Write a story about someone who breaks an unwritten social rule and the consequences they face as a result.

Posted in Angst on Oct 6, 2023

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 43 stories

“Flibbertigibbet” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #219

“You couldn’t keep your big trap shut, could you, George.” “Helen come on, it just slipped out.” “I told you in the strictest of confidence.” “Well, technically, you didn’t say don’t tell anyone.” “What part of keep it to yourself did you not understand?” “I thought that because you told me two weeks ago, it wasn’t confidential anymore.” “There are no statutes of limitations on secrets, George! Now, everyone at work knows, our neighbours know, the postman knows; and what’s worse, is that the vicar knows!” “What’s the postman got to do with a...

30 comments 30

Read story

“Dorothy's Dance Party” by Kathryn Kahn

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #219

On her 75th birthday, Dorothy had a heart attack. Her cardiologist called it “your first heart attack,” which caused Dorothy to close her lips tightly and glare at him. She had no intention of having another, thank you very much. Having a heart attack was so much fuss, what with the pain and the worry and the ambulance and all her neighbors watching her taken away. Then there was the emergency surgery and the tests and new medications and her son having to fly out from three states away. Then on top of everything else, there was cardiac re...

28 comments 28

Read story

“Swing A Sparrow On A String” by Kenneth Goldman

Submitted to Contest #219

Angela opened her eyes to a new day not knowing if it were morning. There were no windows in her room, and it could have been the middle of the afternoon, or even midnight. She heard no sounds except her own breathing, and when she awoke she inhaled and exhaled heavily, as if she had just completed a marathon race instead of having slept for hours. Perhaps she had slept for days. She had stopped wondering about time months ago. Now she simply slept for as long as she was able, then stayed awake for as long as was necessary. She knew she w...

5 comments 5

Read story

“The Rarely Traveled Forest” by Lake Solomon

Submitted to Contest #219

She was standing there in the hot summer sun, her white dress flowing in the light breeze that blew by. She had her long, straight black hair down that day. She knew it wasn’t “respectable” to have her hair down like this but she felt as though that emerald green ribbon tied more than just her hair back. She stuck out in the vast yard, basket in hand and her gaze fixed on the open field in front of her. More than anything she wanted to go out into the world and never come back but she knew that wasn't an option for her. It would neve...

3 comments 3

Read story

“On Being a Bad Bitch” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #219

The thing about being a bad bitch, is bad bitches make things happen. Go ahead, root for the good girl, see where that gets you. Blah, blah, blah. They go on with the same predictable, lame-ass shit—doing what they’re told—getting good grades, dating the safe guy, and following all the rules. For God’s sake, they obey curfew. I can’t even! Pitiful. No one wants to read about that shit. Now, enter the bad bitch. Voila. Drama. Intrigue. Think about it, really think about it. W...

9 comments 9

Read story

“What Money Can Buy” by Karen Corr

Submitted to Contest #219

*Frightning and nightmarish*The boy says, Devil, don't you steal my soul'Cause I'm down on my luck and out of controlAll what money can buy, and I want it so badDevil just smiled said, come with me, lad -kcThe name Van Burristron had once dripped of power and money. Not anymore. The money lasted well through the private schools and grand vacations in Europe and various Pacific islands, but by the time Hamilton stepped into adulthood, all that was left for him was a mansion in disrepair with the taxes paid up for a few years and a trust that ...

13 comments 13

Read story

“Do You Still Love Him?” by Mai Angel

Submitted to Contest #219

"You missed my calls yesterday." My boyfriend's scruffy voice came over the receiver crackly and barely audible. I'd grown used to the extra strain my ears had to take to hear what he was saying, so I could respond without having to pause to decode what might've been said. Though his greeting made my heart twinge with a little guilt, I gripped my pink and purple phone case in annoyance anyway, catching a few of my brown hairs that were rolled into perfect, meticulous curls. I forced the strands free with unnecessary force. The hours I’d ...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Evaluation Day” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #219

As I was reading this one, I realized that I had written about someone who both broke an unwritten rule and followed an unwritten rule and that his fate was determined by.choice of which rule he followed.James Patterson, a middle manager of the Orion's Sword consulting firm, the most sought after consulting firm in the country, got in his little Prius on a wet morning, turned on the radio and started listening to Marketplace, turned on the headlamps and wipers and made his way to the office.He pulled out of the driveway trying to concentrate...

11 comments 11

Read story

“No Sale” by Ian Grogan

Submitted to Contest #219

The low hum of the fluorescent tubes are nearly drowned out as Luci walked under the overhead speaker playing an instrumental version of “The Grand Illusion” by Styx. She was halfway down the cereal aisle before noticing the man holding two boxes of cereal, scanning each box back and forth, mumbling to himself about calories. “Excuse me,” she said politely, maneuvering the grey shopping cart across the white-tiled floor, one wheel wobbling as she did. The man shuffled closer to the shelf and placed one of the boxes back on it. Turning the ...

4 comments 4

Read story

“The Finger” by Damien Exton

Submitted to Contest #219

Chester Merril's index finger on his right hand found itself restless during its drive home. And it began to wander. With a tranquil mind he journeyed, the radio thrumming low as he daydreamed his way to the posterior of the standstill traffic. The restless digit couldn’t be trusted this afternoon, but Chester didn’t realise this. If he had, he would have taken precautionary measures. He was a good man with good intentions, and normally, well-behaved fingers. His car was stationary now. His neighbours-at-wheel, the same...

7 comments 7

Read story

“Death Sentence ” by Jem Zargo

Submitted to Contest #219

The judge pronounced him guilty. And the verdict: death. He was aghast. Death. Did people still get sentenced to death? He hadn't heard of it. "Death? What is that all about, Sydney?" "Yeah, well, Mike. It's certainly unusual but ... geez ... if that's what the judge says, who are we to question it?" Mike couldn't believe how sanguine his lawyer was being. "What do you mean? If that's what the judge says. It's not like it's a fine that we're dealing with here. This is death for Pete's sake!" "Yeah well I mean if you can't trust t...

4 comments 4

Read story

“No Filters” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #219

I was kicked out of more classes than most people attended. It was always “Benny, normal people don’t do that” or “Benny, go wash your mouth out with soap. Foul language is not allowed in this classroom!” I couldn’t help it. I was missing some sort of filter. The words would just spontaneously fall out of my mouth. They seemed natural. I didn’t mean to offend anyone when I grabbed my crotch. It was an involuntary spasm, just like my blinking and grimacing. The kids in grade school were brutal. They just didn’t understand. I probably m...

9 comments 9

Read story

“The Silent Whisper” by Elouise Woodard

Submitted to Contest #219

Social norms were demonstrated at an early age. If I had to classify myself, I would identify as Black/Jewish & German. My birth mother, Marie Delanie from the Delanie’s of Ireland was a Caucasian/German woman, my father, an African American man who was absent without participation, therefore, I grasp to the Caucasian linguistics. I settled in a sophisticated predominantly white community in Newark, New Jersey – Vailsburg section between So. 18th and So. 19th Street in 1932. A picture-perfect neighborhood, a white picket fence with a gor...

9 comments 9

Read story

“Shattered Etiquette” by David Mcarthur

Submitted to Contest #219

Once upon a time, in the quaint town of Harmonyville, there lived a man named Theodore Raines. Theodore was an unassuming character, known for his impeccable manners and unwavering adherence to the unwritten social rules that governed the tight-knit community. Harmonyville was a place where tradition and decorum were valued above all else, and its residents prided themselves on maintaining a delicate balance of social harmony. One sunny morning, Theodore received an invitation to the annual Garden Gala, the most prestigious event in Harmon...

3 comments 3

Read story

“A PRAYER TO GOD.” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #219

A PRAYER TO GOD. Could he hear her thoughts? For she had sinned. The stench and the screams early hours of the morning, did she deserve this? For years she had let ...

1 comment 1

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that includes the line “I think someone’s listening/watching.”

Dialogue – 53 stories

Set your story in a type of prison cell.

Dark – 82 stories

Write from the POV of a security guard on the night shift, sitting in front of a wall of CCTV feeds.

Dramatic – 47 stories

Write about someone who is shackled by fears of failure, until they break free.

Character – 29 stories

Contest #219

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: In the Panopticon

$250

Prize money

254

Contest entries

114

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 13, 2023 EST

Won by Kate Hughes 🏆

Title: Cell 3.47

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story about someone who breaks an unwritten social rule and the consequences they face as a result.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 43 stories

“Flibbertigibbet” by Chris Campbell

“Dorothy's Dance Party” by Kathryn Kahn

“Swing A Sparrow On A String” by Kenneth Goldman

“The Rarely Traveled Forest” by Lake Solomon

“On Being a Bad Bitch” by Jonathan Page

“What Money Can Buy” by Karen Corr

“Do You Still Love Him?” by Mai Angel

“Evaluation Day” by Patrick Druid

“No Sale” by Ian Grogan

“The Finger” by Damien Exton

“Death Sentence ” by Jem Zargo

“No Filters” by Rudy Greene

“The Silent Whisper” by Elouise Woodard

“Shattered Etiquette” by David Mcarthur

“A PRAYER TO GOD.” by Christine LW

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that includes the line “I think someone’s listening/watching.”

Set your story in a type of prison cell.

Write from the POV of a security guard on the night shift, sitting in front of a wall of CCTV feeds.

Write about someone who is shackled by fears of failure, until they break free.

Contest #219

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

254

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: