Welcome to The Writer's Arena, home of our weekly free short story contest! Every week two authors each write short stories based on a single prompt. Then, you the audience read the stories and cast your votes for the winner. Those votes will be weighed against the verdict from our judges. Only one story can emerge victorious! Sit back, and enjoy the show.
After a lot of thought over the past few months, we have decided that we will not be opening up the arena again in January for a 2017 season. The simple fact is that Tony and Joe have been absolutely crushed for time as Human Echoes has grown and matured. … Continue reading
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived. It’s been a year in the making, but today we crown a new Writer’s Arena Champion. Today’s international bout is a rematch of our first tournament. Our fighters, Donald Jacob Uitvlugt and David Webb have clawed, scratched, and … Continue reading
“Cloudcuckooland” by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt vs “Of a Feather” by David Webb Greetings, short story lovers. And so we come to the final prompt for this year. Both authors have fought hard and delivered some incisive victories thus far and we are looking forward to this battle. Besides, who … Continue reading
Once upon a time there lived a boy named Victor. Victor was a very sick child. He could not go outside to play with the other children. He couldn’t go for walks in the part or play on the sports teams. He couldn’t even go to school. Except for his … Continue reading
There was once a little American girl who liked to feed birds. There’s nothing unusual about that, you might think. Lots of little girls are American and a great many of them also feed birds. What was unusual, because a part of this story is true, is that the birds … Continue reading
Mondays are a slippery thing while fall slides into winter. Our days are shorter, our bellies fuller. Offices and homes are laden with sweets and orange arrangements. Industrious children rake leaves for cash while parents meticulously prepare their tables for the coming feasts. Perhaps its fitting that this semi-final … Continue reading
“My Mother, The Superhero” by Donald Uitvlugt vs “Padre De Dios” by Thomas Mays Greetings, short story lovers, and welcome to this round’s mystery prompt. We’ve explored a lot of different characters in the arena so far, but we rarely decide to focus in on one specific type of … Continue reading
The delta counter decremented to zero and Zachary Emilio Fuentes swore in frustration. He slapped the side of the cryo-cooled cabinet and stalked away to pace in the open end of the lab. Lydia Marchand raised an eyebrow, but that was the extent of her acknowledgement concerning Zef’s behavior. It … Continue reading
I got the call last Wednesday at 10 pm. I know it can’t be good news. Even though we both live in Chicago, my sister never calls just to talk. “Hey, Dufus.” No response to the hated nickname. It really must be serious. “It’s time, Marcus. If you’re coming, you … Continue reading
Happy election eve to our American readers. On this strangest of Mondays, we hide from commercials, sling mud at family members with differing opinions, and silently hope the machinations of some secret society aren’t at work. We also read short stories. With any luck, you’ve already read and voted for … Continue reading
“Be a Lady” by Lu Whitley vs “King of the World” by David Webb Greetings, short story lovers. Today’s topic is a bit on the nebulous side. It’s hard to say if it even really exists. Those who believe in it know fully well that it governs their lives, … Continue reading
“Full house: Queens over Fours.” The cards fan out for everyone to see, but it don’t matter, the guy sitting behind them’s been a hot streak all night. With that win, he’s turned eighty-three bucks into almost four thousand. He stacks his chips up all anal-like while the dealer sends … Continue reading
The people not cool enough for nightclubs meet in pubs and bars where their voices compete with, and are lost in, a pulsating mixture of feel-good music and big screen sports. They shriek at one another clutching over-priced drinks, strike poses, and adopt exaggerated expressions in order to be understood. … Continue reading
As the leaves turn colored and a chill creeps up during the night, we watch as autumn settles over the arena floor. With this judgement, the quarterfinal round of The Writer’s Arena Tournament comes to a close. One author will fall, the other will move on to glory in the … Continue reading
“Alone” by Hannah Newell vs “Good Neighbors” by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt Greetings, short story lovers, and welcome to Round 4 of the 2016 Arena Tournament. We asked our authors to explore a very specific type of relationship for the arena this week. It is a relationship built entirely on chance. … Continue reading
I had a slowly rolling metal ball in my gut. That’s the feeling, at least. It had spikes that patiently tore at everything in me that was once peaceful. It never rested, it never stopped, and because it never left me it seemed to promise that it would remain for … Continue reading
The angrier Tate Gibson got, the more amusing his wife found it. “Why don’t you go over there and talk to her?” Abby asked. “I shouldn’t have to go over there. She shouldn’t be playing her music so loud.” He shook his head. “If I had known the walls were … Continue reading
The Writer’s Arena Tournament continues on, swallowing up its contestants and grinding them into story sausage. Another Monday is upon us, which means we must choose one story to be processed, and one to be spared. Our authors transported us to another time and place in these tales, literally delivering … Continue reading
“Deadwood Run” by Tony Southcotte vs “The Foghorn Leghorn Tribulation” by Thomas Mays Greetings, short story lovers, and welcome to the third quarterfinal round of our 2016 tournament. We’ve had some journeys so far in the arena, our walls are no stranger to the idea of a road trip, … Continue reading
The hem of Anne’s dress draped over a box of TNT. She’d been sitting in the shade of the wagon for most of the day while her father drove the horses forward. The flat plains had given way to the Black Hills mountains and the scent of fresh pine was … Continue reading
