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The world's largest storytelling community, home to 97 million people¹ who spend over 26 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories, wattpad has democratized storytelling for a new generation of diverse gen z writers and their fans..

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How wattpad works.

Get your story discovered through the power of community and technology on Wattpad.

Share your unique voice and original story on Wattpad. Find the writing resources you need to craft a story only you can tell.

Establish a global fan base as your story gains readership and momentum. Connect with other like-minded writers through storytelling.

Gain Wattpad Star status and get your story published or adapted into film or television with Wattpad WEBTOON Studios!

²Monthly Wattpad Visitors. As of July 2023

Working with Wattpad Studios is like a dream. Not only do they care about your success, but also staying true to your vision.

KARA BARBIERI (@PANDEAN)

Kara Barbieri is a twenty-two year old author with a love for the weird and mystic. Her debut novel, WHITE STAG, will be published by Wednesday Books/Macmillan in January 2019.

When I joined Wattpad, I gained a second family who were as passionate about reading and writing as I am.

ALI NOVAK (@FALLZSWIMMER)

Ali Novak is a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's creative writing program. She started writing her debut novel My Life with the Walter Boys when she was only fifteen. Since then, her work has received more than 150 million hits online and My Life with the Walter Boys has been optioned for television by Komixx Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television.

Being a Wattpad Star is the foundation for everything I do as a writer, from the behind the scenes wrangling to the big, game-changing projects.

BEN SOBIECK (@BENSOBIECK)

Benjamin Sobieck is a Wattpad Star and editor of “The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad,” published in August 2018 by Writer’s Digest Books and featuring contributions by 23 Wattpad Stars, ambassadors, and staff. His stories on Wattpad, such as “When the Black-Eyed Children Knock,” have drawn more than 1.5 million reads.

Having been active on Wattpad for several years, I knew it would be the perfect platform for a thriller with lots of cliffhangers for readers to discuss. Teen horror is my passion, so I can’t wait to be able to share Light as a Feather with other horror aficionados on Hulu.

ZOE AARSEN (@ZAARSENIST)

Zoe Aarsen is a graphic designer and copywriter. Her first paranormal YA novel, Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, is being published by Simon & Schuster and turned into a television series on Hulu.

The Wattpad Stars Program gave me opportunities I never thought possible. It connected me to a world that I had only imagined. I don’t know how else to say it. It changed my life!

ISABELLE RONIN (@ISABELLERONIN)

Chasing Red was one of 2016’s most-read stories on Wattpad -- and that was just the beginning for this Winnipeg-Manitoba-based writer. In a single year, her explosive hit has racked up over 127 million reads on Wattpad. Newly edited and expanded, the book was split into two and hit bookstore shelves in 2017.

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Create Your Own Story Online

Create your own story online using our ultimate story creator. Our story creator comes with built-in story starters, artwork and more to inspire writers of all abilities!

Create a story

Useful Resources

Ultimate Story Generator

Generate thousands of unique stories using our ultimate story generator. Just enter some words about your story, and press the 'Generate Story' button. You can create a unique story within minutes to share with your friends. Writing stories has never been so easy! Try out our story generator and step-by-step story maker tool now!

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Daily Writing Challenges

Our daily writing challenges aim to inspire and encourage young writers to write daily. Each day the challenges will update to show a new inspirational prompt for you to write about. We have special seasonal writing challenges, as well as regular challenges, such as the word challenge, book title challenge, poetry challenge and more!

Use Story Starters to Inspire You

Story starters are a brilliant way to fix blank page syndrome (or writer's block). Did you know that 67% of authors say the most challenging part of writing is starting their story? We have thousands of story starters to get you writing in no time! And that's not all, if you're still stuck for inspiration we even have a ton of artwork to inspire you.

Generate Funny Story Ideas

With thousands of story combinations to keep you writing stories every day. Our simple-to-use story idea generator comes with tons of fun and wacky prompts to inspire you. Whether you're into pirates or princesses we got writing prompts to suit every child out there.

No Registration Required

Imagine Forest offers a seamless and user-friendly experience with the convenience of no registration required. We believe in breaking down barriers and making creative resources accessible to all. We provide a hassle-free environment for users to dive into the world of storytelling, writing challenges, and more.

Safe For Kids

Imagine Forest is proud to declare itself a safe space for kids. With no registration required to use tools, we ensure that no personal information is collected, providing a secure and privacy-conscious environment. Our resources are carefully curated to be age-appropriate, for younger to older children, fostering a positive and creative atmosphere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Imagine forest free?

Yes. Imagine Forest is 100% free. There are no additional costs or subscription fees. All features you see on the site are fully available for free.

How do you use Imagine forest?

To use Imagine Forest simply explore the site or click the 'Create a Story' button at the top of this page to access the story creator. Once inside the story creator, you can select the type of story you want to write and continue following the on-screen instructions. At the end, you can download a PDF of your book. You can also explore the rest of the site to find some interesting activities and writing resources to help you become a better story writer.

How do I register for Imagine Forest?

No registration is required. All resources from the story creator to the writing challenges and blog content are openly available to all site visitors. This also means that we don’t store any personal information, allowing users to explore Imagine Forest without the need for a formal registration process. The platform is designed to prioritize user privacy and accessibility, ensuring that creative individuals of all ages can freely engage with the diverse range of writing resources.

Is Imagine Forest safe for kids?

Yes of course. The absence of a registration requirement means that no personal information is collected, providing an added layer of privacy and security. Additionally, the content and activities on Imagine Forest are tailored to be child-friendly, fostering a positive and creative environment. The platform aims to inspire and nurture the imagination of young writers in a safe and age-appropriate manner. As with any online platform, it's advisable for parents to monitor their children's online activities and ensure that they are engaging with content suitable for their age group.

Can I view a list of Writing Prompts?

Yes. Imagine Forest has a huge list of writing prompts and story starters. You can view this collection of writing prompts on our blog, in the writing prompts category .

Is it possible to remove the ads?

Sorry, there is no option to remove ads yet. Ads help keep Imagine Forest running and providing free access to its creative resources for all users. While it may be inconvenient for some to see ads, they play a crucial role in sustaining the platform and ensuring that it remains freely accessible to a wide audience. Imagine Forest relies on revenue generated from advertisements to cover the costs of maintaining the website, developing new features, and expanding its offerings. By allowing ads, the platform can continue to provide a wealth of writing tools, challenges, and other resources without requiring users to pay for access. In the future, we may offer users a paid subscription option which allows them to remove ads from the site.

Is it possible to upload my own images?

At this moment in time, no it is not possible to upload your own images in the story creator tool. We may bring this feature in the future. The purpose of Imagine Forest is to guide you on how to write a good story. It is an educational tool for helping beginners write stories and poems. We do however provide a huge built-in library of photos, and illustrations to use. You can also request more specific images by contacting our team .

Write Your Novel Online Now

NovelEasy is the online writing platform for writers of all skill levels. Whether you’re a published author or budding talent looking for life beyond status updates, you can get away from the noise and focus on telling your story with NovelEasy.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angelou

You want to write but you get distracted when you go online. Humans are creative. We have ideas and incredible stories to tell, but often we end up scrolling instead of writing. Is the next Shakespeare out there fishing for “likes”? Is the next Dickens sharing memes?

NovelEasy wants to change that. Here you can unleash your creativity and write something you can be proud of. You’ve always wanted to write a book. Let’s do it!

More Efficient, Better Writing

Easy to Use

Just start typing into the distraction-free text editor and NovelEasy will automatically and securely save for you. Click on a title for quick inline edits, then jump right back into your writing. Best of all, NovelEasy is 100% FREE to join.

Easily add, reorder, delete, and navigate chapters . Start using them to build an outline, then add text to flesh out your story. All the flexibility of a three-ring binder, but a whole lot easier.

Universal Formatting

Spruce up your writing with NovelEasy's convenient Markdown buttons in addition to typing in your own tags. The built-in Markdown renderer will display your styling right in your browser. Best of all, everything you type is preserved exactly as you entered it.

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PREMIUM FEATURE

Track your daily progress with word count, time spent writing, days spent writing, monthly totals, and more! Go back and see your past statistics * and get a true picture of your writing journey.

*Statistics recorded from December 2018 onward.

Get to the Finish Line

Monitor your book's length using NovelEasy's word counter . Review your novel in Reading Mode then, when you're done, export it as a Markdown document that you can open with most text editors.

Home » Writing » 15 writing websites and online resources to help you write your own story

15 writing websites and online resources to help you write your own story

Just like any craft or task, having the right tools for the job can make writing your own story or short story much easier. There are myriad writing online resources and websites out there to help with every aspect of story writing, from story title ideas and plot development to editing. We’ve picked a few of our favorite websites to help you get started, improve your writing, develop your characters, and learn how to edit your work. Ultimately, we want to help you become a more confident and productive writer. But remember, in addition to writing tools, reading more books is the best way to improve your writing because it exposes you to a wide range of writing styles, vocabulary, and language structures.

Resources for getting started

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of an aspiring author more than the blank page. The endlessly flashing cursor. Even when your head is full to the brim with plot twists and characters, getting it all down on paper in a coherent form is another thing altogether. Luckily, this is a common first hurdle for lots of writers, so hundreds of tools and apps have sprung up—dedicated to helping you gather your thoughts and start writing.

1. Evernote

This bookmarking tool is a great way to collect moments of inspiration and ideas for your story together in one place, where they can be filed and organized, ready to be put to good use. It might be a ‘how to’ article you want to read, a quote that reminds you of one of your characters, or an image that would be the perfect setting for your next scene. Inspiration strikes in the most unexpected of places, but as Evernote is available on pretty much every platform, you can collect notes wherever you are. You can choose to have one notebook that you throw everything into, or you can set up separate notebooks to help you organize your thoughts and ideas as you go. If you’re working on a novel, why not set up separate notebooks for each character or each chapter?

2. NaNoWriMo

November is a special time of year for writers. If you are struggling to get started writing your own story, then joining NaNoWriMo is the perfect opportunity. Confident that anyone can write a novel in just 30 days, NaNoWriMo provides tools, advice, and resources throughout November to help writers do just that. Be spurred on by the hundreds of writers around the world who join across social media and NaNoWriMo forums to cheer each other on and share learnings from their own experiences. All you need to start is a draft title for your book.

3. The Time is Now

Check out this section of Poets & Writers Magazine online to get weekly writing prompts—poetry on Tuesdays, fiction on Wednesdays, and creative nonfiction on Thursdays. It’s a great resource to help you build a daily writing practice, get new ideas, and improve your craft. Most prompts are inspired by specific books, so you can also grow your reading list!

4. Underlined

Formerly known as Figment , Underlined is a website that provides story starters, writing inspiration, and advice from published authors . You can also join a community of aspiring writers, share excerpts of your work, and provide feedback to each other—all valuable parts of the creative life.

Sites for improving your writing

Whether this is your first attempt at writing your own story or you have a few books behind you always, there are always new things to learn and more ways to improve your writing.

5. 750 Words

As with any skill, the best way to improve your writing is practice, practice, practice. Story writing websites like 750 Words or Writer’s Digest’s Creative Writing Prompts , provide daily nudges to get your creative juices flowing. By just writing without an agenda and without judgment, you’ll make writing every day a regular productive habit and steadily build your confidence.

6. Helping Writers Become Authors

The Helping Writers Become Authors podcast recourse hosted by award-winning author, K.M. Weiland, offers practical tips and advice on story writing from structure and plot to character identity and honing your craft as a writer.

7. Grammar Girl

Get to grips with the quirks of language and the rules of good grammar with this entertaining and hugely useful podcast. Popular Grammar Girl episodes include “Affect Versus Effect” and “Active Voice & Passive Voice.”

Resources for developing your characters

We’re betting you have more than one favorite character from more than one book. Characters like Elizabeth Bennett, Albus Dumbledore, and Bilbo Baggins live on in reader’s minds long after they’ve turned the final page. Your characters should become like old friends, that you know inside and out, to add depth and humanity to your story.

8. Writer’s Digest – Character Development Sheets

Subscribing to the Writer’s Digest mailing list gets you access to this free worksheet designed to flesh out each of your characters. Working through a series of questions, you’ll develop their key hopes, fears, and skills, their personality quirks, how they might act in different situations, and how all of this will be revealed to the reader throughout your story.

9. The Write Practice – Characterization 101

This free course from The Write Practice guides you through seven key steps to creating memorable characters, covering important character archetypes, character motivations, how not to introduce a character to your story, and much more.

Resources for editing, reviewing, (and repeating it)

In addition to proofreading for spelling, language, and grammar errors, two other forms of editing should form part of your review process. Developmental editing, which is editing for the structure, flow, and consistency of your story, and substantive editing, which is concerned with clarity, accuracy, and reader comprehension.

When your manuscript or first draft is complete, let it sit a while before reviewing. It also helps to have a second and third set of eyes on your work. Even better, if budget allows, employing the skills of a professional editor can give your story the polished finish it deserves.

10. Grammarly

Available as a Google Chrome extension, Grammarly works across your web pages as you write to help you catch common writing errors. It will highlight and fix grammar, punctuation, and contextual spelling mistakes. The premium version can also suggest alternative vocabulary choices.

Remember not to rely on online spell checks alone to proofread your work. Always give your text a thorough sense check yourself, too.

11. Hemingway Editor

As the name suggests, Hemingway Editor is an online editing tool and website that will help make your writing clearer, bolder, and more direct—just like the author it’s named after. Simply copy and paste your text into the tool to check for overly complex sentences, overuse of adverbs, and the passive voice. It will also highlight instances where a shorter word could serve the same purpose.

Every writer needs a good editor, and the Reedsy website only works with the best. Their hand-picked, experienced, professional editors can review your story development, structure, consistency, and style, helping to perfect and polish your manuscript. Reedsy also offers a tool to easily  write and format a book , the same way a professional typesetter would.

Resources for promoting your writing

13. wattpad.

Use this storytelling platform to connect with writers and readers around the world, build an audience, and even get discovered. On Wattpad , you start by sharing a story, and then if you build a big enough fan base, you may have a chance to work with entertainment companies and publishers looking to feature your work.

On this writing and reading hub, you’ll find stories, articles, and inspiration that are curated to your taste, written by people like us. Want to share your own writing, photos, or videos? You can do that on Medium —and potentially earn money. The platform lets you see how your stories are performing and what kinds of readers like your writing, plus it offers tips for starting a newsletter, submitting to publications, and curating your work.

15. FictionPress

If you’re interested in getting feedback on your own work—and browsing an archive of self-published short stories, fiction, and poetry—see what’s happening at FictionPress (a sister site to FanFiction ). You can upload your own writing for free and let other people review it. Sometimes all you need is a little motivation and support from like-minded writers to keep you on track toward your writing goals.

From collecting inspiration to the final finishing touches, there’s a whole world of tools , websites, support, and advice out there to help you with every stage of writing your own story and making your own book. But, when it comes down to it, the thing that will make the most difference is you. You have all the tools you need. Now write!

Novels , Reedsy

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An online writing app for novelists and storytellers

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Read, write, and edit from any computer any time. Your manuscripts are saved online so you always continue right where you left off, even from a different device.

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The Quill includes all the features you need plus a few you'll love. Save yourself time and effort while enjoying every minute of your storytelling. The Quill can even predict when you'll finish your novel so you can rest assured you'll meet your deadline.

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Order and reorder your sections, outlines, chapters, and elements without the hassle of copying and pasting.

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Quickly access notes, elements, goals, comments, and more from the sidebar. Everything on one screen means uninterrupted writing.

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No more moving files, text, and post-its to organize your manuscripts. Get a god's-eye view of your writing. Intuitively drag and drop to plot. Manage your manuscript elements . Compile your research . All in one place.

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We believe great writing comes from an authentic human experience. But we do believe AI can assist you in writing and barreling through creative blocks.

Our AI Outline Generator helps you structure your books effortlessly. It offers a range of templates from Hero's Journey to Romancing the Beat, to Screenplays and Academic theses. It provides a guided approach to organizing your narrative, ensuring that your stories and books are well-structured and coherent. You can feed the Outline Generator as little or as much information as you want and it will give you a plot structure and outline specifically tailored to you and your elements, with your chosen template.

Our AI does not and will never store your data, it is deleted on every session. Your data will never be used to train our AI.

Smart Text and Auto-suggest

You won’t find this in any other writing app.

LivingWriter stores all your elements and auto-suggests them in your manuscript.

As you type any character names, location, objects, etc. our editor will auto-suggest your elements.

Clicking on your elements will allow you to quickly access notes and other info for each element.

Plot Quickly with Time-Tested Manuscript Outlines

You can use the same outlines used in world famous stories and movies right inside LivingWriter. We'll lead you through each step with detailed instructions.

With our AI Outline Feature, you can even use these templates to get assistance creating a narrative just from basic ideas you haven’t fleshed out yet!

No other writing app out there will do that for you.

The outlines include, the Three Act Structure, The Hero's Journey, The Story Circle, Romancing the Beat, and many more!

See All Available Outlines

Intuitive Writing Goals and Stats

Writing goals helps you create a vision for your manuscripts. Visually seeing your goals will make a difference in your writing pace. There's no novel writing software that shows you your goals as beautifully as we do. Goals and deadlines don't have to be scary, they can be motivating!

Chapter Goals

Quickly add and update word count goals per section of your manuscript

Easy integration and support for National Novel Writing Month

Manuscript Goals

Beyond word counts, you can add deadlines to your manuscript to keep yourself on track

Session Goals

Track your word counts automatically per writing session

Keep everything in one place. Your plot, research, and elements.

With the Plot Board, you get an intuitive, modern way to organize your plot. Simply drag and drop plot points, elements, and any other plot data you want into the board. Watch your manuscript map come to life in a clear, visual way.

Outlines Board

With the Outline Board, you get an intuitive, modern way to view your manuscript. Simply drag and drop anything inside the board to rearrange your book , change up your plot or just marvel at how much you've written so far.

Research Board

With the Research Board, you can add research sections for each topic in your book. In each section you can add files, images, notes, documents, and more. Simply drag and drop to arrange and rearrange.

Elements Board

With the Element Board, you can see all the elements in your manuscript for quick editing in detailed and simple views. In addition, you have access to freeform element boards to create family trees, branching timelines, and anything else you can imagine!

Tailored To Your Tastes

LivingWriter comes in both light and dark modes. You can easily switch between them with one click. This will come in handy when you're on a writing binge at night and your eyes start to hurt. You can keep using the best writing app in the world straight through to sunrise. In addition, LivingWriter offers various color theme options so you can customize the application to look the way you want it to.

Cloud Based So Your Creativity Doesn't Have to Stop

Many writing apps out there don't link to the cloud, so you're stuck working on just one device. But we know that writing novels online , and on any device is the future. LivingWriter doesn't lock your imagination to one place. With iOS/Android/MacOS and Windows apps completely synced to the web version, write wherever and whenever.

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Get it all out there or Share it in pieces

You're midway through your thrilling murder mystery, but you get the feeling it's not suspenseful enough. Don't worry. LivingWriter is the only novel writing software with easy sharing and co-authoring features. Share your manuscript for just viewing or allow editing.

Share Specifically

With one click of a button share your whole book or individual chapters with your friends or an editor.

Share Everything

Your notes for your chapters and elements can be shared as well.

Seamless Exports of Your Manuscripts

We make it easy to export your manuscripts in any format you’d like. Currently we offer PDF, DOCX, direct to Google Drive and Dropbox, as well as Amazon Manuscript (which gives you Amazon Manuscript sizes to send direct to Amazon KDP). Export your entire manuscript, just your elements, notes, or specific chapter, easily and intuitively.

Seamless Imports Of Your Existing Work

Wrote half of your book already? All good. Import your existing manuscripts from other programs with a couple of clicks, and see how much easier it is to finish your second half on LivingWriter. If you're coming from other writing apps like Scrivener, don't worry. You'll be able to pick up on LivingWriter right where you left off.

No Lagging , No Matter The Length

Other writing programs weren't meant to hold your 100,000 word masterpiece. You’d have to split your book up into separate docs to keep it from loading forever. With LivingWriter, each chapter and subchapter is self-contained, meaning a speedy load of your whole manuscript every time.

Never hit save again

Even if your laptop decides to have a meltdown, rest assured that your work is safe.

LivingWriter automatically saves every letter you type. Writing software that's cloud-based is the future!

Your work gets saved constantly, safely, into our Amazon Cloud Infrastructure and then we back it up for you every 10 minutes.

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I wish I had known about LivingWriter back when I started writing! The ability to keep all my character names, ages, descriptions, etc. all organized in LivingWriter would have saved me sooooo many hours.

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Our staff are dedicated to improving your writing experience. Get in touch with us 24-7 to let us know how we can make your life easier.

Constantly Evolving

We've got a roadmap, but we're also always implementing new features suggested directly by our loyal writers. We're dedicated to your success. Our goal is to be the best writing app for you.

View our Roadmap

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The best writing app for fiction.

Most of our writers are spinning up fantasy, romance and science fiction stories. We've made it easy to get all your creativity and fictional elements into LivingWriter. No writing app does this better than we do.

The best writing app for non-fiction

When it comes to non-fiction we have templates for memoirs, biographies, self-help books and more. We've already had six (that we know about) self-help books published after being written on our platform!

Best writing app for world-builders

No other writing app or novel plotting software gives you the freedom that LivingWriter does. With our smart elements, beautiful board and intuitive organization, you can have your entire world built before putting down your first word.

Best software for screenwriting

You no longer have to use programs like Final Draft to write your screenplays. LivingWriter allows you to use your chapters, subchapters, and scenes with intuitive screenplay formatting. All in one writing software.

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ALL WRITERS WELCOME

Writing.Com welcomes writers of all interests and skill levels. Whether you're a writer looking for the perfect place to store and display your poetry, stories and other writing or a reader willing to offer feedback for our writers and their writings, this is the website for you. Meet and bond with fresh creative minds!

CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT

Writing.Com is a writers' playground, full of useful tools, inspirations, community support, and motivation! We offer writers hundreds of unique writing tools and opportunities for creation and productivity: your own portfolio, community newsfeed, contests, activities, rewards, and recognitions!

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All members may display up to ten items for free in their own portfolio. Set these to private or public display and edit any time you wish! We provide members with many ways to share these items within the community and beyond. You are also given an @writing.com email address for your account for email.

what is writing.com?

Since founding this friendly, social network for writers in September 2000, it has grown to be one of the largest online writing websites. Each day hundreds of new members join in the fun, and thousands of our current members welcome them with open arms.

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We give you tips for quickly getting started with your account on Writing.Com. Think of this as your jump start for getting your work and presence online. The more you learn about this vast, exciting website, the more fun you will ultimately have each time you log in.

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29690+ Fiction Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest . If you’re looking for the best fiction short stories to read online, we’ve got you covered. Wide-ranging and ever-curious, these free short stories will meet your reading needs.

🏆 Winning stories

“ killer in the willows ” by kajsa ohman.

🏆 Winner of Contest #236

KILLER IN THE WILLOWSJust do it, so the T-shirts say. Just pick up the gun, pull the trigger—but maybe aim first, aim at the upper sternum and then pull the trigger, congratulating yourself that at last, in your long, passive life, you have shot somebody dead. So she did, and thus she became a murderer. She slipped through the night after that and disappeared into the willows to wash off any blood that spattered onto her clothing. The willows were thickl...

“ The Lantern of Kaamos ” by Jonathan Page

🏆 Winner of Contest #233

The melting Arctic is a crime scene, and I am like CSI Ny-Ålesund. Trond is the anonymous perpetrator leaving evidence and clues for me to discover, like breadcrumbs leading back to him. “Jonna,” he had said, the day we first met at the research institute, “If you are going to make it up here, don’t lock your doors.” It seemed like a life philosophy, rather than a survival tip.It is ironic. Out on Kings Bay, the coal miners came first, then the science outposts. Trond was already out here mining the Arctic when I was sti...

“ No Junior League ” by Mary Lynne Schuster

🏆 Winner of Contest #232

You are sure you want to do this?   Running away. Starting over.  It’s not as easy as people think. You have to give up everything.  Oh, that part’s easy. Everyone thinks we are all traceable, that you can’t really hide. But, see, everything is tied to your identity. Your papers. If you change those, you are a different person.  Fingerprints? If they’re in the system, if yo...

⭐️ Recommended stories

“ a pic to die for ” by timothy motley.

Submitted to Contest #245

Trixie carefully shimmied along the rickety rafters that hung over the abandoned club. She imagined there was a point in time when these rafters housed lights that flashed across the drunken dancers below. Tonight they would be holding Trixie as she accomplished a lifelong goal. It was a goal that was born at a third grade book fair. Almost by chance she had selected a photography book. Never knowing that the images inside would capture her heart. She cherished that book and the haunting photos that were plastered across its pages. Soon one ...

“ Catch the Moment ” by Melody Watson

“What are you doing?”“Oh my gosh!”“What’s happening, Sandy? Are you okay?”A slight squeak, turned moan. Sandy frantically tore at her clothing. Between the sounds and heavy breathing, she was too occupied to respond, if she even heard. The clothing flew in all directions were being shed like snakeskin. It appeared as if there was a snake in them.Cassie tried to grab her sister’s arm, narrowly missing as a pair of pants zinged passed her head. By all appearances Sandy had completely lost her mind. What was going on? Sandy was always modest, n...

“ A Reminder: Sometimes Taking a Chance Can Lead to the Happiest of Endings ” by Lisa Lange

Dr. Swan, veterinarian, dreamed of owning an old-fashioned circus. When he retired, he bought three box trucks and equipment—an orange and blue big top, folding wooden audience benches, machines for making cotton candy and popcorn and for dispensing soda, bags of sawdust, high wire apparatus and trapezes, rings and hoops and platform blocks and ropes, audio equipment, stage lights, barbells, and glittering costumes. The box trucks were the pack animals of his circus, so, on one truck he painted a donkey. On one truck he painted a llama. And ...

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🏆 Featuring 12 prize-winning stories from our community. Download it now for FREE .

✍️ All stories

“ the modern american home ” by kevin o'connor.

Trigger warning: Violent images. They had just installed the new fridge. The boy’s father grunted and cussed as he jammed it into place, sweat soaking his collar. The Philco V Handle, the finest refrigerator money can buy. Silver chrome, knock ‘em dead. The boy was excited about it, he made a big fuss over the whole affair. He liked the way it could open on either side, depending on how the handle was pressed. “It’s dually-hinged,” the father explained, wearing his classic grin. The boy’s mother said it didn’t have enough room. She stood in...

“ Kodachrome ” by Karla S. Bryant

Ian had put it off long enough. His mother, Lillian, had passed two months ago. Lillian’s clothing, fashion jewelry, and vast collection of expensive handbags had been given away or were for sale at St. Paul’s Consignment Shop. His older sister, Sofie, had done that part.Now Ian stood in the middle of his mother’s study and looked around. Stacks of boxes surrounded him. Tax records and greeting cards with faded writing, financial statements and old photographs, sentimental letters that smelled musty and utility bills… where to start? This wa...

“ Mirror Image ” by Indigo Writer

“Woah, what’s up with your face in that picture?” My best friend, Beverly, questioned from beside me, her voice startling me as I dragged my confused gaze away from the image of myself that had been staring back at me for the better part of 5 minutes, and I furrowed my brow as I locked my eyes with hers and say,“To be honest, I’m not even sure where it came from. I don’t recall taking this photo.” As I finished my sentence, I slid my eyes back to my phone screen, analyzing the photo of myself, but I couldn’t seem to pinpoint when I had snapp...

“ The Last Ceaseless ” by Isabel Jewell

California, 2160 Theo’s eyes shifted uneasily to the body beside him. He’s not dead, he tried to reassure himself. Well, he’s not alive either, his conscience retorted. Guilt ate at him like a zombie. But how was this his fault? He never asked to be a dead man’s babysitter . . . Well, not dead. And he’s 700 and some years older than you. It was hard to imagine what it would be like to be frozen, asleep in a tank, even as Theo pressed his finger pads against the frosty glass. Not when the earth was burning. Dry. How bad could a pr...

“ Vietnam Photographer ” by Sirref Pen Name

There is a photo taken by Gabriel Helen during the Vietnam War. It is of an American soldier rising out of a black zipper body bag. There is a billet hole through his head with a circumference of blood like a tattoo. He holds out his arms as rises, gasping for breath. It looks like a modern day fable of the Resurrection.   The man’s name is Francis Lebell. His hat is dirty blond, disheveled and curled, dried and unkempt, unwashed and dried with blood. A thin mustache over his lips almost appears red, little hairs also tangled in dr...

“ A Silent Intelligencer ” by Lucrecia Cabrera-Quintana

"Cheat, steal, lie but don't get caught doing it." Is what my instructor always told me. In this industry, you have to do whatever it takes to survive and get the job done. Or meet your gruesome end, by getting killed while doing it. As an agent in the SIA [Secret Intelligence Agency] my role is to take pictures and provide the other agents with information of criminals. The tricky part is doing it without getting caught. Getting caught could mean torture or worse....death. But in case we do get caught and have the chance, we're authorized t...

“ Shutter Speed ” by Harry Stuart

My camera positioned on the tripod, I take a quick selfie, documenting my loathsome mood. The September night is crisp, an early arrival of a northern front expected in Chicago, and I’m couched in the background, in my tired suit and tie, trying my best to blend in with the wedding guests while snapping pictures from the most advantageous angles. An outdoor ceremony this time of season is suspect, but princesses dream big, and mind you, they are all princesses. With my camera calibrated and ready, I simultaneously watch and click off some sh...

“ Bella. From Latin, Meaning 'Beautiful'. ” by Christina Santoro

Carmela walked into the library to meet her mother’s group, unaffected by the apprehension she was certain all the other women would be feeling.While other mothers got upset at old ladies poking their heads inside their prams, Carmela reveled in it. She would stand back, allowing them to admire her daughter. Waiting for them to tell her what she already knew. That her child was beautiful. Her eyes were wide and alert - two green moons gently marbled with copper and gold - in perfect contrast with her silky shock of dark hair. Her olive ...

“ In Tents ” by L.B. Goldman

Sometime late in the night Mal wakes up. She doesn’t need to pee and she isn’t thirsty. Her pillow is wet with drool; she wipes the cheek that’s been resting on it. It is too dark to see anything, but she can hear John’s steady, sleepful breathing.She checks her phone for the time, blinking sleepily at the bright light that emanates from the screen. Just past three in the morning. Brilliant. She lies down, turns away from John, and unlocks her phone. Just a bit of mindless scrolling before she goes back to sleep. Her phone opens automat...

“ Big sister ” by Sophie Parmaby

The train screeched as it neared the its final destination. "Froxville!" The conductor cried out, although he usually he didn't bother. Typically most, if not all the passengers got off at the preceding town of Tretle, but today, there was one person who remained seated. At first he assumed the girl was simply asleep. That, he thought, would be a plausible reason as to why she hadn't gotten off at the last stop, but he realized his mistake when she rose at the name of the town, patiently waiting for the halt of the train. “Perhaps she doesn’...

“ A Thousand Sexy Words ” by Hillary McDonald

“Mom, what did you do?”I had often seen the parent-child relationship reverse over time in my aging friends, and I had convinced myself that that would never happen to me. The tone in my daughter Amy’s voice when she called me on the phone that day, however, told me otherwise.“What do you mean?”“You haven’t seen it?”“Seen what?”“Pull up your Facebook.”My tablet was on the side table by my chair, and I set the phone down to retrieve it. My granddaughter Lisa was sitting on the couch, and she gave me a quizzical look.“It’s your mother,” I said...

“ Ollie ” by Kai Brando

The picture was unflattering to say the least.  There was always that moment when the phone camera is flipped into selfie mode, where the camera is too close and all you see is a closeup of your nose, your eyes almost half-lidded because of the low angle, and the shining wideness of your forehead. This photo hadn’t quite captured that moment, but the expression on his face was nonetheless similarly awkward anyway. Anyone with a grandparent or even older parent had seen the captured face he was making. It was the look of a person struggl...

“ The Living and the Dead ” by Susan Lamphier

   "That's what I love about you!" he said, watching her. His grinned. He stood next to her, at the stern of the ship, watching the seagulls dance in the wake as they left port. Soon, they would be out too far for the gulls to fly. The smell of land would dissipate, and there would be nothing left but endless ocean all around them.     "You were right," she answered. "This is bracing! Flying is not the same. Even though this trip cost so very, very much, it is absolutely worth it!"   &nb...

The Best Fiction Short Stories

Short fiction stories are a fantastic way to access the literary world in compact, bite-sized reading sessions. The short story as we know it today began in the 19th century, when the increasing interest in print literary magazines led to many authors like Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens writing and publishing stories. Later, with the onset of modernism in the beginning of the 20th century, the fiction short story began to adopt more abstract forms, embracing ambiguity and inconclusivity. The later 20th century brought the increasing popularity of the short story as an artistic and literary undertaking. 

Short fiction stories span every imaginable genre. From literary fiction (the likes of which you’ll see published in The New Yorker ), to crime, fantasy, and romance stories, the form is remarkable for its versatility and adaptability.

Looking for fiction short stories to read?

On this page, you can read fiction short stories for free! These are stories that have been submitted to Reedsy’s weekly writing contest, with shortlisted or winning stories chosen by our judges appearing at the top of the page for your convenience. And if you're looking for more of the contest's best entries, make sure to claim your free copy of Prompted , our new literary magazine.

If you discover a writer whose work you really enjoy and admire, head over to their profile and click ‘Follow’ to keep up to date with their newest writing. They’ll appreciate it!

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An online collaborative story planner that lets writers plan, organize, and write stories & fictional universes.

No installation required. Work from anywhere—even your phone.

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Plan, Organize, Write

Plan your stories or just start writing the first chapter. Organize complex projects. Write high-quality stories with our advanced manuscript editor.

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Track your daily, weekly, and monthly word stats. Set a goal and see a visual account of your progress.

Great stories are planned before they are written

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, came up with the idea for the series while waiting for a train. Did she immediately begin writing the first chapter? No. On that day, she began a five year long journey planning the immersive world and plot of the Harry Potter series. Five years in, and she publishes the first of seven books. What followed was nothing short of amazing.

The series went on to become a worldwide phenomenon and some of the best selling books in history. Records were shattered. Fans clamored for more. J.K. Rowling became a household name and won the admiration of millions around the world.

With Plot Factory, you have the potential to do the same. We provide you with the tools to realize your masterpiece. Begin your journey now.

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Hear your story out loud. Listen for grammatical errors, run-on sentences, and story flow.

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Collaborate with your team on Plot Factory just like you would on Google Docs.

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Quickly and easily build characters off built-in character sheets or build you own sheet.

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Export your stories as ePub files, for self-publishing. Export as docx files for querying.

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$19 / month or $190 / year

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AI Story Generator

AI story generator by Editpad quickly writes compelling stories based on your prompt with interesting plots using AI without any sign-up.

Our free story maker creates every type of fictional and nonfictional story to ignite your imagination to avoid the frustration of thinking about a plot.

How to use Editpad's AI Story Generator?

Follow these simple steps below to use our AI story generator:

• Type the prompt of your story in the input box.
• After typing the prompt click on the “ Write Story ” button.
• Editpad's story generator will automatically write a story within seconds without any registration.
• After that, you can copy and download the story from the output box.

Features of our Story Maker

Our story maker comes with the following features:

AI Generated Stories

Story length, creativity level, frequently asked questions, is there an ai that writes stories.

Yes, Editpad offers a free AI story generator that writes creative, engaging, comprehensive, and unique stories based on your prompts.

Can AI write short stories?

Yes, AI can write short stories and Editpad story generator can help you write them. Thanks to its advanced AI language model, you can write short stories, novels, or screenplays in seconds.

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