I'm not sure why but I get a lot of ideas for fiction stories which I seldom write. They just come as bursts of ideas without enough steam for a long form. I try to build onto them and find a beginning, grow the middle and then give them an ending. But, by then the steam has evaporated and the story is mostly gone, or no longer seems important or worth writing.

Today, the old song "Take All of Me" came into my head and later, as I was washing dishes, this story shaped itself. This time I wrote it down, in short form. I'd guess its a horror story, but I'm not sure.

Taking All of Her

So then I chopped off her other foot. Then, when she could no longer stand, clinging to me, leaning on me and unable to leave me now for sure, I no longer wanted her. So I went back to the huge furnace in the industrial plant, and I asked it, "What can I do with her now, when she is no longer beautiful, when I no longer enjoy watching her even?" The furnace said to bring her there and throw her in. Her bones would melt and become part of skyscrapers being built, trucks used to build them and no one would ever blame me.

Written by Laura Brown February, 19, 2025

I found a 53 word short story contest. I like limited word story writing. You need to consider each word, work with the order of your words and still have it all make sense and be a good story. Short stories are very under appreciated.

This is the story I wrote. It's based on an idea I had very early this morning. A longer version would give details and explain everything. But, I think this short version gets the idea across.

I hadn't planned to spend my night waiting with the Witch and spoiled Asian cuisine in the abandoned restaurant.

"Bad business plan, cursing their annoying customers." The Witch toys with her magic glass jar.

A tiny Oriental doll in the jar, screams, unheard. Creepy. Will my bitchy little sister even say thank you?

"I'll bet you $50 that you can't write a book using only 50 words," said Cerf. He knew that Seuss had used a whopping 225 words in The Cat in the Hat, which had recently been published, and he knew how Seuss had struggled with that one, so the $50 seemed like easy money. Yeah... easy money for Seuss!

via mental_floss Blog » 7 Curious Facts About 7 Dr. Seuss Books.

Can you write a short story using only 50 words? You can use the same 50 words as many times as you need. Only use the same 50 words, not a 51st.

From Writing Our Way Home: How to Write Small Stones

A small stone is a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment.

There are no strict rules for what makes a piece of writing a small stone, as there are for forms such as haiku. The process of finding small stones is as important as the finished product – searching for them will encourage you to keep your eyes (and ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind) open.

Small stones are published at A Handful of Stones.

I wrote Fairy Tales for Short Attention Spans, now I'm working on Horror Stories for Short Attention Spans cause it's good to make your brain work in different directions.

Write something short and twisted and horrifyingly spooky. Keep it to the length of just one paragraph with a beginning, middle and an ending.

Jack was exploring an old, derelict mansion, creating a photo documentary. He tripped over a floor board and found a necklace hidden underneath, it sparkled and glittered in a rainbow of colours. He put it in his pocket.

The mansion was creepy. At odd moments he was sure he saw a strange woman from the corner of his eye. Finally he packed up and headed out the front door. But, each time he tried to leave he found himself weirdly turned around and entering the house again instead of leaving. Over and over and over he attempted to exit. It began to make him feel sick with dizziness.

He had forgotten all about the necklace in his pocket. Which was a real shame cause that was all she wanted. The ghost watched him struggle for hours, desperate, scared. She wanted her necklace but could only take it when it passed into the realm of the dead. No matter, she'd make sure Jack never left, alive.

Another story. The thing with mirrors has long been a creepy idea for me.

Alice was a little into herself but Stanley loved her all the same. He found a full length antique mirror in a junk shop, brought it home, cleaned it up and gave it to Alice on her birthday. It was weird with gargoyles and other odd characters decorating the iron frame but she loved it.

Weeks went by, Alice seemed to spend more and more time admiring herself in the mirror. She even missed important events with her family, friends and sales at her favourite stores. As time went by Stanley noticed Alice was getting thinner. Not in a slender way, like someone losing weight, Alice was becoming transparent. Doctors thought Stanley was imagining it all. They kept him for a few days, in case he became dangerous.

When Stanley came home again Alice was gone. He tried to find her, but no one had seen her. After a year Stanley gave up. He packed up all her things and put them into storage. Placing the antique mirror in the storage unit, he left it facing the wall, just too sad to look at it and not see Alice reflected in it. Which was too bad cause Alice was there, trapped inside the mirror. Stanley left the storage locker, shutting off the light.