Short stories & readers' theater scripts by James Lynn Smith

     Stories begin with experience and thought, eventually leaping or crawling onto a PC monitor or legal pad. Finally they emerge through a morass of revisions and printing to a finished product. Whether print, online, ebooks, or audio media, the gratification for a writer is when their work is enjoyed or at least appreciated.
​ Above 3 photos © publicdomainphotos / Dreamstime Stock Photos / CC0 license 

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Story writing can lead to more than idle time enjoyment

     One way to enjoy a writer's work is in performances of readers' theater. Unlike full stage theater, there are few, if any, props and movements about the stage. As I have practiced it, a narrator describes all movements, interactions with objects, and environmental changes. Other performers only do the dialog of the characters.
​     Performances I have promoted received a surprisingly appreciative response from the audience, particularly if they knew the performers personally. Of course, practice is needed. No one wishes to watch someone struggle through a script as if it were the first time they had seen it.​ 

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​Free Stories
These stories and scripts are copyrighted works. Those underlined have Creative Commons license (BY-NC) for free reading online or duplicating copies for personal use. (For commercial use, inclusion in anthologies, or projects of higher distribution, please contact the author.)

 My Short Story Titles (Mostly Fiction)
​Story titles are under categories. Click on those underlined for downloading files for your reading. (pdf files) 
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Adventure/Suspense

​   "Negotiation" (How did the kids' candy selling lead to an encounter with criminal activity?...Humor/adventure.)

​   "Dark Intrusion" (He had to discover where the alarming sensations in his mind came from. Could his eccentric friend Francine help?)

​   "Something in the Dark" (Police told her the night sounds were likely creaks from the old house cooling off. But she had reasons to doubt that.)

​   "Impatient" (He was unprepared to fall into a park with dangerous animals.) 

​   "The Mountain Specter" (Her coaching a group of amateur actors was overshadowed by the real menace around them.)

​   "The Lamp" (What connection did her grandpa's lamp, opportunity, and dreams of a werewolf have?)

​   "Crossfire" (How was the paramedic to know bank robbers would be there?)

​Fantasy

   "Time Tunnel" (He would bring her through time and save her, but her identity was most uncertain...Humorous fantasy.)

​   "Fantasia del Amore" (She spoke to him from the crystal, and he descended to the netherworld for her...Short romantic fantasy.)

​   "Labyrinth" (Withheld pending publication elsewhere-The source of his knowledge was a mystery, like the labyrinth that awaited him if the villagers knew he was seeing Judy...Surreal fantasy.)

​   "A Second Moon" (What do you tell your family when the inexplicable appears and no one has an answer?...Enigmatic fantasy.)

​Light Humor

   "A Slow and Careful Speaker" (She was very careful in what she said because her words had unusual power....Humor, dark.)

​   "The Apparition" (Stephen was losing the battle with the feeling that only he was real. Then he drove into that luminescent fog....Humor, philosophy.)

​   "Time Tunnel" (If he brought her through time, exactly who would she be and was it safe? ....Humor.)

​   "Country Cousins" (His youthful, bumpkin cousins had much to learn, but it went both ways....Humor.)

​   "It Just Don't Pay" (Does a boy have any chances in life with a brutal father like that? ...Brief humor, character.)

​   "Accommodation" (His sister was coming for the holidays. How could he escape it?...Humor, moral.)

​   "The Neighborhood" (He told her about the day a stubborn dog made a big difference in the old neighborhood....Brief humor.)

​  "Flip" ( She explained a way to solve the question of who should apologize...Light, moral)

​   "Hector Announces Names" (His cousin couldn't make it to his job at the big affair and asked Hector to stand in. It was a snap...until he arrived.)

​   "Bishop" (Little Joy was anxious to see the bishop. But what she imagined was not what appeared.)

Mainstream/Cross-genre

​  "Up the Abyss" (What should the young hippy couple in the forest do when encountered by the strange old man?)

​    "Light and Dark" (He was a struggling artist in Dallas, and his cousin wanted to help. But his cousin's tactics were disturbing.)

​   "The Winds of Purpose" (The storm prevented Francine from being his guide when taking the mysterious drug. He took it anyhow, and weird things began to happen.)

   "The Meeting" (He carefully planned his first meeting with her, knowing she would be his dream woman. When she arrived, his expectations took a turn.)

​   "Diane's Choice" (Life with depression and anxiety pills wasn't worth living but the path to improvement was frightening. Then she met someone....Romantic, Character driven.)

​   "Sunset" (He didn't seem bothered by the death of his last relative. What strange things happened between him and Cousin Vera in that far-away place?)

​   "A New Story" (What was reading his mind? And was the once tragic disaster with his family about to repeat? ...Character, philosophy, spirit.)

​   "Dark Angel at Christmas" (He didn't want to be bothered with people expecting gifts from him. Then a strange being offered him freedom from others' wants...with unexpected consequences....Fantasy, moral.)

​   "From Rags to Love" (Why was his loving wife acting strangely? Where was she going in secret?...Character, romance, mystery.)

Mystery/Suspense

   "Attic Things" (What were those muffled noises she heard in the night?...Suspense, family)

​   "Embodiment" (He and his daughter saw someone who couldn't possibly be there...Suspense, fantasy.)

​  "Happy Talk" (How could he have happy talk with his daughter if her mood were as bad as his? ...Character, suspense.)

​Mystical/Spiritual

   "Through a Wall" (What strange experience did she have while unconscious in the hospital? ...Spiritual, Fantasy, Romance.)

​   "Whispering Voices" (The sounds and light in Mindy's room shut off when he opened the door. ...Endearing, mystical.)

​   Many of the other stories also have elements of the mystical and spiritual.

Romance

​   "Wendy's Procedure" (He wasn't supposed to be there. Could she still love him afterwards?...Brief romantic story.)
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​   "From Rags to Love" and "Diane's Choice" in the Mainstream Section and "Fantasia del Amore" in the Fantasy Section also have romantic subthemes.

​Science Fiction

​   "The Artists' Insurrection" (Thad reluctantly faced the fact that he was required to kill friends in the uprising.)
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   "Is Anybody Out There?" (Maybe the whole human race was obliterated by the psi-q blast. But was that a female voice he heard on his receiver?)

​   "Restoration" (Gary began to think someone was trying to kill him. What did it have to with the company conducting a secret undersea research project? He couldn't tell if Ruby was an ally or a threat.)

​   "Psiquantum" (Professor Clara Simmons did research in psychokinetics and Frank wanted more than dream therapy. Would she help him and was there a danger in the mind-over-matter ability?)

​   "Mind and Heart" (She was too eager to get into the mind-altering machine he was responsible for. Would it unleash more than intended?") 

​   "Alien Intentions" (How could something so unearthly be harmless? How long have they been here?)

​   "Mission in Daumitza" (Shanghaied to a strange place. Did he have to murder an important woman to return home?)

​   "Interference" (Ego mania in the strangest places of the weirdest things. Would it lead its troops to take control?)

​   "Android Anomaly" (She was only an android, but he was going to make dangerous changes in order to get more of what he wanted from her.)  

True Story

   "The Night at Red Bluff" (Three boys in the piney woods see an extraordinary sight.)

​   "Uncle Ned and the Possum" (Uncle Ned had him climb the tree to get the possum out.)

​   "Horace" (Remembrance of an eclectic uncle who heard voices.)

   "Reverend Rob" (He said he should be dead, but something always intervened.)

   "Bishop" in the Humor Section is also a true story.
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Weird/Horror

   "Strange Dreams" (His dreams and discovery gave Lamarg reason to doubt all of their history. Dare he put the clues together?...Short twilight story.)

​   "Toxic" (Why did she cut herself?...Fantasy, horror.)
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​   "Under the bed" (Did the terrible thing he made acquire life that stormy night?...Psycho-adventure.)
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Readers' Theater Scripts
Script titles. Click on those underlined for downloading script files. 

​   "Time Tunnel" (He could bring her through time, but exactly who would she be and was it safe? 25 min. Light humor.)

​   "We're All the Same; We're Each Unique" (How could these two ladies resolve this question about consciousness? Maybe the author could help. 16 min.)

​   "Dream Answer" (She felt the burden of her years, but could a dream really change things? 5 min. Spiritual connection.)

​   "Are Atheists for Real?" (Poking fun at both sides of the religious/secular coin. 10 min.)

​   "God on Trial" (Philosophical argument between four viewpoints on the existence and nature of God. 10 min.)

​   "Adventures of a Slow and Careful Speaker" (Where had she been that her words had attained such power? 6 min. Humor.)

​   "Night Drama" (Young daughter speculates with her father on the nature of the stars, wishes, and how the universe talks to us. 5 min.)

​   "The Dark Angel at Christmas" (He didn't want to be bothered with people expecting gifts. Then a strange being offered him freedom from others' wants...with consequences. 23 min. Moral Fantasy)

​   "Sundown" (He didn't seem bothered by the death of his last relative. What was his perspective on her passing?" 7 min. Moral lesson.)

​   "They Say" (Silly humor. He needed a new brain. 5 min.)

​   "Hope" (Three people discuss the role of hope and the Creator. 5 min. Moral Lesson.)

​   "The Appearance" (Man feeling unappreciated is encountered by an alien presence. 5.5 min. Lighthearted moral lesson.)

​   "Fired up: Conflict, Forgiveness, and Joy" (Discussion on how spiritual attitude helps resolve issues. 9 min. Moral lesson.)

​   "Accommodation" (He was a "cowboy" and his sister an urbanized new-ager. She wanted to spend Christmas holidays with them. How could he escape? 24 min. Humor, adventure and moral lesson.)