Write a story in which one of the characters is a narcissist.

Posted in Character on May 24, 2024

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✍️ 40 stories

“Double-Take” by Jim Duffy

Submitted to Contest #252

Double-Take “Please welcome to the show, Mister Tom O’Halloran .......Visionary inventor of Bio-robotics!" On cue, the audience erupts into loud applause as the famous entrepreneur takes to the set, waving and smiling before settling on the sofa opposite the host, Jamie Morton. “You all know Tom – he’s one of the most famous businessmen on the planet. Some say genius and benefactor – the ‘Man of the Age’ as one newspaper called him - some say dangerous narcissist. Either way, after major challenges that would have seen ...

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“Personal Jesus” by Amy Curry

Submitted to Contest #252

Waking up again before enough sleep to comfortably start the day, I hear Toby laughing and clapping in his bedroom next to mine. It's not untypical at this unholy hour, around 5:30 AM-ish, when he usually chooses to rise. My sweet little man, oh, how his mood varies; Toby is generally happy, with big hugs, kisses, and smiles that I live for. I wouldn't dare to disrupt his schedule, though, as he may become irritable and discontent. He refuses to eat, throws objects at every glass and damageable surface, biting and clawing my wrists and thigh...

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“Havana Jack” by J.T. Monroe

Submitted to Contest #252

Chapter 1I first met Jack Dunbar in the summer of 1953. It was at a small bar in Havana, the kind of place where the walls are stained with the stories of sailors and the scent of cigars lingers like a ghost. The night was hot, the air thick with humidity and the promise of rain. I was sitting at the bar, nursing a rum and coke, when Jack swaggered in. He had the kind of presence that made everyone look up. He was tall, with dark hair slicked back, and his smile could light up a room—or so he believed.Jack took the stool next to mine, ordere...

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“A Professional Veneer” by Val Woods

Submitted to Contest #252

I took my time packing up at the end of today’s meeting. Wanted a chance to talk to Fiona alone. She’s usually the last one left in the room, clearing up the cups and gathering the confidential waste. It’s her disrespectful attitude you see. Always the same. Like today. I get there early and as usual she has already set up the coffees and is tapping away at her laptop. I ask her why the agenda was cut short and she says it’s nothing to do with her and she only types it up and sends it round. Tells me to ask Janet and turns th...

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“Was it Me?” by Sally Gee

Submitted to Contest #252

WAS IT ME ? It started off so well, so fulfilling and emblazoned with lust, adventure, and an overwhelming joy. I guess that’s how we all feel when we finally think we have found the one, our lover, our friend, yet how are we supposed to quantify love, the qualities it embodies, the feeling we are meant to experience. I have ...

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“The ethics of street photography ” by Gen T

Submitted to Contest #252

The ethics of street photography have long been questioned. I’ve often been asked at galleries, “don’t you think it’s exploitative to take pictures of someone in need?” Or, “doesn’t it make you feel yucky to build a career off of people who may be battling addiction or in the midst of a mental breakdown?” Is it not just as yucky for wildlife photographers to take a photo of the gazelle without warning it of the tiger sitting right behind it? Or the photo of a bombed child weeping as blood runs down their face? Those photos win aw...

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“Two Birds, One Sister” by Clay Huston

Submitted to Contest #252

Content warning: Some adult language“So sorry for your loss, dear.”Rude much? I’m in the middle of something. Do I know you? Oh. Cathy Talbert. Mom and dad’s neighbor. Honey, that black dress isn’t as slimming as you think it is. Aren’t you like, in your 60s? Dress your age. And size. Don't you know this room is for family? There’s even a sign. Like, why are you in here?“What’s that?” I say. So annoying.“So sorry dear. You must be inconsolable”Oh no. A hand. She’s going to touch me. How do I get her to go away? “Thanks for coming, Cathy. I’m...

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“First Dates” by Patricia Moffett

Submitted to Contest #252

Spoiler - There are references to the terrible incident when Heathcliff, in Wuthering Heights, demonstrates his control over Isabella by hanging her Springer Spaniel, Fanny.***I couldn’t help myself and let out a long-drawn sigh. These last two months Blanche’s monologue has been on Repeat, at least on a weekly basis. We’re at the “To my mind a man is nothing without a spice of the devil in him” part. And, like listening to the words of a repeated and irritating Christmas song in a shopping centre, I can’t help the fast-forward thinking...

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“The Second Ring” by Susan Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #252

8/1/23 “But he is so nice most of the time.”8/15/23 “How could I have made him this mad?”8/30/23 “John loves my family, and they love him. What’s wrong with me?”9/5/23 “I have to work on myself. He wants me to be the best I can be. This extra weight…”Chrisanne had nothing new to say to her journal tonight, just browsed through what she’d recorded the last few weeks. There was no mistaking the down-shift. She cringed over recent entries, remembering the glee she felt a few months back.The words left her limp and lifeless. Her man—John had ins...

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“Thought Purging:” by Ricky Mccoshen

Submitted to Contest #252

I am rejected today. A brief message in my inbox. Unkind. Unwilling to negotiate. Ungiving of a mercy named “Potential”, or of another, “Promise”. Its sender is named Pete Fannor, if you find him. The magazine's address is 4068 13 avenue. He seems to me cruel from online pictures, too. Anyway. Thinning brown hair. In his forties, looking. I say he is cruel. His eyes are, if you see him you’ll agree, I think. Smug, a kind of cruel. And if you do, please tell him: Writers are not little moths to crush between his pointer and thumb. Ask him: Do...

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Write a story in which one of the characters is a narcissist.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 40 stories

“Double-Take” by Jim Duffy

“Personal Jesus” by Amy Curry

“Havana Jack” by J.T. Monroe

“A Professional Veneer” by Val Woods

“Was it Me?” by Sally Gee

“The ethics of street photography ” by Gen T

“Two Birds, One Sister” by Clay Huston

“First Dates” by Patricia Moffett

“The Second Ring” by Susan Jenkins

“Thought Purging:” by Ricky Mccoshen

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character being followed.

Write about a character who struggles to do the right thing.

Make a character’s obsession or addiction an important element of your story.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Contest #252

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

360

Contest entries

143

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: