Tanara McCauley

Culturally Imagined Stories

Author: tanaramccauley

  • Stories Along the Way: “Moths and Pigeons”

    Stories Along the Way: “Moths and Pigeons”

    Nita brushed sweat from her forehead with a half-sleeve, then pushed both hands into a large tub thick with shrimp. She turned the shrimp over in groups, rinsing them beneath the cool water her younger sister Mya poured from a bucket. The strains of a violin drifted from the path near the lake, and Nita…

  • Stories Along the Way: “The Choice”

    Stories Along the Way: “The Choice”

    It all began at the tree. The war, that is. Though it didn’t seem a war-worthy event on that fateful day. It seemed like a simple choice. My choice. One I was free to make. A lone fruit pulsed in the tree’s center like a beating heart. And it was beautiful, its colors of fire.…

  • Stories Along the Way: “The Dying Lights”

    Stories Along the Way: “The Dying Lights”

    Years ago I was introduced to a practice called “prompt response” that helped me practice drafting without pausing to edit. The instructions were simple: open the image, start the ten minute timer, write. My first story was 0 words. As time went on, however, I could often complete a full story in those ten minutes.…

  • A Dream

    A Dream

    A dream of mine is to walk—no, run—in a sea of long-stemmed, wheat-like flowers I will wear white, and my hair will be thick and long and kinky and curling against beads of sweat on my temple and trickling down the back of my neck The sun will boast over a cloudless sky. It will…

  • Twice the Miracle (Updated)

    (Originally posted circa April 2013) I could tell by the look in the nurse’s eyes she wasn’t sure I understood what she’d said. We stared at each other, she with brow lifted waiting for some sign of comprehension on my end, me drifting inside myself with a host of “what ifs” tumbling through my mind.…

  • All That’s Needed

    Any standard not of God is unworthy of your aim. Read where originally posted on Instagram.

  • Fool’s Gold

    All that glitters isn’t gold. Read where originally published on https://thatswhatshe.com/fools-gold/.

  • When Dreams Age

    How exactly does one revive an aged dream? One prayer, one day, one word at a time. Read where originally published on the ACFW blog at https://acfw.com/when-dreams-age/.

  • The Talent of Tenacity

    Run your race having been diligent to gain mastery. Read where originally published on the ACFW blog at https://acfw.com/the-talent-of-tenacity/.

  • Make Them Believe

    Be faithful to tell your story. Read where originally posted on the ACFW blog at https://acfw.com/make-them-believe/.