Write a story about someone trying to paint (or otherwise create) a self-portrait.

Posted in Character on Nov 17, 2023

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✍️ 66 stories

“The Next Self-Portrait” by Ginger Northcutt

Submitted to Contest #225

The Next Self-Portraitby ginger northcuttresponse to Reedsy’s Prompt Contest #374 “Mirror Mirror”TW: references to domestic abuse Gypsy was sitting at her small kitchen table, glumly looking over the pile of supplies covering it. For the last several hours she had brought to the table enough art supplies for five self-portraits. But this morning not one of these materials had sparked her, called to her. The pile was quite colorful, the colored pencils, the watercolor pencils, a...

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“A Distorted Reflection” by Jordan Mae

Submitted to Contest #225

I’ve always considered art to be “my thing”. I’ve spent hours toiling away at a canvas, picking exactly the right shade of green- olive, pea, emerald, or lime?- making sure every brush was the perfect length, mixing and matching styles and lines. I’ve always obsessed over pieces for days, creating and removing and re-creating to ensure it was the absolute best. But this time, this particular work, absorbed my mind for hours, days, what felt like years. It was a simple day. I went to pre-calc, biology, literature, and government, until ...

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“The Canvas' Embrace” by Kai Lawrence

Submitted to Contest #225

Sitting on his balcony watching the sky change while the morning sun rose away to the east, Damian sipped espresso as he tried to take it all in, letting the oranges, the slate blues, and the pale greys wash over him. This scene never seemed to get old even though he'd experienced something similar every morning since he'd begun his stay here in the San Juan Islands a few months back. The cottage he was renting, well, the loft in the cottage, was charming and idyllic, like something out of a romance novel, and, as the sky continued to lighte...

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“People on Air” by Kat Fawley

Submitted to Contest #225

**This story contains numerous profanities & explicit sexual references.**“I mean, it’s not that I don’t like Guaramire,” said the Caller. “I just don’t think you should be giving them so much air time. Like … there are tons of way better bands.”Ellen had picked up Phone Line #1 at approximately 2:52 pm. Her show would be over in less than ten minutes - less than three, really, if you took away the final two and half minutes allotted to pre-recorded ad time, plus the additional three minutes and fifteen odd seconds it would take for Tren...

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“A Likeness” by Jonathan Walker

Submitted to Contest #225

She pressed a finger to her eye and observed the dark spot that appeared in the opposite corner. A boy had once tried to explain the phenomenon to her. “It’s inversion. If you press too long,” he said, “the cells in your retina suffocate.” After a few seconds, the spot began to radiate a kind of verdigris; it stained the way bright light stains after you look away. Then she realised that this was a silly thing to do, pretentious even, and dropped the finger. A light patter on the window outside had betrayed the onset of rain. The show...

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“Mr Perfect” by Ruby Nivel Vega

Submitted to Contest #225

"There is, I swear." Annoyed at her friend's constant refusal to grasp reality, Katie swirled her iced pumpkin latte with her straw before sucking the whipped cream from the end of it."No. There isn't. There is absolutely without a doubt no such thing as the perfect man and a perfect match. This is exhausting, I can't talk about it anymore. If you want to be alone forever, be my guest, but please leave your cat purchases to maximum of two!" Sam brushed her face with the palms of her hands and picked up her coffee that was now uncomfortably c...

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Write a story about someone trying to paint (or otherwise create) a self-portrait.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“The Next Self-Portrait” by Ginger Northcutt

“A Distorted Reflection” by Jordan Mae

“The Canvas' Embrace” by Kai Lawrence

“People on Air” by Kat Fawley

“A Likeness” by Jonathan Walker

“Mr Perfect” by Ruby Nivel Vega

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone buying a cursed — or perhaps blessed —mirror from an antiques store.

Write a story about someone coming across their doppelganger.

Write a story about a character who one day notices that their reflection has taken on a life of its own.

Set your story in a house of mirrors and make the atmosphere increasingly eerie.

Contest #225

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

282

Contest entries

106

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: