas gifts, every year we all scramble for the perfect gift, and usually at the last minute. And I get it, presents are an amazing and heartfelt way to show how I care about those I love.  I remember the light in the eyes of my kids when they first saw the brightly lit Christmas tree, with colorful wra...

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True Crime

Submitted to Contest #276

In late October of 2019, I sat in the ER waiting room with a white plastic bracelet dangling around my wrist. I was two months into my first-ever migraine and I was waiting to be seen. I was also waiting for the arrival of someone I barely knew.The waiting room was much smaller than I’d imagined for serving San Francisco’s largest research hospital, with just enough space for a vending machine, a reception desk encased in glass, and a couple dozen chairs. Between the chairs and the desk was a swinging, screeching door that led back into the ...

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Dunkelflaute

Submitted to Contest #276

There is a woman in my village called Moira who pulls a little dog around on a lead. The dog is joyous. Moira is not. Nothing pleases her and so, over the years, I have adopted a bonhomie which I know she finds irritating. She has three grown-up children, none of whom speak to her. This does not surprise me, because Moira is inherently sour, and she often asks me pointedly how my son is doing. She has never met him, but I once told her that he occasionally smoked weed and in her mind, this makes me a bad mother. My son speaks to me thou...

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BLIND DATE

Submitted to Contest #276

      BLIND DATEWhen you say the words ‘Blind date’ to anyone; well, anyone of a certain age anyway they’ll probably think of the Cilla Black show. However, I am one person for whom a blind date resulted in a very successful, long and happy marriage. Way back when I was a mere twenty years of age, I was beginning my rotation on theatres as part of my nurse training, when I met Anne who worked there as a permanent member of their staff. After a few weeks, she suggested that she knew the perfect man for me and tha...

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chewing the fat

Submitted to Contest #276

‘Morning honey’ ‘Oh, Morning boys’ I said to my gym buddies, Richard, Mark and Alan. All three chaps were retired and the fittest looking septuagenarians I had ever seen. Seriously athletic.After the school run, I love nothing more than going to my local council-run gym, the 'Better gym'. What a great name. It definitely does what it says on the tin as my dad likes to say. It felt like such a release getting back into the gym after years of disjointed exercise that comes with having a baby and not putting yourself first, but I was ...

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Rescue Rainbows

Submitted to Contest #276

Totality lasted four minutes and fifteen seconds. International peace warriors, hippies, crust-punks, road dogs, hobos, Natives, locals and hillbillies would converge in the Ouachita National Forest in southeastern Oklahoma to pray for peace during this well-advertised total solar eclipse event. The collaborators from several counter-culture communities built the Heartfire on top of a clear-cut hill for a maximum viewing experience situated far from the primitive camps along dirt logging roads. Super-Happy Funtime Camp was nearly a mile bey...

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Me & Mel

Submitted to Contest #276

It was when Melvin turned to one side and casually vomited on the floor of the pub that I realised the date wasn’t going to end as I had hoped. There was no way I wanted a first kiss after that.   But maybe I should start at the beginning because actually, it all began rather well. There had been rumblings of a future for me and Mel since we met at the ABC cinema in Lancaster a few weeks before the ill-fated, vomit-filled adventure of our first date. I had taken on (another) part-time job to help fund my extravagant student lifestyle (...

23 likes 19 comments 19
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Silent connection

Submitted to Contest #276

Hi, my dear,I miss you so much. Some days, I don’t know how to explain the heaviness that sits in my chest, or the quiet ache that grows with each passing moment. The world around me continues on, moving forward as if everything is normal, and yet inside, there’s this hollow space where you once were. I wonder, if people could look beyond my outer shell, if they would see the quiet sorrow I carry every day—the grief that no one knows, because no one knew about you.It’s strange, isn’t it? To love someone so completely and deeply and yet have ...

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There is absolutely nothing that God cannot do

Submitted to Contest #276

Note: Contains mention of drug use and mild reference of trauma and mental health issues and swear words"For with God nothing is ever impossible." -Luke 1:37"Anything is possible," I say around 2003 long before my hospitalization during my stint as a graveyard security guard at a pharma lab in Irvine. "I mean Beyonce can just walk right in."I mean theoretically it's not improbable. Just like the odds of being dealt a royal flush is 1 in 649,739, or 0.000154% or as much as statistically impossible it is, people do still get it you know.T...

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Weird Date

Submitted to Contest #276

The cafe buzzed with the low murmur of conversation, the clinking of cups, and the hiss of the espresso machine. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow on the mismatched furniture and scattered patrons. I nervously tapped my foot against the leg of my wrought iron chair, my eyes darting towards the entrance every time the bell above the door jingled.This was it. My first foray back into the dating world after my divorce, and I was already feeling the familiar flutter of nerves. I adjusted my scarf, hoping I looked...

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The First Pancake Rule

Submitted to Contest #276

The idea behind the first pancake rule is that it’s okay if the first one doesn’t turn out. It’s a do-over. The first one is the practice round for getting the cooking conditions just right. The adjustments you make will lead to perfect pancakes afterwards. It’s a strategy that encourages learning through practice, feedback, and continuous improvement. As a tool to aid in developing skills and expertise for any business, the first pancake rule can be useful. Encouragement to improve, forgiveness of failed attempts, support and advice on what...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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