I began writing short stories during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in 2020. It was a time of lockdown; the courthouses were closed, I couldn’t meet with clients in person, and litigation became almost impossible. My practice seemed to be centered on Zoom video conferences. I decided to become a part-time lawyer. Essentially, the pandemic was my pathway to eventual retirement. Writing short stories became my creative outlet.
Most of these stories were written in response to contests issued by Reedsy.com, a publishing company with an online platform connecting authors with publishing professionals to create books. It also offers writing tools and educational courses for writers. Self-publishing is a component of Reedsy’s services to writers. They sponsor a weekly contest for short-story writers and select a winner after all entries are evaluated by their editors. The rules are that the story must be written within one week, no longer than 3000 words, and follow a prompt selected from a list of five offered that week. The prompts and the contest rules may explain why some of my stories are on rather strange topics. I hope you find some of the stories enjoyable.
The stories are copyrighted © 2024 Tom Moser. All rights reserved.
Written in response to: “Write about a character who wakes up in someone else’s clothes — or utterly weird apparel they don’t recognize as their own.“
Written in response to: Write a story that includes someone (or something) saying, ‘No, don’t!’
Written in response to: Write a story that begins with an apology. NOTE: Reedsy added this warning to my story, “Content warning: Themes or references to discrimination and race.
Written in response to: Write a story featuring an animal who subverts expectations (like a snuggly tiger, or something more magical, like a literal fish out of water).
Written in response to: One day, the sun rose in the west and set in the east.
Written in response to: Before bed, you put your clock ahead one hour for daylight saving time. When you wake up, you realize you’ve gone forward a lot more than one hour.
Written in response to: Write a story about someone who receives an unexpected phone call.
Written in response to: You go for a walk in fresh snow. Suddenly, you realize you’re not leaving any footprints.
Written in response to: Write about someone who works an average job — but incorporate elements of magic into it.
Written in response to: Write about a character who goes by many different names throughout their life.
Written in response to: Write a short story about a jury of people tasked with making a decision. (It doesn’t necessarily need to be a court jury.)