Category: Contest

Read ‘Grandma’s Garden’: My flowery entry for this week’s Reedsy!

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This week’s Reedsy theme was a nice one — The Ordinary. As put on the Reedsy site — The very last line of the NBC sitcom The Office is spoken by former receptionist Pam Beasley. She says: “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?”

I chose the prompt, “Write a short story about someone tending to their garden.” Such a simple prompt, isn’t it? So lovely. I thought I’d give it my proper “Josh Insole” spin, though! My story is called Grandma’s Garden, and you can read it here on WordPress, or over on my Reedsy profile!

Grandma was always tending to her garden. Eleanor watched her as she went about her duties, a smile stretched across her kind and wrinkled face, a pretty little melody being softly hummed (and occasionally whistled), a wide-brim straw hat pushed snugly on her head.

 

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I loved writing this! I came up with the ending first, then worked my way backwards from there. Also, as was the case with my most recent stories, I made the art for Grandma’s Garden myself. If you’d like to see more of my art, why not check out my art blog? https://artinsoulstudio.wordpress.com/

‘Sea the Moon’ was shortlisted for last week’s Reedsy contest!

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Well, it’s been a while since I won/almost won the Reedsy contest! I don’t mind, though — it’s getting more and more popular by the week, which means it’ll be harder to win each time. Plus, there’s some awesome writers putting out some truly amazing stories over on the site, so it’s tough to compete!

With that in mind, I was super-pleased to hear that my psychedelic and dreamy story, Sea the Moon, was shortlisted for last week’s contest! This marks the fourth time I’ve been shortlisted for this contest. I’ve won it twice (and would love to win it a third time, but we can’t always win, can we?) so far, which I’m very proud of.

If you haven’t read it already, you can check out Sea the Moon here on WordPress, or over on my Reedsy profile.

The seagulls were weeping again. They had woken her from her sleep. It was funny, now that she thought about it. She’d also fallen asleep listening to their shrill pleas. It reminded her of the song her mother had sung to her as a baby. Sunset and sunrise, bird calls and bird cries.

 

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So, a massive thank you to the whole Reedsy team — not just for liking my stories (which is always appreciated, and is quite the confidence boost) but for hosting these weekly contests in the first place!

My previous Reedsy winners:

The Things That Do Not Float

Astro Naught

My previously shortlisted stories:

As It Ends

Honesty in G# Minor

What Did We Do?

Read my psychedelic, dreamy piece for this week’s Reedsy: ‘Sea the Moon’

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Wow, look at me! Staying on top of things and publishing my Reedsy entries on time! This piece was written really quickly — I think I had it finished by Saturday evening, as the prompts came out on the Friday afternoon. The theme of this week’s prompt was the legendary writer, Haruki Murakami. I chose the prompt, “Write a story in which the lines between awake and dreaming are blurred.”

Interestingly, I didn’t write a horror story again — third week in a row! I know it sounds odd (especially for me!), but, in general, I try not to force my stories. I try to let them flow out of my fingertips naturally. Horror comes to me fairly easily, hence why it’s my preferred genre, but sometimes I stray from the darkened path and venture out into the light. If a horror story happens, great, if a non-horror story happens, also great! I just like writing and telling stories.

Anyway, the title of my short story is Sea the Moon, and — as always! — you can read it here on WordPress or over on my Reedsy profile.

The seagulls were weeping again. They had woken her from her sleep. It was funny, now that she thought about it. She’d also fallen asleep listening to their shrill pleas. It reminded her of the song her mother had sung to her as a baby. Sunset and sunrise, bird calls and bird cries.

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I liked this one quite a lot! I enjoyed the dreamy, uncertain feeling that permeates the piece. I also had fun writing the rhyming couplets! Oh! And I had a blast making the artwork for this one, too — I was super-proud of it! If you’d like to see (sea?) more of my art, why not check out my other blog, Art in Soul? I’ve got a backlog of art (much like I previously had a backlog of stories…) that I’m slowly posting and uploading, working my way through. I reckon there’s some good pieces, here and there!

Read ‘Routine’: My sunny story for last week’s Reedsy!

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Gah, I know, I know, I’m really not on top of things lately. Personal life (I won’t bore you with the details) and other projects often get in the way (and I’m not great at decluttering!) — but I’m always writing! Rest assured of that!

This short story was written for the theme Bildungsroman, as in, stories about formative years. I chose the prompt, “Write a story about two best friends.” Horror tends to come to me quite naturally, and it generally feels like my ‘home’. However, sometimes it’s nice to take a break and write something completely different! This story was one of those pieces — it’s a sunny, upbeat tale. As always, you can read it here on WordPress, or over on my Reedsy profile!

Daisy wakes me up each day with a kiss. I always sleep longer than her, so she’s always the one to wake me up. I sometimes wonder how long she’s been up before she decides to rouse me – minutes, hours? Does she get up to see the morning sun rising?

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I hope you dig the story! It was very pleasant to write. Oh, and I also hope you like the artwork, too! I’m really starting to enjoy doing my own art to go hand-in-hand with my stories (but more on this at another point!).

My dreamy story for last week’s Reedsy: ‘Night Train to Pinea’

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Well, I’m catching back up again, aren’t I? Even when I’m not keeping this blog up to date, I’m still always writing something or another — so when I don’t post for a while, I pile up a bit of a backlog of stories that I’ve gotta upload…

This story was written for the theme ‘Agatha Christie’. I chose the prompt, “Write a short story that takes place on a train.” My favourite kinds of prompts are ones such as this — giving you a push in a particular direction, but without being too specific. I like a little bit of vagueness when writing to a prompt, otherwise I get the feeling of being “tied down” to an idea, without any creative freedom of my own. So, I really loved last week’s Reedsy for this precise reason! Anyway, enough rambling… The title of my story is Night Train to Pinea, and you can — as always! — read it here on WordPress or over on my Reedsy profile.

“Tickets and passes, please! Tickets and passes!” bellowed the conductor, startling John awake from his slumber. His eyes snapped open and he lifted his head from the table. Panic jolted into his veins like crackling electricity. His stomach lurched.

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I really liked the psychedelic, dreamy vibe of this one! It felt very peaceful, yet very creatively fertile. P.S. I did the artwork for this story — I’m quite into painting abstract art, so I thought I’d have a go at making the related image myself. Maybe I’ll have a go at more of these in the future. Who knows?

Also, there won’t be a Reedsy story written for this week. The prompts for this week are all non-fiction. Non-fiction isn’t really my cup of tea — I like making stuff up, letting my imagination go wild! I don’t think my life is interesting enough to write about, really… Having said that, I will still be reading the stories that others put up (and you should too!) — as I’m sure there will be some great ones.

My entry for the February #BlogBattle: ‘Old Strittie’

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Well, another month, another ! You might be thinking, “Josh, you’re awfully late with this entry, aren’t you?” And you’d be absolutely right! This month’s prompt word was ‘vivacious’ — a great, but tricky word! I had to have a think about how I could work this one into a story… But I got there, in the end! The title of my short story is Old Strittie.

Something was feeding off the child. It came out at night, from out of the closet.

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I hope you guys like the story! I rather enjoyed writing it, once I knew where I was going with it. Also, I did the artwork for this story — hope you guys dig it! I’m not very good at painting “real” things, I’m more into the abstract stuff…

Also, be sure to head over to the site, and check out the other stories! There’s always some corkers to read!

‘Listening to Ghosts’: My occult Reedsy story!

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I know, I know, I’ve been lazy with keeping this blog up to date. I do apologise! Unfortunately, my life has gotten incredibly busy over the last few weeks, for reasons I won’t bore you with here. All that matters is I’m back now, and I’ve got a few stories to share! I’ll be uploading ’em in the next few days, so keep an eye out, ’cause I reckon there’s a few good’uns!

Anyway, this story was written for the contest ‘Musical Genius’ (the theme was to honour the legendary Mozart!). I chose the prompt, “Write a story about a character obsessed with one of the long-dead “greats” in their profession.” The title of my story is Listening to Ghosts, and you can find it here on WordPress or over on my Reedsy profile.

Jed Blancher, now there was a good paranormal investigator. Rumour had it, he could talk with the deceased without need for a planchette or Ouija or anything.

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I hope you like the story! I really loved the vibe of this one — stories of the occult really speak to me!

Read my dark comedy, ‘A Long, Narrow Box’: The entry for this week’s Reedsy!

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So, how are you doing? Had a good week? Fantastic. I’ve had a semi-stressful week, trying to balance my creative hobbies (this blog and my WIP) along with regular life. I’m hoping to rectify that in the near future! I really want to get a first draft of my novel done soon(ish), so I’m going to have to buckle down and get on with it… This might mean that Bite-Sized Horror may not make its return for a short while, but I’ll still keep churning out my short stories!

This week’s Reedsy theme was ‘resolutions’. I chose the prompt, “Write a story about someone in the self-help aisle of a bookstore. What book do they pick up?” I wrote a dark little comedy called A Long, Narrow Box. As is always the case, you can read it here on WordPress or over on my Reedsy profile.

Marvin needed help, and this seemed to be the place to get it. He looked at the laminated label on the bookshelf. SELF-HELP SECTION. He nodded to himself. Yup, this was the right place all right. He held his hands behind his back – neatly, as Mother had taught him – and surveyed the books on offer.

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I had a lot of fun writing this, chuckling to myself maniacally as the words bled from my fingertips. I hope it’s an enjoyable read!

‘Something Swims Behind (Still My Sunshine)’: My aquatic entry for this week’s Reedsy!

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Ah, here we are! All caught up, at last! Made it! How are you guys doing? Still with me? Still reading these inane ramblings and occasionally perusing my mad scribbles that I’m trying to pass off as “writing”?

This week’s Reedsy theme was ‘genre-blending’! How exciting! I chose the prompt, “Write a sweeping romantic tale of two lovers who must overcome the horror of being hunted by an unseen foe…” Naturally, the allure of horror drew me in to this prompt. Did you expect anything less? 😉 The title of my story is Something Swims Behind (Still My Sunshine), and — as always! — you can read it here on WordPress, or over on my Reedsy profile!

We were just entering the hadal zone when we realised, we weren’t alone.

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As mentioned in the last post, this story was written with plenty of time to spare, and I think it really shows. I hope you guys like it — I had lots of fun writing it. I just love the ocean, even if it is an utterly terrifying place!

Well, until next time… stick to the shallows, and if something starts knock-knock-knocking, you best get the hell out of there!

‘Onwards, Towards the Witch’: My magical entry for last week’s Reedsy contest

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Whew! We’re getting there, aren’t we? Almost done! This story was written for last week’s Reedsy contest (just one more short story, then I’m all caught up!). This story was written for the Reedsy theme ‘winter wonderland’. I chose the prompt, “You go for a walk in fresh snow. Suddenly you realise you’re not leaving any footprints.”

This story was written shortly before the deadline of the contest, but it wasn’t quite as last minute as the previous one (although I did cut it close!). I feel that this is a better story somehow… it feels more ‘complete’ — even though I’d have liked more time on it. The title of the story is Onwards, Towards the Witch, and you can read it here on WordPress, or over on my Reedsy profile.

I see you, child.

The words slithered into her brain, as if they were her own thoughts. The world flashed a momentary red. And then they came again.

I see you, child.

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Well, I hope you guys like the story! From this point on, I’m hoping to have more time to dedicate to my short stories (as well as my main WIP — progress for which has recently stalled…). Indeed, the one I wrote for this week’s contest was complete by Thursday. Until next time, guys! Have a good’un, and always pay attention to the warnings of your fairy!