Great literature doesn't always appear in novel format. Sometimes it can be found in a single tweet.
Master wordsmith and October's MashableReads author Margaret Atwood knows the value that can be found in 140 characters or less. Atwood often uses Twitter to augment her prolific writing, taking to the social network to engage with fans, discuss issues that are important to her and chat about books.
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Inspired by Atwood, her active use of Twitter and her new short story collection Stone Mattress, we asked Mashable readers to write their own short story in a single tweet. Submissions ranged from haunting meditations on life to playful Halloween tales. Check out some of our favorites below.
Winners
Her purse on Saturday: Cell. NYU alumni pen. Spearmint. Her purse on Sunday: Cell. NYU alumni pen. Receipt for $49.99. 1 pill. #MashReads— Alissa Green (@AlissaGreen) October 22, 2014
She was a fugitive from her own past. The best of breed. Each day, she managed to escape 86,400 times #MashReads— lindsayannnnn (@lindsayannnnn) October 21, 2014
Then life felt as gentle as it was beautiful. A one-man boat, a great ocean, blood, a fleeting consciousness. Finally, happiness. #MashReads— Jonathan Terry (@JonsMind) October 21, 2014
The bees knew it first. Then the ice. Then the Trees. Then all the world's mothers. #MashReads— Tess Clare (@TessClare78) October 20, 2014
To him, there was nothing worse than someone he had once loved denying his existence. She knew this, as they passed in the street #MashReads— Joe Stevenson (@JobeyJoe11) October 24, 2014
Runners-Up
TBT to a moment once known. Familiar faces revealing fading memories - thrown back to an innocence long forgotten #MashReads— Matt Livingstone (@mlivingstone07) October 22, 2014
He was on a journey of self discovery, a place he had never ventured before, it was his turn to bare it, he opened up the diaper. #MashReads— AlayneLangford (@AlayneLangford) October 24, 2014
She looked up into the cloudy night. Clears skies hold no tales. Her life would change. Time to buy an umbrella or get wet. #MashReads— Pat (@lumsays) October 26, 2014
Obstructing plans held too long to move East, read Ulysses & pursue writing was a little pink line on the white bathroom tile #MashReads— DeenaD (@Deena_Do) October 28, 2014
His heartbeat flitters, and he exhales his last breath. His eyes flicker open, new eyes, green this time. Life begins again. #MashReads— Kasim Kaey (@kasimkaey) October 20, 2014