Fantasy – Page 2 – Joshua G. J. Insole

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

18th Jan 202027th Feb 2020Leave a comment

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!

Read ‘When the War Falls Silent’: My last Reedsy story of 2019!

14th Jan 2020Leave a comment

Ah, not doing very well at uploading these at a steady rate, am I? I’ll chalk it up to still waking up after the excesses of Christmas, NYE and my birthday (which was yesterday)!

This particular story was written for the Reedsy theme of ‘that holiday feeling’. I chose the prompt, “Write a short story about an innkeeper wondering whether this will be their last holiday in business.” The title of my story is When the War Falls Silent, and it was the last story I wrote in 2019. You can read it here on WordPress, or over here on my Reedsy profile.

It’s worth noting that this story (along with the two Reedsy stories following it — they’ll be uploaded in the upcoming days, keep an eye out!) was written just an hour or so before the Reedsy deadline. I like the idea(s), but I fully admit that I should have dedicated more time to the actual writing process. Alas, this piece (and the other two that will follow) are a bit rough — so keep that in mind! You might be thinking, Josh, if you didn’t have the time, why did you try and squeeze a story in? Why not just wait until you can work on your stuff? And the answer to that is, I like writing one short story a week (at the very least) — I find it’s good practice! I don’t want to get lazy with my craft. Even if the work isn’t quite up to the standards I set for myself, I like the idea of putting something out there on a regular basis. Anyway, this has been enough of a rambling post. I’ll let the story speak for itself…

When the men from the Otherworld arrived, they brought death and destruction with them.

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I hope you like the piece! Even in spite of the previous ramble, I’m quite happy with it, considering I spent about 40 minutes on it. Who knows, maybe I’ll polish this (and the others) when I’ve got more time?

‘We Take the Wolves’: This week’s Reedsy entry!

12th Oct 201911th Oct 2019Leave a comment

Yes, yes, I know, I’m breaking my rule regarding posting more than once a day — but sharing my short stories is kinda the whole point of this blog, and I’ve only got 20 days or so to wrap up that Bite-Sized Halloween story I’ve got going… So, today, I’m afraid you’ve got double the Josh. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing, I’ll leave you to decide…

With that said, I hope you guys have had a good week! I’m feeling much better now, after last week’s period of writing whilst in the grip of a fever… This week’s theme was Peanuts. As in, the comic strip with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, not the salted snack!

I chose prompt #3 — “Write a story about someone who is unexpectedly wise.” I knew straight away where I’d take this prompt, and I think I’ve kinda gone back in a horror-ish direction, after straying away from it slightly with my recent entries. The title of my short story is We Take the Wolves, and (you know the drill!) you can read it here on WordPress, or over here on my Reedsy profile.

When the werewolves first attacked, we didn’t stand a chance.

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As always, I hope you like the story! I had fun writing it, but then, that’s no surprise, is it? Wouldn’t be much of a writer if I hated doing this thing! If you get the chance, check out the other entries over on Reedsy — there’s always some brilliant work happening, over there.

Until next time, have a good’un!

My entry for this week’s Reedsy contest: ‘A Village Under the Purple Moon’!

5th Oct 20192 Comments

Well, hello there! Fancy seeing you here. How’ve you been? That good, huh? Well, actually, I’ve been quite ill, but it hasn’t stopped me from working. I’ve done some writing, but it was done whilst in a state of delirium, so…

This week’s Reedsy theme was the literary classic, Little Women! I chose prompt #4 — “Write a story that uses flowers as a symbol.” As mentioned, I wrote this piece whilst not entirely here on Earth. I found the finished thing on my desktop, once I’d recovered, with only a vague memory of writing it. I tweaked it a little, once I was better — but for the most part, I left it as it was. I think it’s got a ‘woozy’ sensation to it, probably imbued from my fever! The title of the story is A Village Under the Purple Moon, and you can read it here on WordPress, or over here on my Reedsy profile. It’s a kind of fantasy story, which I never really write — so that’s a first!

Marianne felt the eyes of the townsfolk upon her; hatred intermingled with fear. Although they’d never know it, the people of Maydale had played a role in their own demise.

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As always, I hope you enjoy the piece! And remember: never exile a witch!

If you’d like to read Astro Naught, my winning entry for last week’s Reedsy contest, you can find it here on WordPress, or over here on Reedsy, where it has been published!