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Welcome to Words She Keeps
Welcome to Words She Keeps.
Here, you’ll find inventive short stories that bring women’s courage and power fully into view.
As readers, you may have realized that much of fiction underestimates what women can do. It reduces us to tropes, to plot furniture. It takes our agency away. There’s even a term for it - the “gender agency gap.”
Once you see it, it’s hard to miss.
That’s why our stories - and those we endorse with the FINALLY rubric - exist. Each story is crafted to outwit tropes. To give you an inventive, propulsive bite into the complexities of women.
Not sure where to begin?
Read “Have you ever had a secret”: In our most popular story, Naina frantically runs through her quiet town to reach her best friend Elijah, driven by a shocking discovery that could change everything about their relationship. As tensions rise and outside forces close in, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect him.
Want to dive into the stories?
Here is a reverse chronological archive of all the Words She Keeps stories!
Want to laugh?
Read “Have you ever been outwitted”: In this satirical depiction of the workplace, Princess Leila’s unusual obsession with balloons quietly shapes every corner of her life, complicating the plans of three bumbling men determined to kidnap her. As their scheme grows more elaborate and time drags on, a strange sense of unease builds, suggesting they may not understand the situation—or the princess—nearly as well as they think.
Want your heart to race?
Read “Make love not war”: One of our favorite little Subsnacks (Substack stories that you melt in your mouth like snacks), this one has business rivals Pooja and Shravan spending months locked in a tense negotiation over a major deal conducted entirely over phone calls, where sharp bargaining slowly mixes with unexpected humor and personal curiosity.
Want to wonder?
Read “Have you ever stopped at one”: In one of our juciest stories, Hazel finds herself pulled into an experience far more powerful - and unsettling - than she expected after tasting a strange, electrifying treat created by her friend Monroe. As its effects deepen, the line between desire and something darker begins to blur, testing both her judgment and their friendship.
Want to heal (maybe)?
Read “Have you ever played pretend”: In one of our most uncomfortable stories, we play with the idea of “pretending” as a way we cope with pain, anxiety, and the truths we are not ready to face.
Want something longer?
Read “It Began With Her”: Our new serial fiction is a real gripper! In an alley, a child arrived on a beam of light. Curious and powerful. Years later, across miles and ordinary lives, something just as impossible happened. A boy with no phone called three off duty investigators for help. A name surfaced where it shouldn’t exist. Aadhya.
Wondering who we are?
Well well well, we’d love to know more about you, too!
We’re Susheela & Aurelia, two friends who love the power of a good story. Susheela writes WSK stories and Aurelia is our technical producer.
More about us, and our goals with this Substack here!
We’re always eager to hear your feedback at wordsshekeeps@gmail.com.
What’s next for Words She Keeps?
In addition to
writing short stories,
futzing with our debut novella It Began With Her, and
adjusting our hat so it perfectly brims our eyes,
We are also tinkering with the FINALLY rubric and awards - a way to recognize ALL the incredibly talented writers out there doing a great job of writing women as the whole, complex, silly, sweet, dangerous beings we are. Watch this space for more.
