Structure
Limbo
Writing is hard. Don't let anybody tell you any different. Granted, some days it's easier than others. There are times when I can open up my laptop, hit that "create story" button and the words literally come pouring out of my fingertips. Other days... well... I think everyone who writes understands that feeling of staring at a blank page. A canvas ready to be filled, but the inkwell of creativity within one's soul has run completely dry.
By Natalie Gray3 months ago in Critique
Reflections on A Languishing Manuscript. Top Story - July 2026.
Years ago, I was president of a town’s writing group, but it disbanded. Ten years ago, a character appeared in my mind and poured onto the page, words frothing from my fingers like sudsy waves at the shore. My hip replacement cemented my decision to retire, and recovery meant long hours outdoors on sunny days with my aging dog. Her love and devotion grounded me. I finished the book that summer. Two years later, my faithful companion was gone, and the manuscript remained untouched, saved in a file that moved only when the computer did, still unseen.
By Andrea Corwin 3 months ago in Critique
Imposter Syndrome. Runner-Up in Not Quite There Yet Challenge.
Indecisive. That’s what I am. What should we have for dinner? What film should we watch? Don’t ask me. It’s not that I don’t have an opinion, especially when it comes to writing a story – In fact, I have so many ideas it's the equivalent of spinning countless metaphorical plates. But choosing one? Well, I might as well be Greek.
By Sian N. Clutton3 months ago in Critique
Brackets. Runner-Up in Not Quite There Yet Challenge. Top Story - July 2026.
She appears in brackets before she has a name. Was it cowardice? Afraid to let her on the page, so close to my words. Or was it craft? Clarification: she was in the same story she was kept out of.
By Nicky Frankly3 months ago in Critique
A- B Disconnect
The roads were busier than usual as the barriers kept rising. The metal vehicles buzzed all over as the barriers rose and fell. Built for collision, not comfort, the full-metal vehicles rattled along the roads to the city of Altronia. Elizabeth could feel her stomach shift as the vehicle sped past the barriers, and the traffic without humans was as bad as when they drove. The A-B competition was the one thing Elizabeth had selected for the event, hoping to make the A team, the best team, but playing for the B team if necessary. The yearly multi-sport event that teens would compete for dominance in physical sports. Elizabeth was running late. The event of the year was running on time. The ride there jolted as she grabbed the vomit bag in the back, emptying her stomach for the second time. The competition was only miles away, and yet the traffic was crazy between all the other cars. A stream of light flashed as the car came to a sudden stop. The wall stood up as Elizabeth flung forward. The wall lowered as the car sped to the event center. Looking at her watch, she saw the time had gone by quickly, and she was going to be late. This could cost her a chance to make the A team despite leaving so early. As the large building came into view, Elizabeth hoped she could finally check in. Another slam on the brakes left her holding on for her life.
By Sarah Danaher3 months ago in Critique
Fire I Wasn’t Ready to Hold. Top Story - June 2026.
If patience were a myth and I were the confidant of Prometheus, then I would be chained beside him; bound by the force of my own urgency, rushing toward a larger audience. My ambitions were molten. This story is a container for both my younger self and the self I forged later. I only came together after the explosion.
By Caitlin Charlton3 months ago in Critique
The Novel That Bit Me. Honorable Mention in Not Quite There Yet Challenge.
Fir the Next Great (American) Novel challenge (which, despite the title, didnae actually huv tae be American), Ah hud two ideas an' two entries. Baith included Glasgow as almost a central character. One wis heavily inspired by Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh an' a real-life experience that happened many years afore Ah started writing.
By Paul Stewart3 months ago in Critique
If I Were To Publish An Exclusive Story
If I did, would you pay two dollars and ninety-nine cents to read my story? If you are Vocal+, you are already paying to read my work, and if you are not Vocal+, you have other, more pressing financial obligations.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 3 months ago in Critique
The Weight of Water
I was twelve the first time the ocean tried to take me. My stepdad and I were sailing our Hobie Cat through the Carquinez Strait on a warm May evening, the kind of evening that makes you trust things too easily. The wind filled our sails as we moved toward the Benicia Bridge, everything smooth enough that it felt like we knew what we were doing.
By Tina D. Lopez3 months ago in Critique
Secrets and Lies. Content Warning.
I finished becoming someone else before I finished writing about who I was. That's the problem. There is a project sitting unfinished on my hard drive called Secrets and Lies — a collection of diary-style entries following an unreliable narrator through years of self-destruction, unstable relationships, loneliness, and the particular kind of comfort that only leaves new bruises.
By Chel Writes4 months ago in Critique
