Fiction Commons^™

To You Who's There, Ty Rea

Creative Writing Club - Short Stories / Flash Stories

Title: To you who’s there

Writer: Ty Rea

Medium: Short Story

The Sword And The Serpent, Gina Dittmeier

Children's Book Writing and Illustrating (MFA) Theses

This project provides insight into the monstrous bridegroom trope in fairytale and its influence in modern fantasy literature. The monstrous bridegroom trope has several different variations, but all of these variations result in a young and innocent woman marrying a monster. Through my critical essay, I look at this trope through a modern feminist lens, exploring the different variations of the trope in fairy tales, modern fairy tale adaptations, and fantasy literature. The essay brings in modern ideas of toxic masculinity and toxic femininity and applies them to the fairy tale inspiration of fantasy literature. The monstrous bridegroom trope and …

Mágico Nunca Se Muere: Una Historia De Un Amor Unconditional And Unstoppable, Belén Silvia Yudess

Scripps Senior Theses

This novella explores how traditions of silence, family dynamics, adolescence and storytelling influence identity formation and self-perception for Mexican-American women. Situated within the AIDS pandemic, this story aims to show how even within a world riddled with grief, hatred, and fear siempre hay espacio para las risas y el amor.

Six Faces Of Love: A Collection Of Short Stories, Anna Werts

CMC Senior Theses

Six Faces of Love is a collection of six original short stories that explore love in its many variations. Set across time periods and perspectives, these narratives examine the quiet, complicated ways love persists through grief, memory, distance, and change.

My Happy Neighbor, Ty Rea

Creative Writing Club - Fan Fiction

This is an alternate universe, it is a fanfiction about how Ronald McDonald and Wendy's started their franchise and have had a family-like relationship with each other.

The Disappearance Of Shannon White, Kathryn J. Limberg

Theses and Dissertations--English

The Disappearance of Shannon White is a Mystery-Thriller novel. The aim of the piece is to explore thematic components including perseverance, socio-economic inequities, the stigmas and medical malpractice of the American mental health system in the late twentieth century, and, ultimately, to entertain. My earliest love in the literary world was science fiction and fantasy. Writers like Robert Jordan, and more recently, Simone St. James, create worlds that test the bounds of reality in a way that I find liberating, and I seek to implement this in my own work. Such authors have taught me that fiction offers freedom to …

Phantasma, Grace Wright

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Ever since the infamous Ides of March, scholars have been debating the true psychology behind Brutus’s betrayal. The purpose of this project is to take a step back from the politicized motivations and explore the emotional, strenuous conditions of Julius Caesar’s assassination. This project will transform William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar into a novella with its central focus on the relationship dynamics between the key figures of Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius. The intention of the novella is to not only analyze the play through a critical queer lens, but to interrogate the themes of violence and desire that surround male relationships …

Something Different Like Us: A Children's Book Project, Isabella B. Gonzalez

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to write and begin illustrating a children’s book. The end goal is to complete the full script, finish rough sketches of the entire book, fully illustrate the cover and first two pages, and present the project in the form of an exhibition.

This story follows three little chicks (Dixie, Charlotte, and Phoebe) around a small farmyard as they encounter a new type of animal, a family of rabbits. For the majority of the book, the chicks fear the newcomers since they look so different. The sisters judge, avoid, and suppose the worst of the …

Milk Tooth, 2025, Eddie Anderson, Sadie House, Jay Clark, Ravyn Oliver, Edwin Mayo, Joseph Kettelhodt, Kaitlyn Seibel, Daniel Mcnellis, Elise Fladeboe, Ivy Matejcek, Trinity Johnson, Eve Gwendolyn Hansen, Liz Fisher, Emma Niessink, Hannah Lewis

Milk Tooth

"Writings by Bemidji State University Students". Sponsored by the Bemidji State University English Department.

Threshold: Stories & Graphic Memoir, Emily Kay Lewandowski

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Threshold: Stories & Graphic Memoir, a collection of fiction and graphic memoir, explores the in-between stages of loss and grief. Both the fiction and graphic memoir pieces utilize the technique of the “narrative echo,” coined by John Gardner, to stylistically explore and interrogate these stages of in-betweenness. The final piece in this collection, “I Hope You Find Me On Mars,” is a queer expansion of Octavia Butler’s trilogy Lilith’s Brood. Each piece uses unique voice and styling to contribute to the larger literary community by interrogating manifestations of identity, queerness, and grief.

Alive For The Wake, Anna Kate Powell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the year 2046, bacteria strain B. bibitor has rendered all petroleum hydrocarbon compounds unrefinable. Paramedic Amanda Bailey finds hope in the resilience of humanity but struggles when she learns the powers that be would rather concentrate their efforts on fighting B. bibitor—restoring infected hydrocarbons to their previously refinable (and profitable) nature—rather than investing in already-developed clean firm energies and renewable material manufacture.

East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon Film Pitch Deck, Micah Anderson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A pitch deck to present an idea for a film adaptation of the fairy tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." The deliverables include a 3-5 minute animatic of a single scene (complete with placeholder audio), the script of the scene, storyboards used to map out each action, at least one model sheet for each major character, and rough sketches of all 30 characters. They are to be presented in an exhibition with the animatic on loop on a TV, a public presentation in the Myers auditorium, and a written paper on the details regarding the medium …

“Broken Things: An Archive”, Kristen Mccallum

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This creative thesis starts from the idea that memory is shaped as much by the present as by the past. It explores the emotional and personal complexities of family estrangement, grief, survival, and love. Inspired by Saidiya Hartman’s idea that “every generation confronts the task of choosing its past,” the project moves away from more traditional storytelling and instead is constructed as a collection of archival elements, that includes prose. What originally intended to be a collection of short stories gradually became a fictional family archive—made up of letters, text messages, and other everyday items—that reflects the messy, often conflicting …

Federal Dust, David R. Phares

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

These are fragments of my work. None of the pieces in here are complete. They are horizons and guide posts.

Literary Homeplace As A Site Of Knowing And Healing, Shamonique Hassell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The concept of literary homeplace serves as a locus of rhetorical healing for Black women, emphasizing their lived experiences and creative expressions as forms of resistance and restoration (Collins, 1986; hooks, 1990; Nettles, 2001). The labor of Black women within families, churches, and artistic endeavors contributes to the cultivation of a collective consciousness surrounding oppression and healing (Edwards, 2010; Carey, 2016; Morrison, 1992). Building upon hooks’ (1990) notion of homeplace, this dissertation examines how Black women foster spaces characterized by care, dignity, and resilience (Hersey, 2022; Tate, 1984). Using personal narrative and articulating Black women’s voices, I position homeplace as …

Motherly Love, Samuel Rothstein

Intertidal

No abstract provided.

Author Bios, Author Bios

Intertidal

Intertidal Vol. 3 Author Bios

A Witch's Tale: Shadow Of Her Past, Parker Finley

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The following thesis includes a critical introduction and an excerpt from the authors own novel. The introduction analyzes and explored the correlation between characterization and world building in fantasy or supernatural fiction, arguing that character driven narratives are essential for writing stories that balance the fantastical with the real human experience to engage readers at an emotional level. The author accomplishes this by utlizing theorists such as E M Forster, Lubomir Dolezel, Milan Kundera, James Wood, David Corebett, and Stephen King to examine how elaborate settings should not overshadow character complexity. Through understanding their theories, the authors own writing process, …

Nola 2150, Kristopher Ferber

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Abstract

Speculative fiction often takes a dystopic approach where authors envision what will be lost from books being banned in Fahrenheit 451 to us losing our civil liberties in 1984 to most of humanity being wiped out by an engineered virus in Oryx and Crake. This creative thesis takes a more optimistic approach by the act of preservation. In this case the city of New Orleans thriving as an underwater city protected by a glass dome in the year 2150. The city’s vibrant culture remains the same despite being almost too close to comfort to marine life. This work …

The Guests, Jessica Parry

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

A Story Of Oppression A Psychological And Creative Approach, Juan R. Morillo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aim of this project is to survey the manner in which oppression is expressed in selected works of literature. It is a topic that not only am I familiar with through my studies of literature and psychology, but one that I, as well as every Venezuelan expatriate has witnessed and felt for their country. The project focuses on social and political oppression, using the current Venezuelan crisis as a focal point, and selected literary sources as a framework. I will analyze dystopian classics such as George Orwell's 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, as well as Margaret Atwood’s The …

The Enduring Enigma Of Tom Bombadil: From Riddlic Styling To Metaphorical Encounter, Derek Simon

Journal of Tolkien Research

Conversationalists and critics alike continue to take delight in Tom Bombadil, yet remain perplexed by his enduring enigma. Interpretive positioning appears to be determined by the semantics of the term enigma deployed and how it intersects with any of the several textual standpoints adopted. The primary contention of this article is that the enigma is intentionally both a riddle (noun) and a riddling (verb). Reading the enigma through literary features of the Old English riddle-song can yield an alternate interpretation of Tom Bombadil that has received scant attention in critical commentary. In support of this contention, I propose to read …

When We're Calm, Ellie Davis

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ellie Davis is a sophomore from Fishers, Indiana, majoring in English writing. She enjoys writing fiction, poetry, and screenplays that focus on identity and self-discovery.

Transcend, Anne Gregg

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Anne Gregg is a junior English writing major, Honor Scholar, and Media Fellow at DePauw. She is also the Editor-In-Chief of A Midwestern Review. Recently she’s developed an interest in liminality, Pinterest mood boards, and cryptozoology. Contrary to popular belief, she is not young; she is ancient and rotting.

Make Me A Seagull, Tatum Coi

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Tatum Coi is a junior majoring in English writing and film & media arts. She is an aspiring poet, novelist, screenwriter, and film director. She has written a poetry book that she has yet to publish, and is currently writing her first novel. She would like to thank Chris White.

Our Blood Feeds The Earth, Anne Gregg

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Anne Gregg is a junior English writing and studio art double major from Terre Haute, Indiana. She enjoys using horror and fantasy to create narratives that explore themes of grief and the uncanny.

Candy For Men, Ellie Davis

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ellie Davis is a sophomore from Fishers, Indiana, majoring in English writing. She enjoys writing fiction, poetry, and screenplays that focus on identity and self-discovery.

William Gibson, Neuromancer And The Making Of A Reluctant Cyberpunk, Billy J. Stratton

English and Literary Arts: Faculty Scholarship

While Neuromancer cemented Gibson’s place as a commanding presence in SF, he has consistently sought to position his work beyond the parameters of limiting genre categories.

Extra-Terrestrial: A Television Pilot Script, Landon Adams

Symposium of Student Scholars

How do you make a home out of a place you don’t feel welcomed? This is the plight of Beatrix Ivy, a passionate fashionista, humanoid-martian who dreams of opening her own fashion business. The only issue: fashion does not exist on Mars. She impulsively decides to ditch her hypercritical mother in pursuit of Planet Earth. Destination? Paris, France. However, a GPS malfunction lands her in the unknown town of Paris, Georgia. Mistaken for a drag queen, Beatrix is met with hostility from the bigoted locals, including local darling SunRay, an equally talented fashion designer. Beatrix eventually finds companionship in a …

Wildflowers A Novel, Kelli Roberts

Theses

Abstract for Wildflowers

Wildflowers is a feminist literary novel that examines the intersection of sex, power, and free will, exploring how these forces shape and define human agency. The story follows a group of women drawn to an enigmatic leader who promises enlightenment and empowerment through embracing their desires. As they navigate the fine line between self-actualization and manipulation, the novel delves into themes of liberation, coercion, and the choices we make to create the lives we long for. Provocative and thought-provoking, Wildflowers invites readers to consider the complexities of desire, the cost of empowerment, and the courage required to …