D.K. Shepard
Bio
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
Achievements (22)
Stories (175)
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A Catch-and-Release Critique
In this self critique I’ve decided to take a recent short story that was entered in a writing competition and reflect on my revisions to the piece. This story is one that didn’t exactly do so well. In fact it was the worst I’d ever done in this particular writing competition. So I "caught it up", made some necessary revisions, and released it back into the wild (published it on Vocal).
By D.K. Shepard10 months ago in Critique
Just Killing Time. Honorable Mention in Absurdist Awakening Challenge.
Bertie slid his wristwatch off and set it on the dinner table. It had stopped working again. He’d already replaced the battery and it had resumed its faithful ticking for a week. But now it had gone silent once more.
By D.K. Shepard10 months ago in Humor
A Family Affair. Top Story - March 2025.
It was another dreary day of drizzle, but Thomas Milford didn’t mind. He slogged through the final few yards of mud to the big house’s kitchen door. After giving the knocker a few good clangs he glanced out at the green fields of the estate. He could just make out the shape of the farmhouse that he and his brothers called home.
By D.K. Shepard10 months ago in Fiction
Coup de Grâce
I carefully sandwiched my journal and the manila file folders between a few sets of clothes. It was a small suitcase, I wanted to travel light. I had digital copies of everything and considered leaving the files behind, but there was something about having all the pieces fanned out around me that allowed my mind to consider possible connections or find a new curiosity to question.
By D.K. Shepard10 months ago in Fiction
Hearts in Hiding. Runner-Up in Love Letters Through Time Challenge.
November 13, 1943 Amsterdam, The Netherlands * Dearest Edith, It saddens my heart terribly that this will be the last letter I am able to send you. Klaas flew into a rage today and I fear he will betray us if he has not already. His parents have been very generous to me, but with the scarcity another mouth to feed is something he says he will no longer abide. I will have to leave tonight and hope that the cover of darkness is enough to shield me from detection. I will go to the country and see if there is any farmer still willing to hide a man of strong body in his barn.
By D.K. Shepard11 months ago in History
