Write about a character who’s always thinking of things they’ll say to people, but who ends up saying very little when they finally get the chance.

Posted in Character on Oct 26, 2022

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?

✍️ 219 stories

“The Twisted Tale” by Radhika Diksha

Submitted to Contest #76

I was always confused about my thoughts. I was happy fulfilling people's need and their expectations. That's what my father had taught me. First I fulfilled my dying mother's wish, then my father's wish, then my step-sister's wish, they by stepmoms wish, and now Prince's wish. I had to tell him what I felt because there was an uncertain burden on my chest of my feelings. He is the only person that ever tried to know me and understand my emotions Hence, I cannot hide my true intentions. I hear his footsteps and immediately set my bun with flo...

65 comments 65

Read story

“Lola” by Echo Sundar

Submitted to Contest #76

Sometimes what seems like one of the easiest things end up being the hardest. I mean all I have to do is say one sentence and walk away. How hard could that be? Very hard in fact very very hard. Just tell him you don't think we should be together. Presto, done. Walk away. But I don't want to break his heart. That's pretty much what breaking up with someone is. I sighed. “Nothing worth having comes easily,” I mumbled. “Nothing worth having comes easily.” Just remember that. But is this something I want to have? Yes. No. Maybe. ARGHHH...

59 comments 59

Read story

“the medium” by KED KED

Submitted to Contest #76

“I’d like to start by explaining to you how I conduct my readings,” I begin. “As a medium, I essentially act as a spiritual transistor of sorts. A channel between your loved one that has passed, and your tangible reality.” I continue along this boilerplate explanation as my mind is already starting to drift into an altered state. First, I take a moment to internally roll my eyes at my own wording. Calling them a ‘loved one’ is often truly a stretch. I mean, if anyone gets it, I do. People become so desperate and...

12 comments 12

Read story

“The Boolean Code (TW: minor blood and death)” by <inactive> .

Submitted to Contest #76

Special thank-you to my own computers teacher who is the kindest teacher I have ever known. *** For everything that I know, there is so much that I don’t. While I know how to keep a child engaged while learning even the most boring of coding languages, I don’t know how to explain the bruises. While I know how to make an amazing task bar with flashing rainbows and unicorns using CSS, I can’t explain the sudden weakness or how it suddenly hurts to breathe. I wish I could tell them. About this. *** “We’re sorry. We could have saved you if y...

67 comments 67

Read story

“An Understanding” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #76

The rain was pouring into Alex’s coffee cup. He stood, hair sticking to his forehead, and stared as the cup started overflowing, until it was near the brim. He held the cup tight, holding back a hiss as the fiery liquid burned his skin.Alex smoothed his tie and glanced back at his silver Lexus UX. He examined his reflection in the wing mirror. He stroked his hair, eyeing the bird’s nest that the combed strands had become. His suit still looked crisp, though, and his eyes weren’t red or puffy. The under-eye concealer he’d bought on a whim aft...

29 comments 29

Read story

“in my room” by Masha Kurbatova

Submitted to Contest #76

15 minutes until Adeline’s holiday performance, and she was curled up somewhere in a little ball. No one could say where exactly. Caroline, twin sister, PR manager, sat on the couch, smiling with just her mouth, not her eyes. Sometimes Adeline pulled through last minute. Sometimes, she didn’t. A dozen people were scattered in Nikolai’s living room, a scrappy holiday post-tour party. There were the backstage technicians, the bearded and pot-bellied lighting specialists, the tour manager locked up in the bathroom with yet another im...

21 comments 21

Read story

“They're coming to take me away ☠️” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #76

Fourth part of Dead End. It doesn't have anything to do with the prompt. Enjoy! “The Glean?” I exclaim. “I have to go there?” The Grim nods, still smiling. “But-but I thought Gleaners were dangerous.” I say. Another nod. “They are. But we have an agreement. Any special cases here get sent to them.” “But don’t I get a say in this?” I demand. “I don’t want to go!” “I’m afraid you don’t have much choice.” He says. “I must honor the agreement.” “What if I quit?” I ask. “So you’re ready to move on?” “...What?” “Oh, you didn’...

22 comments 22

Read story

“Empty Encounters” by S.N. Beale

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #76

This is not what I want to be doing right now. How did it get like this? All I want right now is to be alone. It used to be so much fun. So, comfortable. But now my skin is crawling. I cannot even think of a conversation, a word to say, a statement to make, other than: When are you leaving? When can we call this? Do I need to order the car, or can you get it yourself? But all I can muster is, “Can I get you another beer? Oh…cool, bet, yeah, this song is dope.” To your, “Yeah, thanks, you know them? I keep telling you, ya gotta ge...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Questions” by 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚝💙

Submitted to Contest #76

Melody:She was kind so I should be able to talk to her. I shouldn’t get nervous or stumble over my words with her.“I like your name. It reminds me of peace for some reason which is odd I know but I just wanted to say your name is pretty.”“Can you help me with this one thing from math? I understand it but not fully so if you don’t mind can you help me?”“Do you remember when we used to talk almost every day?”“How does it feel to be popular?”“Does it ever get hard or bothersome to hear your name all the time?”Kamara:She was brave and wasn’t afr...

21 comments 21

Read story

“Sailing -- The Happy Fits” by Elliot Thomas

Submitted to Contest #76

He is a drop of sunlight in a clear glass bottle. A photoshoot in a field of lavender. An aesthetic. As I sit at my weatherworn desk, I poke a hole in my dam of emotions. He is a friendly phantom, existing only in the quiet space between. He is a heated blanket in the dead of winter. He is a song that lingers at the edge of memory until you listen to it. It leaks out little by little as my pen moves across the page. . . .&n...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Chance of a Life Time” by Jay DMer

Submitted to Contest #76

She:His eyes. Glisten when the sun hits. Beautiful, long eyelashes that frame his big, hazel eyes. His hair. Curly and light brown. Bounces ever so graciously every time he runs in track and field practice. His face. So silky smooth, marked with perfectly rounded freckles. His body. With the touch of it, I would be sent straight to Heaven. He's an angel. A work of art no one is worthy of understanding. A creation, so extraordinary that I can't bear to explore. Then there's me. Always in the background, hiding. Never gets noticed because I'm ...

14 comments 14

Read story

“Practice Makes Perfect” by Christina Marie

Submitted to Contest #76

Should say and should’ve said haunt and taunt my every wasted exhale.I revolve in a stationary spiral under the scalding spray of my morning shower – my daily rehearsal – setting steely intentions for the day ahead. Today I will speak with confidence. I declare this out loud with gusto to my shampoo bottles, having recently read an article about the power of positive thinking. Words like ‘stutter’ and ‘stupid’ and ‘forget’ still scuttle around my skull, but I refuse to give them a voice.While I lather up with suds from a bottle that promises...

14 comments 14

Read story

“Odd Bot Out” by Monica D

Submitted to Contest #76

When you aren’t real, you tend to be more secretive around people, even when they think you’re real. The biggest question I ask myself is: am I real or fake? Mason made me, sometimes I forget. And sometimes, I don’t even want to know. Mason just named me 13. I don’t know how to read, write, eat, or drink. I know how to speak. My language, it’s set to English. Sometimes it can be a pain. Sometimes it can be very useful. “13, I have some very exciting news for you!” Mason said. Normally when he’s excited about something, I dislike it. “Yo...

14 comments 14

Read story

“Muted Diary” by ✩✮ 🎀 𝒮𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝒶 🎀 ✮✩

Submitted to Contest #76

HEY HEY HEYYY!!! This isn’t really related to the prompt but it kinda is so yeah. Also, it isn’t really funny. It is funny...ish… Anyways, hope you like my story!!! (Please don't judge the title btw ^^)9th November 2020-Sophia asked me to hang out today but me being myself, I couldn’t say anything. I just said ‘no’, turned around and walked away. After I quite rudely declined her invitation, Sophia, with a confused look on her face, turned around and walked away with her friends. I bet they think I am a weirdo, which I am; a weirdo who can’t...

38 comments 38

Read story

“Speak Now Or Forever Stay Silent” by Trinity Womack

Submitted to Contest #76

Theo walked into the office of his job fifteen minutes early and approached his cubicle. He saw his boss out of the corner of his eye, standing beside the coffee maker, and decided that he would say something. Everyone in the office was constantly remarking on the fact that Theo rarely talked, but today he would change that. But what to say. “Hi Mr. Peters.” No, Mr. Peters had told him that he could address him as Gerald. Still the idea of calling his boss by his first name made him uncom...

9 comments 9

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story told exclusively through dialogue.

Dialogue – 349 stories

Write about two people who just can’t seem to understand each other, no matter how clearly they think they’re speaking.

Sad – 79 stories

Write about a character who is incapable of telling even the smallest lie or half-truth.

Character – 80 stories

Write a conversation that takes place between two people who refuse to say what they mean.

Dialogue – 58 stories

Contest #76

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: He Said, She Said

$50

Prize money

787

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 15, 2021 EST

Won by Rinnie Leigh 🏆

Title: Him

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 about a character who’s always thinking of things they’ll say to people, but who ends up saying very little when they finally get the chance.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 219 stories

“The Twisted Tale” by Radhika Diksha

“Lola” by Echo Sundar

“the medium” by KED KED

“The Boolean Code (TW: minor blood and death)” by <inactive> .

“An Understanding” by Rambling Beth

“in my room” by Masha Kurbatova

“They're coming to take me away ☠️” by Ari Berri

“Empty Encounters” by S.N. Beale

“Questions” by 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚝💙

“Sailing -- The Happy Fits” by Elliot Thomas

“Chance of a Life Time” by Jay DMer

“Practice Makes Perfect” by Christina Marie

“Odd Bot Out” by Monica D

“Muted Diary” by ✩✮ 🎀 𝒮𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝒶 🎀 ✮✩

“Speak Now Or Forever Stay Silent” by Trinity Womack

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story told exclusively through dialogue.

Write about two people who just can’t seem to understand each other, no matter how clearly they think they’re speaking.

Write about a character who is incapable of telling even the smallest lie or half-truth.

Write a conversation that takes place between two people who refuse to say what they mean.

Contest #76

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

787

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: