Tiny stories have power.

This year we asked you to write destiny / history in exactly ten words. And that is exactly what you did (except two entrants who submitted 11 👀).

What can you convey in ten words?

We had stories about mood swings, witch hunts and homecomings. From ravens to dinosaurs, biographies to pizza parties, we travelled across time, space and shadows, through small choices and momentous decisions, into time loops and repeating mistakes, into the pages of newspapers, ruins and happily ever afters…

Judging so many wonderful tiny stories was a joy and a challenge. It took us many many many re-reads to narrow our choices down to the handful we are sharing below.

As usual, we read all entries anonymously. Our chosen stories were the ones that did the most with their ten words (plus title), used language innovatively, made us feel, made us think, and best responded to the theme.

The stories we chose to share are moving and in motion, shape-shifting, shift-shaping and sure to demand re-re-reading all the way home.

Share the words, share the love, share the joy of language. Let us know what you think! And please do write – and share – many more tiny stories.

Daniel & Elinor

---

First Prize

Clodagh O Connor, ‘1847’

---

Second Prize

---

In 2024, we will pay more writers than ever before. We are fully funded by donations on Ko-fi and don’t take anything for ourselves as editors. Find out more here.

Briefly Write is a little literary space with big ideas. We publish a twice-yearly Zine of bold and brief micro poetry, prose and photography. We host two annual competitions – Write 10 and the Briefly Write Poetry Prize – and other occasional collections, including Briefly Think, a themed call for thoughtful short essays. We publish succinct, meaningful reviews of poetry and fiction, with a focus on debut collections and environmental themes. We also provide writing inspiration and personalised feedback in the Briefly Zone.