The inspirations and origins for our stories.
Josie Smith’s story “Souls Like Sea Glass” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 9 July 2021. I’m a shameless Pinterest addict and keep an entire folder full of distinctive images that inspire me for one reason or another. One night while scrolling through the app, I came across an image of a woman holding a lantern aloft while standing on a windswept shore. Something in my mind whispered that she was searching for souls and …
E.C. Fuller’s story “Singot” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 2 July 2021. “Singot” was inspired by two things: a screenshot of a Tumblr post about how kindergarten teachers are perfect for teaching people how to be human and an NPR podcast about anthropologists believing they had discovered a new emotion. The idea that you could discover a new emotion gripped me. I had recently realized I was asexual, and I didn’t like it at …
Maud Woolf’s story “The Stranding” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 18 June 2021. I grew up in a small Scottish coastal village, much like the one in “The Stranding”. While it was a bustling tourist spot in summer, in winter the place became bleak and abandoned. The only bus to town came infrequently and my friends and I spent most of our time rambling around by the beach and in the fields nearby. Driven …
Abhijato Sensarma’s story “Satyajit Ray’s Beard or the Lack Thereof” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 11 June 2021. I’ve always wondered—is it our circumstances that define us, or is it us who define our circumstances? There’s no definite answer, but writing fiction has always been my way of debating the merits of different philosophies. In this story, I wanted to explore how a fundamentally same person—across both worlds—lives vastly different lives. One’s marriage is …
Pauline Yates’s story “The Secret Keeper” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 4 June 2021. “The Secret Keeper” developed from an idea I had for another anthology call back in 2019. The theme for that anthology was based around the Zodiac signs. Being a Taurus, I wanted to write a story that focused on Taurus strengths, with loyalty and trust at the top of my list. I penned the original version, but put it aside …
Mariah Montoya’s story “The Nocturnals I” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 28 May 2021. I first thought of the idea of an “Eternal Night” and the creatures who might live in it during a hike through the woods with my mom and sisters. We had done that thing you should never do, where you look at the next hill or bend and go, “Let’s just see what’s on the other side of that___, and …
