Fifty Word Stories

Fifty-Word Stories

Fifty-Word Stories is a specialized online literary journal dedicated to the art of microfiction, specifically stories written in exactly fifty words. Founded in 2009 by Tim Sevenhuysen, the site began as a personal writing challenge before expanding into a global platform that publishes new reader-submitted stories every weekday. The publication emphasizes the “exactly fifty” constraint as a creative exercise, encouraging writers to focus on precision, intentional word choice, and the ability to convey a complete narrative arc—including a beginning, middle, and end—within a highly restricted space. By offering monthly prizes for the best submissions and maintaining a “Hall of Fame” for frequent contributors, Fifty-Word Stories has built a dedicated community of “microwriters” who explore everything from flash fiction and creative nonfiction to experimental prose.