Maddy Haywood
Bio
Hi there! My name's Maddy and I'm an aspiring author. I really enjoy reading modernised fairy tales, and retellings of classic stories, and I hope to write my own in the future. Fantasy stories are my go-to reads.
Stories (87)
Filter by community
Smile :)
You smile and wave as the school bus pulls away from the curb. A lukewarm mug of coffee is clenched in your other hand, closed around it so tightly it could shatter into hundreds of tiny pieces at any moment. You lean close to the mist-covered window to see your daughter’s face, the same toothy grin reflected back at you from the back seat.
By Maddy Haywood7 days ago in Fiction
Why Bother With The Degree?. Honorable Mention in A System That Isn’t Working Challenge. Top Story - February 2026.
“So, as you can see from my resume, I’ve just completed my degree in Accounting and Finance. I worked part-time alongside it for three years, kept my position at work throughout, and was even a student ambassador during my third year-”
By Maddy Haywood14 days ago in Humans
The Letters of Deceit
This is a story I wrote in about 30 minutes (on paper) for my writing group last week. The task was to use three ‘exercise sticks’ to create a short story - we just picked one from each category and went with it. It took me a minute to figure out how to connect them, I think it came across how I wanted it to. Here’s my sentences:
By Maddy Haywood14 days ago in Fiction
A Special Mug Of Tea
Agnes always made two cups of tea in the morning. She’d set out the matching mugs, one far more faded than the other, put a spoonful of sugar in each one, and add whichever flavour of tea she wanted. The kettle would boil while she potted around in the kitchen, dragging her tartan slippers on the tiles as she moved about the small room. The whistling would stop; she would add the boiled water and stir in a dash of milk when she was ready. The teabag would find its way to the bin, and she would take her own, faded mug with her as she started her morning routine.
By Maddy Haywood28 days ago in Fiction
Claw Enforcement
“So the person who attacked you… they were covered in- fur, does this say?” The tired policeman rubbed his eyebrows as he re-read the notes taken by his much younger, sruffier partner. He had to squint to make out what he had written in the first place. “Did you mean to say they were a-”
By Maddy Haywoodabout a month ago in Fiction
Can We Talk?
“Do you keep tampons in your wallet?” “Wh- what?” “Do you keep tampons inside your wallet?” “What, with my cash and credit cards? No, that’d be weird, they’d get all bent out of shape and then when I needed to use them, I’d have to go through the trouble of fishing it out of the coins and it’d smell like money, plus I’d be the one that ends up dropping the whole thing to the floor and get toilet germs on it, or someone would reach under the stalls to steal it - you know what people are like-”
By Maddy Haywood2 months ago in Fiction
Pixie Dust
The girl pressed her face as close to the keyhole as she could. She was so close, in fact, that she could almost fit her whole face through it! If it wasn’t for her pointed ears, she surely would have had her head through the hole, and could have freed herself from this dark, wooden prison.
By Maddy Haywood4 months ago in Fiction
It All Started Over a Cup of Tea. Top Story - November 2025.
“That’s not how you do it.” Selina snatched the sugar bowl away from her sister, spilling a handful of lumpy granules across the pristine counter. “God, now look at what you’ve done.” She swept her long blonde locks away from her face, and glared down at Ruby, still holding the tiny teaspoon in her tiny hand. Empty mugs sat untouched beside a jar of jam tarts, waiting to be filled and taken upstairs as a sweet treat for their party. The kettle started whistling across the room, taking Selina’s attention.
By Maddy Haywood4 months ago in Fiction
The Knock from Nowhere
It came at midnight. A steady thump, seconds apart, continuous. It awoke Ophelia from her deep slumber, dragging her unwillingly back to the waking world one harrowing beat at a time. She stumbled from the shadowed room, barely making it down the stairs in one piece. The minuscule light protruding from the almost-blackout curtains lit fractions of her space, thanks to the bedroom directly facing a glaring streetlight. Slippers forgotten in the dream-like haze she was clouded with, Ophelia felt a flush of chill shoot up from her toes as she stepped down onto the concrete floor. She stepped back onto the carpeted staircase, the shock of the ice cold ground snapping her awake rather quickly.
By Maddy Haywood5 months ago in Fiction
Blink
Blink You feel the cool autumn breeze brush against the hairs decorating your forearms, sending a gentle shiver up your body and down your spine. As you watch, goosebumps run their way down your skin, creating an obstacle course of pimples rising up to reach the heat. You exhale, letting out a breath you weren’t aware was locked inside. A cloud floats away from your mouth, whispering sweet nothings to you as it dissipates into the air around you.
By Maddy Haywood7 months ago in Fiction
