The Corkscrew Lesson
I turned forty-three on a Tuesday, which is nobody's favorite birthday, let's be honest.
Matter-of-fact first time stories
Stories in First Time tagged matter-of-fact, ranked by how many readers finish them. Reads run 19 to 24 minutes. Writers to know: Topaz Hour, Loop of Paper and Thistle Tempo. Readers usually start with “The Corkscrew Lesson” and “The Debt Was a Story”. Some are free to read in full; the rest open with a free preview.
Matter-of-fact first time stories, ranked by readers
01 02 The Debt Was a Story
*This story came from a thought about debts and unexpected forms of payment.
03 The Ham Radio
I lost my wallet somewhere between the car park and the chippy, which is the sort of thing you do when you're fifty-two and your sister…
04 Voir Dire Redux
*This story came from watching how a shared experience, like jury duty, can turn two strangers into allies before they ever touch.
05 The Thirty-Ninth
The office at Bell's Automotive smelled like coffee and brake dust, which is not a combination I'd recommend to anybody.
06 First With a Rival
I'm Denise.
07 Lane 7 Anniversary
You know how you get talked into a thing?
08 One Night, Two Strangers
George had rehearsed the whole thing twice in the shower and once more in the hallway mirror, and he still felt like a man about to give a…