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 (91)
Filter by community
On The Way To Work
I sidestepped another man walking down the street. Again, taking no care in the world to watch his surroundings - if I was as distracted and nonchalant as he, I’d likely have already been hit by a car. He’s lucky people see him, notice his presence. I don’t get that. Most of us don’t.
By Maddy Haywooda day ago in Fiction
The Way She Smiles
“I’m leaving. I’ve handed in my four-weeks notice. I leave at the end of the school year.” I hear the words she said, take in each syllable, but my mind goes blank. I stare at her, this teacher who has been with me for so long, who has been the only reassurance I’ve had for years. I don’t understand.
By Maddy Haywood10 days ago in Fiction
Mr Bear
The thing about fire is that it spreads so very quickly. One moment you’ve watched your mom light a candle on the windowsil, and you can smell the vanilla scent wafting through the air. You’re setting out the tea set for your dolls, the same way you do every day. Mr Bear sits front and centre, the most important guest of honour waiting for his drink.
By Maddy Haywood10 days ago in Fiction
Moirai. Content Warning.
The Three Sisters of Fate, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, control every birth, life and death since the beginning of time. Everything from the very moment of a babe’s first breath is caused by their involvement. Every major life event, every new pathway someone might pick, is pre-allotted to them. There aren’t truly any choices in the matter; we are all simply puppets hanging from strings, being danced through life by the masters of our fate.
By Maddy Haywood17 days ago in Fiction
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 Haywood24 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 Haywoodabout a month 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 Haywoodabout a month 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 Haywoodabout a month 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 Haywood2 months 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
