Top Stories
New stories you'll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
What's Its Name?. Top Story - November 2024.
Names have power. We answer to them, sign them, give nicknames, and when all else fails to ring true we change them. The idea that knowing the name of a thing or a person gives power is ancient and crosses many cultures, religions, and beliefs. bestowing a name grants honor and even power to the name-r over the name-d.
By Judey Kalchik 2 years ago in Writers
Dusty Sweeps Clean. Top Story - November 2024.
Dusty, despite being old and worn, stood proudly in the corner of his owner Lane’s mind. He was a duster who took pride in his job - he saw himself as doing more than cleaning. His mission, which he had chosen years ago, was to rid Lane’s mind of all the clutter the day had left behind.
By Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin2 years ago in Fiction
Deconstructing Eden. Top Story - November 2024.
Welcome to art class. A harmonious atmosphere has as much to do with reasoning as any hope a person can give and if there is anything lingering more in a room full of twenty-something-year-olds it is that - hope. Just learning the curves of life, trepidation not yet counted can lend to that persuasion. A collective consciousness could be called that, in a way, a mirrored persuasiveness.
By Canuck Scriber Lisa Lachapelle2 years ago in Art
Abyssal Ascent (Part II). Top Story - November 2024. Content Warning.
Ramona and Ingvar walk down the quiet, cobweb drenched halls of Hyperion’s research station. There’s a long moment of silence as the two investigate the haunting structure. There was ample evidence that whatever lifeforms had taken over the station were alien, hostile, and operated with invasive intent. “Why does it feel like you don’t care if you live or die anymore, Mona?”
By Siowas Strange2 years ago in Horror
Spooky Micro Challenge Winners
Happy Halloween to all who celebrate! 🎃 For this challenge, we asked you to start with one chilling rule — “don’t open the door” — and you delivered stories filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and a touch of the uncanny that made our spines tingle. We are pleased to announce the winners of this spooky challenge below. (We'll keep our notes short to maintain the integrity of these micro plots!)
By Vocal Curation Team2 years ago in Resources
📢 Raise Your Voice Thread: 10/31/2024
Our “Raise Your Voice Threads” are hosted most alternating Thursdays at 12PM ET to offer creators more avenues to uncover exceptional stories on Vocal. As we are continuously searching for fresh creators and inspiring stories, this thread provides an opportunity to exchange and discuss the stories that have moved and motivated us on Vocal.
By Raise Your Voice by Vocal2 years ago in Resources
Circo delle Sogni Perduti. Top Story - October 2024.
A whirlwind of orange, auburn, and golden leaves danced through the somber downtown. Just a decade back, Halloween had been a revered tradition in the community. Shops took pride in decorating for the ghoulish season, households competed for the scariest yard, and everyone donned a costume. Parties, parades, porch lights aglow. Things change so quickly; blink and you might miss it. In recent years, Halloween came and went with hardly anyone noticing. A shoddy cling of a witch or ghost affixed in a window or two, a jack-o'-lantern half-heartedly carved between emails and internet scrolling, perhaps a mask or a puerile costume bought in haste—but hardly a porch light to be seen.
By M.R. Cameo2 years ago in Fiction
Life Is but a Series of Decisions. Top Story - October 2024.
I’m not an anxious person, but bouts of anxiety have been seizing my insides lately. It began in the wee hours before a heavy rainfall. By mid-morning my bedroom was flooded. I moved things off the floor and heaved my dresser onto my bed to prevent water damage, all the while madly proclaiming ‘life is happening for me and not to me’ repeatedly in my head. Fortunately, I had a lunch date. When I returned, the water had receded.
By Neelam Sharma2 years ago in Motivation
Queen. Top Story - October 2024.
This is what it's like. To be a real actor! My blood fizzes. My eyes must be shining. I imagine how every component would look under all those lights; my outfit, my legs. Already planning how I'll angle my body, where I'll plant my gaze.
By L.C. Schäfer2 years ago in Fiction
Holidays? Holy Days? Pen It To Win It!. Top Story - October 2024.
The Lead-In Are you ready for the upcoming holidays? We're in that stretch of the year where it feels like they're never ending. Christmas decorations are in stores before Halloween costumes have left them. Thanksgiving is around the corner. And that's not even counting the less well-known holidays (at least in America) like Rosh Hashanah. But hey, rather than stress about the presents you haven't bought yet or how to navigate the tumultuous waters of arranging gatherings that everyone can attend, let's have some stories!
By Laura Pruett2 years ago in Writers
