Three-minute fiction

Three-Minute Fiction Round 11: Finders Keepers

Sat, 04 May 2013 04:13:00 +0000

Round 11 of our Three-Minute Fiction contest begins now!

Here's how it works: We ask you to write an original short story that can be read in about three minutes, so no more than 600 words.

Three-Minute Fiction: The Round 10 Winner Is ...

NPR Staff — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 23:49:00 +0000

Did you leave a message after our prompt? For Round 10 of Three-Minute Fiction, we asked you to submit a short story in the form of a voice mail message. For this contest, the original fiction must be read in about three minutes, no more than 600 words.

After four weeks and more than 4,000 stories, we have a winner.

Graduate students at 14 different writing programs across the country helped read the Round 10 submissions.

The Escape

Lisa Turano — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:42:52 +0000

Hey, Julia ......... it's me ....... Kind of glad you're not picking up — this'll be easier. Maybe.

So. Here goes. I'm going to ask you to do something for me. It's not an ordinary best friend kind of favor — God, I wish it was. I wish I just needed you to pick up my dry cleaning or something ...... Anyway. Here it is. It's big ..... I need you to somehow explain to David (and I guess everyone else ...... damn) that I won't be there on Saturday. I just can't do it. This won't make any sense, I know. You'll think I'm insane. Everyone will .......

Um, I'm at the airport right now.

Voice Mail Is For Suckers

Kristin Bonilla — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:32:35 +0000

Dude, yeah. It's me. Look, what is the deal? Where are you? You haven't responded to a single email. Everyone is worried, man. We checked your Facebook and you haven't updated your status in a week. A freaking week. You haven't even liked anything. And you like everything. Like. Like. Like. You're kind of obnoxious with the liking, dude. No offense. But nothing. Not even a single Icanhazcheeseburger cat. So then we check your Instagram and again, nothing.

Three-Minute Fiction: Saturday Reading

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:51:00 +0000

NPR's Bob Mondello and Tamara Keith read excerpts from Round 10 of our Three-Minute Fiction contest. The entries are "Voice Mail Is For Suckers" by Kristin Bonilla of Fulshear, Texas, and "Chubby Bunny" by Katie Camlin of Warrensburg, Mo. Read the full stories below and see other submissions and past winners on our Three-Minute Fiction page.