Story of the Week
Every Friday our editors pick out one of the best new stories they've read during the week and share it with you here. If you want to nominate a piece for this slot then let us know on the Discuss Writing from ABC Forum or by email to luke@abctales.com.
(22.11.13) 'Lets move on. Immediately' is a primer for all the cliché's and quips a woman has to put up with by the time she reaches her third trimester. It's both funny and inventive:
http://www.abctales.com/story/geegogs1/lets-move-immediately
(15.11.13) 'A Chicken That Shares Our Values' is at once comic and frighteningly prescient. What kind of world are we living in, today? And why hasn't it driven us mad already? BlackJack Davey is back with another incredible story:
http://www.abctales.com/story/blackjack-davey/chicken-shares-our-values
(08.11.13) Lem's Home is a touching, perspicacious account of a young couple moving in together. Lem brilliantly captures the moment in which one’s notion of Home is forever altered – transfigured through ‘the shivering depths of lust and love':
http://www.abctales.com/story/lem/home
(01.11.13) Celticman’s School Photos series just keeps getting better and better. If you haven't started it the time to start is now. This eerie excerpt can stand alone, and is just about perfect for Halloween:
http://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/school-photos-11
(25.10.13) Lisa H has finally finished her novel, That Elusive Cure. It’s a magnificent book, lucidly written, surprising and featuring characters that one can’t help but grow attached to. Here’s a segment from the later chapters that stands up on its own as a powerful short story, but if you haven’t been following I’d recommend that you start from the beginning:
http://www.abctales.com/story/lisa-h/elusive-cure-49
http://www.abctales.com/story/lisah/elusive-cure
(18.10.13) Scratch's Daniel series hits a new high with 'The Presbytery.' His incredibly delicate introduction of two new characters raises the stakes incredibly, while nonetheless retaining the ambiguity that keeps these pieces so affecting:
http://www.abctales.com/story/scratch/daniel-7-presbytery
(11.10.13) Our story of the week is the first of Canonette’s latest series. Grim, gritty and perfect for the start of a new academic year: if you haven’t read it yet, make a move!
http://www.abctales.com/story/canonette/hard
(04.10.13) Be warned, this is VERY rude! Vera Clark's 'Sexing the Blackberry' is also VERY funny. If this is what women discuss then we men are in trouble. This is a work of genius. Read it and fall about:
http://www.abctales.com/story/veraclark/sexing-blackberry
(27.09.13) 'Definitely Tequila' by MissUnderstood is a remarkable piece of writing. It conveys a complex and difficult part of the human condition in a forceful and commanding manner. This is not easy. I recommend this one very highly indeed:
http://www.abctales.com/story/missunderstood/definitely-tequila
(20.09.13) When Denzella is in a playful mood the words just flow out of her. She has a real voice in her writing - and 'No! She Wasn't Likeable' is a classic. It has so many twists and turns, it'll leave you laughing and guessing to the end:
http://www.abctales.com/story/denzella/no-she-wasnt-likeable
(13.09.13) No doubt about this week's winner - celticman's 'on the last day of christmas' is a gem. Original, inventive, playful and sad - it's got it all:
http://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/last-day-christmas
(06.09.13) Sawney_Hatton's 'The Good Touch' is a delight. It has all the hallmarks of a fine novella packed into a relatively short story. Humour, good characterisation and a fine point, well made are all there:
http://www.abctales.com/story/sawneyhatton/good-touch
(30.08.13) Raef_Boylan's 'Nights Out' is a disturbing tale of teenage angst and discovery. There's lots going on, but it's mainly in the narrator's head, and I suspect there's a great deal of truth in it too:
http://www.abctales.com/story/raefboylan/nights-out
(23.08.13) The second installment of what I hope will be a very long-lived series by Scratch – a haunting, brilliant depiction of boyhood in a Catholic orphanage, ‘Cooking on a Backwards Fire’ :
http://www.abctales.com/story/scratch/cooking-backwards-fire
(16.08.13) Celticman's 'Bystander' is probably the most imaginative depiction of confronting the life passed by I've ever read. It's hard to manage something that's both funny and moving at once, but this story is exactly that:
http://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/bystander
(09.08.13) Denzella's 'The Birthday! A Monologue' just made me weep and laugh at the same time. I can hear the voice so clearly through this. It's a work of pure genius:
http://www.abctales.com/story/denzella/birthday-monologue
(02.08.13) A really good ghost story is a rare thing indeed but RJF's 'I Am Here' takes you on a great roller coaster ride of a tale:
http://www.abctales.com/story/rjf/i-am-here
(26.07.13) Gingeresque's 'The Other Woman' is a superbly account of what it feels like to be the third person in a relationship. It's very, very good:
http://www.abctales.com/story/gingeresque/other-woman
(19.07.13) Parson Thru' knocks his writing ability in this piece - but I've read his book and I know how good he is! This introspective speaks to all of us. Honest, well written and perspicacious:
http://www.abctales.com/story/parson-thru/reality-and-line-least-resistance
(12.07.13) Katie1975's 'Best Man' has the most delightful twist in its tail. She leads you right up a garden path and then...
http://www.abctales.com/story/katie1975/best-man
(05.07.13)Lisah is starting a new novel and it's intriguing to say the least. There's five chapters up as I write - they are all short - but here's where to start. Just click on her name to get the next ones:
http://www.abctales.com/story/lisah/elusive-cure
(28.06.13) He's new and he's very, very good. K-Burgin has posted a heap of excellent shorts this week so do explore more of his work but 'Sex and Denim' takes the biscuit for me:
http://www.abctales.com/story/k-burgin/sex-and-denim
(21.06.13) It had to be john shade's 'Clingers' this week. It's original, beautifully crafted and thought provoking:
http://www.abctales.com/story/johnshade/clingers
(14.06.13) hadley's 'Ode to a Stickleback and Romanticism' had me in stitches. It's well researched, well written and very funny - what more could you ask?
http://www.abctales.com/story/hadley/ode-stickleback-and-romanticism
(07.06.13) Oh dear - the same person winning two weeks in a row but Canonette's Breakers (1981) is so good it had to get the award:
http://www.abctales.com/story/canonette/breakers-retold-1981
(31.05.13) Canonette is a very talented new member - read all of her works - but 'The Engine Driver' stood out for me. Short, sharp and to the point:
http://www.abctales.com/story/canonette/engine-driver
(24.05.13) Alibob's 'The Clarinet' is not only a great story, it has a structure and form that mirrors the classic short story. This is one to enjoy and learn from:
http://www.abctales.com/story/alibob/clarinet
(17.05.13) The Other Terrence Oblong continues to astound us with his wonderful stories of Happy Island. Two this week! The Election Problem gets the nod:
http://www.abctales.com/story/other-terrence-oblong/election-problem
(10.05.13) Vera Clark's 'Fish and Chips' is a wonderful tale of love and loss - and would have shared the prize (they go so well together) with sid's 'I Never Got To Tell You' - but sid took it down. Bah. So Vera gets it on her own:
http://www.abctales.com/story/veraclark/fish-and-chips
(03.05.13) Two great tales that just have to share the prize. ton.car's wistful look back at Roxy Music and alibob's cliche ridden short with a twist are both magnificent:
http://www.abctales.com/story/ton-car/baby-jane-s-acapulco-we-are-flying...
http://www.abctales.com/story/alibob/king-cliche
(26.04.13) I love this teacher's tale from jambeadie. 'Miss Bradshaw' doesn't ry to explain - it's a classic child's eye view of life. Just brilliant:
http://www.abctales.com/story/jambeadie/miss-bradshaw
(19.04.13) Sorry for the absence for a couple of weeks - but this brilliant story about the day Celtic won the leage from oldpesky makes up for it. It's so rare that someone writes well about sport that it makes it all the more appreciated. Even if you hate football, you'll love this:
http://www.abctales.com/story/oldpesky/oh-love-street-rain
(05.04.13) Vera Clark's 'Unexpected Item' is a brilliant tale of the travails of modern living with a supermarket metaphor. It made me laugh and cry:
http://www.abctales.com/story/veraclark/unexpected-item
(29.03.13) Jupiter Moon's extraordinary 'This Also Shall Pass' is a wonderfully evocative and moving account of old age and loneliness. The main character will stay with me for a long time:
http://www.abctales.com/story/jupitermoon/also-shall-pass
(22.03.13) OliviaStJames has put up three great stories this week but 'Basement Baby' is my favourite. She constructs a world where nothing is quite as it should be with brevity and skill. Terrifying and excellent:
http://www.abctales.com/story/oliviastjames/basement-baby
(15.03.13) Not such a fantastic week, but they don't come along often, but still a very worthy winner. Terrence Oblong's Death stories are generally of a high standard - and this one involving the end of a Minor Deity is clever, witty and sharp:
http://www.abctales.com/story/terrence-oblong/death-and-minor-deity
(08.03.13) I'm normally pretty decisive about these awards but it's been a fantastic week for prose so I'm giving the prize to three people this week. ton.car, celticman and alibob have all come up with gems:
http://www.abctales.com/story/ton-car/lost-hollywood
http://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/god-made-me-ugly-reason
http://www.abctales.com/story/alibob/just-way-you-are
(01.03.13) A shared prize this week as the two pieces are so different that I can't judge one against the other. StJimmy's unpunctuated stream of life is plain superb and Florian's snapshot from a longer piece is fascinating and enticing:
http://www.abctales.com/story/stjimmy/only-thing-worse-leaving
http://www.abctales.com/story/florian/waste-living-things
(22.02.13) I think we have all wondered at one time or another about the woman dressed in plastic bags who pushes a shopping trolley as she shuffles along the pavement. Mae's 'Chimera' nails it:
http://www.abctales.com/story/mae/chimera
(15.02.13) A late entrant for this week - but it's knocked my socks off. Speranza's 'The Inconsolable Secret' takes us on a roller coaster ride through most of philosphy, the art of the writer and the black heart of the soul. This is seriously good:
http://www.abctales.com/story/speranza/inconsolable-secret
(08.02.13) jolono's 'The Letter' is a brilliant exposition of how to tell a story in 400 words.
http://www.abctales.com/story/jolono/letter
(01.02.13) I can't pick between these this week so these two very different stories will have to share the prize. Camdenreece and Kilb50 have both written gems - I commend them highly to you:
http://www.abctales.com/story/camdenreece/nick-clegg-ate-my-homework
http://www.abctales.com/story/kilb50/dead-husbands
(25.01.13) Bear says it isn't finished - and in the middle of an arc of other stories - but I think it's pretty wonderful as it is. 'The Laughing Hole' is strange, imaginative and rather different. I commend it very highly to you:
http://www.abctales.com/story/bear/laughing-hole
(18.01.13) This will be very controversial but the sheer power of the writing and the utterly shocking nature of the content makes John Shade's 'Convenience' my choice this week. It does come with a very large warning due to the nature of its content but it does raise some significant issues and is a great piece of prose:
http://www.abctales.com/story/johnshade/convenience
(11.01.13) Brighton Ro's 'Coffee For One' has stayed with me since its first reading some days ago. It twists and turns brilliantly - and the ending is superb:
http://www.abctales.com/story/brighton-ro/coffee-one
(21.12.12) Karl Wiggins's 'Mum and Fish n'Chips' made me laugh - a lot. I love eccentric old women, they have a logic all of their own:
http://www.abctales.com/story/karl-wiggins/mum-and-fish-n-chips
(14.12.12) I think the Happy Island stories of Alan and Jed are my favourites at the moment on ABC - and this one from the other Terrence Oblong sure doesn't disappoint:
http://www.abctales.com/story/other-terrence-oblong/immigration-problem
(07.12.12) This Wedding Day story from alex tomlin came in after last week's selection but it's a delight and it just gets the vote this week:
http://www.abctales.com/story/alex-tomlin/my-friends-wedding-day
(30.11.12) 'Casting' is a fine seasonal story with a lovely twist from Alibob:
http://www.abctales.com/story/alibob/casting
(23.11.12) He doesn't turn up for years and then he comes along and bags Story of the Week on his first foray back on our shores. He's just very good - Drew Gummerson's 'Palestine' shows him back on fine form:
http://www.abctales.com/story/drew-gummerson/palestine
(16.11.12) harrietmacmillan's 'The Lake' is a story we can all relate to. It brilliantly gets into the head of the protagonist - a real gem:
http://www.abctales.com/story/harrietmacmillan/lake
(09.11.12) sid's 'The Fear' is one of the finest pieces of descriptive writing I've read in a long while. It carries you along on a lonely and terrifying journey:
http://www.abctales.com/story/sid/fear
(02.11.12) I'm always looking for something that breaks the mould - and celticman's 'blessings' certainly does that. It's an extraordinary piece of writing and deserves reading over and over again:
http://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/blessings
(26.10.12) FTSE100 is a funny fellow and his musings often have me in stitches - but this account of the trip of Msr et Madame Vincent to Angleterre had me roaring. Mad, anarchic and very very funny:
http://www.abctales.com/story/ftse100/vincents-go-angleterre
(19.10.12) Blackjackdavey's The Brightlingsea Boy has all of the hallmarks of the perfect short story. Beautifully constructed, lyrically written, saying far more than its words, hinting at passions and disputes under the surface. Just plain brilliant:
http://www.abctales.com/story/blackjack-davey/brightlingsea-boy
(11.10.12) I love The Other Terrence Oblong's Alun and Jed stories and now he's gone and turned them on their head. Funny, brilliantly constructed, orginal and lovely - you couldn't ask for more:
http://www.abctales.com/story/other-terrence-oblong/oblong-problem
(04.10.12) alibob's 'Dream Sequence' is a heartfelt lesson in coming to terms with the pain of illness and eventual loss. It's original and engaging:
http://www.abctales.com/story/alibob/dream-sequence-0
(28.09.12) Mark Say's 'Goya's Dog' just takes you along with it as it explores the fears of a child. It's a great story, very well told:
http://www.abctales.com/story/mark-say/goyas-dog
(21.09.12) Kilb50's 'Avocado For Lunch' gets the nod this week because it is brilliantly understated. The events it describes could have blown into a full scale trauma but they're dealt with so lightly that the wind or real life whistles through it all. Less is often more:
http://www.abctales.com/story/kilb50/avocado-lunch
(14.09.12) It's not often a whole book gets this slot but mikepyro has just finished posting up his re-write of 'Animal'. It's one of the finest books ever put up on here and if you haven't read it, do. It may be a Western but if you feel that isn't your thing, then don't be put off. It's very, very good indeed. Here's the first chapter. Just click on the author's name to get the others:
http://www.abctales.com/story/mikepyro/animal-chapter-1-2
(07.09.12) This is original, compelling and thought provoking. You can't ask for much more. Black Jack Davey's 'Everyday Acts of Intimacy' is highly commended to you:
http://www.abctales.com/story/blackjack-davey/everyday-acts-intimacy-can...
(31.08.12) A really tough call this week - so many great stories to choose from. I've gone for a newcomer to the site, pjmerrigan, because this one stuck in my head more than the others:
http://www.abctales.com/story/pjmerrigan/little-dancer-aged-nineteen
(24.08.12) It's not often that the start of a book takes this spot - but the first two chapters of Mike Alfred's 'Justice' are so good that they walk in. Start here - and keep following the tale. It promises to be very good indeed:
http://www.abctales.com/story/mike-alfred/justice
http://www.abctales.com/story/mike-alfred/justice-chapter-two
(17.08.12) ton.car's The Art of Falling Apart is a real tour de force. Writing from the viewpoint of an aggressive handicapped person is a major challenge to take on - but it's done with understanding and panache:
http://www.abctales.com/story/ton-car/art-falling-apart
(10.08.12) Another great week for stories - but this one pips the rest due to the lyricism of its story-telling. It's not easy to tell a sweet and tender tale without dissolving into the sickly, but this is just plain lovely:
http://www.abctales.com/story/larkin-williamson/happy-birthday
(03.08.12) In the best week for stories for many a month I've a bit bonkers and awarded the prize to Not All There's 'Real Horoscopes' because it's just so much fun and so original:
http://www.abctales.com/story/not-all-there/real-horoscopes
(27.07.12) That other Terrence Oblong sure can write a funny tale - and this one's a gem, even by his high standards:
http://www.abctales.com/story/other-terrence-oblong/mary-beard-problem
(20.07.12) Hudsonmoon's 'Tasty Tale' has an original format and a great storyline. Not a word out of place:
http://www.abctales.com/story/hudsonmoon/tasty-tale
(13.07.12) Alibob's 'The Reveal' says everything I've ever thought about its subject - but I won't reveal it as that would be telling:
http://www.abctales.com/story/alibob/reveal
(06.07.12) Stan's back on his very best form with 'Last Things'. It's a memorial to a wonderful man - and it's very, very well told:
http://www.abctales.com/story/stan/last-things
(29.06.12) Persevere with this one - it is not what it seems. Sooz's 'Mourning Glory' will stay with you for a long time:
http://www.abctales.com/story/sooz006/mourning-glory
(22.06.12) So we're back - and this week's Story is poetic, clever and beautiful. A great one from gingeresque:
http://www.abctales.com/story/gingeresque/look-what-youve-done
(25.05.12) sid has posted the first two parts of her latest story - and they are very good indeed. I await more but until then, get started on these:
http://www.abctales.com/story/sid/lost-marble-1
http://www.abctales.com/story/sid/lost-marble-2
(18.05.12) Two share it this week - they are so different but both are excellent in their own way. Congrats go to FTSE100 and Parson Thru
http://www.abctales.com/story/ftse100/my-invisible-friend
http://www.abctales.com/story/parson-thru/dreaming-my-dad
(11.05.12) It's the old, old story of those magical dancing shoes but it's given a neat twist here by JupiterMoon:
http://www.abctales.com/story/jupitermoon/small-shingle-tide
(04.05.12) An excellent snapshot of a life less lived. Stan the Man's take on middle aged angst is very good indeed:
http://www.abctales.com/story/stantheman/8-beginning-new-beginning
(27.04.12) It's no literary classic but it is very, very funny - and that's not easy to do. Footsie's Interview with a Roman is one of his best:
http://www.abctales.com/story/ftse100/interview-roman
(20.04.12) Two great stories from Brighton_Ro this week but this one just gets the prize for the brilliance of its construction and characterisation. A real gem:
http://www.abctales.com/story/brighton-ro/inheritance
(13.04.12) Batteriesfeelincluded hasn't been around for a while but he's back with this belter - short, neat, not a word out of place, funny and original. Well worth it's place here:
http://www.abctales.com/story/batteriesfeelincluded/future-suspended-ani...
(06.04.12) A strange and complex piece from Raventongue takes the prize this week. It's compelling, different and well worth more than one read:
http://www.abctales.com/story/raventongue/j-m-gardner-goes-hell-part-1
(30.03.12) The Other Terrence Oblong is on great form with his island stories - and this one about the Sea Monster is a classic:
http://www.abctales.com/story/other-terrence-oblong/monster-problem
(23.03.12) A really good twist always gets me - and this one by rask-balavoine is charming and delicious as well:
http://www.abctales.com/story/rask-balavoine/portrait
(16.03.12) A late entry - but a darn good one that takes the prize this week. I love its flow, its originality and its joie de vivre. Hurrah for hudsonmoon's 'The Ghosts of Marylebone Station':
http://www.abctales.com/story/hudsonmoon/ghosts-abbey-road
(09.03.12) Two great pieces on caring for the edlerly this week but Kilb50 just pips Blighter's Rock for the prize:
http://www.abctales.com/story/kilb50/last-time-he-saw-her
(02.03.12) The honesty and the poetic language of this fine piece of writing make it something special. Mistaken Magic is on a roll (no pun intended):
http://www.abctales.com/story/mistakenmagic/secret-life-dragonflies
(24.02.12) The other Terrence Oblong's bits of nonsense often disguise a deeper, darker meaning - and this one is no exception. It's clever, funny and very good:
http://www.abctales.com/story/other-terrence-oblong/war
(17.02.12) I couldn't resist Denzella's 'Names and their Importance in Literature'. As a massive fan of Victorian literature this rings so true - mockingly affectionate, it will give you a good laugh as well:
http://www.abctales.com/story/denzella/names-and-their-importance-litera...
(10.02.12) She's back - and in fine form. This is a brilliant piece of descriptive writing from insertponceyfrenchnamehere in the midst of what is clearly a very difficult situation:
http://www.abctales.com/story/insertponceyfrenchnamehere/scrabble
(03.02.12) In a great week for stories this one stood out above the rest - with a great twist at the end. Congratulations go to Dear Ale... for In Love & Death:
http://www.abctales.com/story/dear-ale/love-death
(27.01.12) Stan the Man's Hunting for Duck is up to part 3 - and there's more to come but it's far away the best bit of prose this week so catch up with it now!:
http://www.abctales.com/story/stantheman/hunting-duck-part-1
http://www.abctales.com/story/stantheman/hunting-duck-part-2
http://www.abctales.com/story/stantheman/hunting-duck-part-3
(20.01.12) JupiterMoon got the Poem of the Week last week and now moves over to this slot. The sheer originality and the poetic language make it a bit of a gem:
http://www.abctales.com/story/jupitermoon/hold-me-til-concrete-warm
(13.01.12) An evocative tale of deception and Buddhism in an Asian gaol. This keeps me thinking and that's no bad thing:
http://www.abctales.com/story/mark-say/duck-bottle
(06.01.12) A fine tale of seeing the obvious too late from Larkin Williamson to start the New Year:
http://www.abctales.com/story/larkin-williamson/woman-0
(30.12.11) Alessandro's touching little story of a boy whose Dad has gone to war hits all the right notes:
http://www.abctales.com/story/alessandro/laundry-basket
(23.12.11) Wow - wha