Tag: Fiction

Read ‘What Did We Do?’ My short story for this week’s Reedsy contest!

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https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/joshua-insole/

Hey guys! Hope you’re all well and getting ready for Halloween! I know I am — pumpkin purchased and ready to carve! I also hope you’re enjoying the Bite-Sized Halloween stuff — the conclusion is rapidly approaching!

This week’s Reedsy theme was armchair detectives; I chose prompt #2 — ‘Write a story about a character with a sidekick.’ I have to admit, I didn’t really stick with the theme, as I had a really cool horror idea that I wanted to pursue! After all, these prompts are meant as guides to kickstart your writing. The title of my story is What Did We Do? As always, you can read it here on WordPress, and over here on my Reedsy profile.

The dogs were the first to sense it. Without them, who knows how it would have all turned out? Maybe it would have all been over within a few hours.

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Hope you like it! And remember: always trust your dog’s instincts!

Until next time…

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

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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’!

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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!

Read ‘Public Order’: My entry for the October #BlogBattle!

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Well, here we go again! It’s time for the monthly #BlogBattle! The prompt for October is ‘clone’. Such a great word! So many directions to take it in…

As with the last #BlogBattle, I wrote this piece as quickly as possible — to give it a sense of urgency. I hope the sensation translates well to the story! You can read my entry here, it’s titled Public Order.

Our eyes lock, and for an instant, I can’t breathe. I avert my gaze to the floor. Keep walking, I tell myself. Just. Keep. Walking.

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I really enjoyed writing this piece, and I feel as though it’s slightly more horrific than my straightforward horror pieces — mainly because, for the most part, it’s rooted in reality, rather than fantasy.

As always, you should definitely check out the other bloggers’ stories, when they’re up!

‘Dorsal’: A story in 99 words

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The whole world seemed to hold its breath. A calm fell across the ocean, silencing the whispering waves and the crying gulls.

The waters around her were dark grey; murky and gloomy. She knew that the aquatic tranquillity was false – a temporary peace.

She trod the water, suspended between two ticks in time. The instant before had revealed a flash of black and white, a beady eye, a fin slicing the glassy waves. Then the depths had reclaimed it.

Her mind’s eye told her what was next: the strike from below, the eyes rolled white, a row of teeth.

 

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Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Pexels.com

 

Due to my busy schedule, this was written after the closure of last week’s CarrotRanch prompt, ‘interlude’. I had an idea for the theme, so I thought I’d write it and share it nonetheless! 

‘The Comicbook Kid’: My entry for this week’s Reedsy contest!

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Well, here we are again! It seems as though no time has passed at all, but somehow another week has gone by… This week’s theme was a celebration of legendary children’s author, Roald Dahl.

I chose prompt #5 — “Write a story infused with dark humour.” I wrote this story very quickly, as I spent the better part of the week in Prague for my brother’s stag party (the hangover was atrocious!). The title of the story is The Comicbook Kid, and you can read it here and here.

“Ralph’s parents were never the same after they died.” Continue Reading

As always, I hope you have fun reading the piece — I would have liked to work on it a bit more, but I’m happy with the story, considering how little time I invested in it!

 

P.S. Check back tomorrow for the 50th Bite-Size Horror!

Read ‘Two Wheels to the Coast’: This week’s Reedsy short story!

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Hey all! Hope you’ve had a good week — it’s flown by! This week’s Reedsy theme was centered around road trips!

I chose prompt #1 — “Write a story about a family road trip.” I think my story straddles the boundary between my horror and non-horror pieces of work. I’m quite pleased with it! The story is called Two Wheels to the Coast, and you can read it here.

Enjoy the short story! And think: how would you and your family fare on a road trip without a motorised vehicle?

Have a good weekend!

P.S. Bite-Sized Horror is back tomorrow!

‘How to Build a Boat’: This week’s entry for the Reedsy short story contest!

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Hey there! How’s everyone doing? It’s that time of the week again! This week’s Reedsy theme was Ernest Hemingway!

I used prompt #1 — “Write a story about someone who finds life meaning in an unexpected place.” The piece I wrote wasn’t horror (similar to my previous entry, The Things That Do Not Float, which won). It’s titled How to Build a Boat, and you can read the short story here!

“I knew I was in for a spot of bother when the plane’s left wing exploded.” Continue Reading

As always, I hope you find it to be an enjoyable read!

 

P.S. Bite-Sized Horror is back tomorrow!

‘Water Wears Rock’: Read my entry for this week’s Woodstock-themed Reedsy writing contest!

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Hi guys! Hope you’re all well. As usual, I entered Reedsy’s weekly short story competition. This week’s theme was Woodstock! The prompts were all based on songs that were played at the 1969 festival.

I used prompt #1 — “Beside the Sea” by Mountain.  Seeing as the music of Woodstock was (for the time) very mind-bending and experimental, I tried my hand at writing something experimental too. The title of my short story is Water Wears Rock, and you can read it here.

“The seagulls are circling overhead, crying. The ocean’s waves are lapping up against the sand, whispering. In the distance stand the resolute shadows of mountains, shimmering.” Continue Reading

I hope it’s fun to read! It was rather enjoyable to write!

If you’re interested in my winning entry for last week’s contest, you can read The Things That Do Not Float right here!

 

P.S. As usual, Bite-Sized Horror is back tomorrow!

‘The Things That Do Not Float’: My entry for this week’s Reedsy contest — it’s not horror!

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Hey all! How’s everyone doing? This week’s Reedsy theme was based loosely on their recommended 100 books to read in your lifetime.

I chose prompt #1 — “Write a story about a teenager visiting the place they grew up.” Surprisingly, I didn’t write a horror story. This wasn’t intentional, the story simply went in a non-horrific direction rather naturally. The title of my short story for this week is The Things That Do Not Float, and you can read it here.

“Shaun jumped from the cliff’s edge. With each passing second, he felt the temperature drop and the pressure rise. The sensation of the movement was faint; if he closed his eyes, it felt as if he weren’t moving at all.” Continue Reading

I rather enjoyed writing this slightly unusual (for me, at least) short story — I hope it is as fun to read!

P.S. Bite-Sized Horror is back tomorrow!