“A Sleepless Night” is the last piece of flash fiction I got to read to my classmates for Fiction III, my last fiction writing class in college. Another 500-word piece with no other guidelines set by Professor Williams. This was my last quarter of undergrad—the last 10 weeks before graduation and an uncertain future. I started my internship as a public relations & marketing writer that same quarter, too. It was a very busy, stressful time. Most of my memories of it are hazy from burnout and anxiety.

This was actually the second short story assignment for Fiction III. The first story for that class isn’t included in the Legacy Collection. Why? Because I submitted a chapter excerpt from the first draft of my manuscript. So “A Sleepless Night” was the first new piece I wrote for this class.

With graduation looming ahead, I finally really paid attention to what my writing portfolio looked like. It was disappointing.

I thought my writing portfolio at the end of college would be full of published polished pieces. It would be impressive and help me get the kind of job I wanted (though I honestly didn’t have a clear idea for that other than something that earn enough to help pay off my student loans). I dreamed of racking up several publishing credits for my fiction during my student days. Within a few years of graduating, I wanted to announce the upcoming release of my debut novel.

In reality, most of my published pieces came from my student journalism work. One even earned an award despite being unfinished. I had one piece of creative nonfiction published in a military magazine, and only one fiction piece published in a literary magazine. For the first time, I looked at my writing portfolio and started to worry I wasn’t a good writer at all.

I had kept all of my story copies with Professor Williams’ comments for a long time. When I looked back through them, I saw proof that I wasn’t ever going to make a career out of the kind of writing I wanted to do. Over and over, I’d been told what stories would have a chance at being published. But I hadn’t wanted to believe it. Some part of me kept insisting that might be the rule for everyone else, but I was an exception. My classmates liked my stories, so it didn’t seem arrogant at the time.

When I sat down to write “A Sleepless Night,” I was tired. Tired of fighting to prove myself to Professor Williams. Tired of trying to find journalism pieces in my portfolio that would prove I could write a novel, too, someday. Tired of believing in my own ideas and trying to convince others they were good.

I chose to write what I considered a “safe” story. Contemporary and realistic. No action. Emotional drama only. Two people in a relationship just talking.

I remembered the way my classmates praised how different my previous stories were. This would be just another boring slice-of-life piece. I figured I would disappoint them. But I tried not to care. I trudged to the front of the class, pages in hand, ready to get my reading over with.

Themes in the Story

Given what was on my mind at the time, it’s no wonder “A Sleepless Night” explores how we cope with uncertainty and disappointment. How do we navigate the craving for comfort and connection when it’s hard to know how we’ll be received? How do we offer those things to someone when they seem to be quietly asking for space? Do we regret the ways we lash out when we’re going through something difficult, or does it feel better to blow off a little steam now even if it leads to more difficulties later?

And when we’re in the midst of the worst experiences of our lives, what counts as appropriate behavior? Aren’t we allowed to make light of our own pain if it helps us process it?

These questions were on my mind a lot back then.

Inspiration From Other Works

For the first time, I revisited one of my own stories for inspiration. I thought I had done very well with “Splinter,” so I went back through all the feedback I held onto for that one. Since that one had taken some inspiration from Hemingway, I looked for another one of his stories to help guide me. I chose “Hills Like White Elephants.” That led me to write about a couple dealing with the aftermath of pregnancy loss.

But I didn’t want my characters to be at odds with one another. There was enough negativity in my life just then. All I wanted was for someone further along in their writing career to look at my trajectory and tell me everything was going to be okay. So I channeled that desire into my writing.

How I Feel Rereading the Story Now

When I was looking through my old portfolio and saw the title “A Sleepless Night,” I barely remembered anything about it. In my head, it was just that story. The one that would probably need a content warning if it ever became public. I probably wouldn’t have bothered to reread it if I hadn’t been so curious.

Between writing the story in 2015 and rereading it again in 2025, I’ve had a lot of new and relevant experiences. For one, I got married. I’ve got a better understanding of the dynamics in long-term relationships now. I’ve also had a kid. That’s what made me curious to see what I wrote in “A Sleepless Night” and how much I got wrong.

Because actually having my own child was a real eye-opener. It’s one thing to know the American public education system has gaps. It’s very different to find out in your 30s that there’s a lot of information on the inner workings of the female body that the powers that be decided isn’t necessary general knowledge. So when I opened this story in my portfolio, I expected to get an awkward laugh at my own ignorance and misunderstandings.

That isn’t what I found.

Much of my early writing lacked emotional depth. It was hard to connect with the characters and really care about them. That changed in “A Sleepless Night.”

Could the story use some extra polishing? Sure. Could it be even better if I wasn’t again stuck with a 500-word limit? Possibly.

But this is a pretty good story and I wish I had been confident enough to submit it for publication back then. It could have had a chance.

I’m excited to see you back here Wednesday for the full story.

Set the Mood

If you like creative add-ons to fully immerse yourself in a story, I have some suggestions. While I didn’t necessarily have these on hand when I wrote the story, they’ve definitely enhanced my experience rereading them.

Soundtrack

For a 500-word short story that takes about 3 minutes to read, you really only need one good song to set the mood. The song for this story is “Wait” by M83. It echoes the soft, fragile mood of the piece, along with the slightly romantic tone of a couple dealing with their shared hardships together.

Scenttrack

For the aromatic ambiance of this piece, I suggest another of my favorites from Mythologie Candles and one of their signature scents: Tudor House Library. The official scent description includes notes of patchouli, amber, clove, musk, citrus, and vanilla.

But rather than recommend this scent as a candle, I like the roll-on fragrance oil to pair with this story. The way natural body heat interacts with the scent when it’s applied to the skin amplifies the warmth of the amber and gives it a very comforting feel, which matches the mood of the story. At the same time, it almost feels like two distance scents coming together. The clove, patchouli, and musk feel faintly masculine while the citrus and vanilla feel feminine. All together, it feels like the most appropriate scent for a story where a couple is wrapped up in each other in their shared bed.

Affiliate note: I’m a Mythologie Candles affiliate because I use them all the time—especially for writing and editing. This means I may earn a commission if you purchase through my link. I only share products I personally use and love. Thanks for supporting my writing!