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

Posted in Character on May 24, 2024

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✍️ 35 stories

“Angela” by Annabelle Stableford

Submitted to Contest #252

“It’s the right thing to do,” Angela’s best friend Carmen tells me as she sips her matcha. I didn’t order anything, hoping this coffee shop bombardment wouldn’t last long, but now I wish I had a drink to look at instead of Carmen’s pouting face. “It’s the right thing to do,” she repeats. “I know you love her, but she’s starting a new life. Do you really want to tie her down?” Carmen has never liked me, no matter how many times I’ve tried to show her that Angela and I are right for each other. I don’t have anything to say. D...

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“Footsteps in the mud” by Amisha Connor

Submitted to Contest #252

Content Warning:This story contains graphic descriptions of physical suffering, war, violence, death, PTSD, and emotional distress.'I couldn't think straight.'He said looking down at his hands. I said nothing back but could feel that he had to justify himself. 'If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't have either,' I said nothing, for he was probably right..***'I couldn't think straight,' the journalist's gaze shifted down to my hands. 'I was numbed, with the cold and with the fear...' I swallowed, the metallic taste of saliva rolling down my t...

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“Fire and Wind” by Lauren Staehle

Submitted to Contest #252

August 16th - it’s our one year anniversary. Nate and I are sitting in a small Italian restaurant, an empty bottle of red wine between us. We’ve ordered another. It’s easier to let myself forget, to simply exist in this moment I’ve created, with the soft veil of alcohol clouding my thoughts. I feel myself slipping into the skin of the person that I’ve been waiting for all evening, like I’ve shifted into a parallel reality. This Lucy is flirtatious, care-free, basking in the candle-lit glow of a perfect romance. Nate is everything I wan...

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“Heroes and Lies” by AJ Eddy

Submitted to Contest #252

We've all heard the stories of good versus bad, right versus wrong. The Hero wins, and The Villain goes to prison. The Hero persuades the Villain to see the error of their ways and start anew. The Villain falls in love and asks the Hero to help them become a better person. The Hero, in a moment of moral ambiguity, does what they promised they never would and kills the Villain. At the academy, these scenarios were imposed on us as if they were real. Children with gifts were torn away from their families and brought to a special school. It was...

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“The Value of Desperation” by Teddy Kwan

Submitted to Contest #252

It was midday at the gladiator training camp and all the slaves were lining up to get their food. When the gong sounded to let everyone know lunch was ready a small bald slave was first in line. His name was Catabar, and he was clothed in a disgusting and smelly smock which was covered in animal filth. Catabar had spent the morning cleaning out the pig pens and stables and so even the other slaves kept their distance from him as they lined up for their food. This suited Catabar as he had been at work since before dawn and was hungry to the p...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 35 stories

“Angela” by Annabelle Stableford

“Footsteps in the mud” by Amisha Connor

“Fire and Wind” by Lauren Staehle

“Heroes and Lies” by AJ Eddy

“The Value of Desperation” by Teddy Kwan

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character being followed.

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

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: