Write about a mentor whose methods are controversial.

Posted in Character on Oct 27, 2023

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✍️ 22 stories

“In Search of Inspiration” by Michał Przywara

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #222

Finally, after months of waiting, after countless arguments with the shipper, with border services, with his wife Shirley and with his son Miles, and with his wallet to cover all the extra importing fees, Carl Jones’s package arrived and sat in his study. It was a dented cardboard box, basketball-sized, swaddled with duct tape, and it screamed nondescript. If he had passed it in the street he would have kept on walking, avoiding eye contact – were it not for the shipping label, which said: to Carl, from Industrial Creativity Corporation. “It...

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“The Instructor” by Karen Corr

Submitted to Contest #222

**Contains violence and death in a disturbing dystopian world**Good morning. You may address me as Instructor. Please take your seats, was written on the blackboard.A man in a white jumpsuit adorned with medals stood before the board with his hands clasped behind his back and watched the students file in. When they seemed ready, he began the class with a question."How many lives does an E-Fighter have? Some have only one, you see, and that leads to the next question. How many lives do you have? If you do indeed have ...

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“Ramirez Took My Hand” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #222

Ramirez shows up three minutes early everyday. I am to be here ten minutes earlier. Somehow she knows if I’m not. The wall is blank. It was painted over in the night. A lost white. As if a blizzard had swept in to confiscate the previous day’s mural. I am allowed one brush and two colors. I may choose the colors the night before, but I must do so having no idea what Ramirez will ask me to paint. According to her, she doesn’t even know what she’s looking for until she walks into the studio. The wall is three times as high as either of us. T...

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“The Eggcentric Apprentice: Finnegan's Whimsical Way” by Pino De Francesco

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #222

Alright, let's spin a yarn, shall we? Gather 'round, and let me tell you a tale most extraordinary about a young lad named Finnegan Potts, who lived in the quaint, magical village of Whistleberry Hollow. Now, Whistleberry Hollow wasn't your ordinary hamlet; nay, it was a place where the trees whispered secrets and the rivers hummed lullabies. But our tale isn't about the peculiarity of the village—oh no, it's about Finnegan's encounter with the most bizarre mentor any hero-in-the-making could stumble upon. Finnegan was the sort of fellow w...

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“Teaching Tanri’Sal” by Cecilia Englishby

Submitted to Contest #222

Hail sat with his fellow fifth years between the winter-chilled stone walls of Beshquey Hall, all of them around fifteen years of age. He adjusted his position and accidentally jostled his friend’s elbow with his own.“Watch it!” Colt protested.“Please fool, I barely grazed you through all these layers.” Hail jested.The first of the Magiceres had arrived to take their seats on the stage and the hall’s rumble started to dull.“Ha! The nerve you have to call me a fool when you are the one who chose Windleby as your mentor!”“Not this again.” Hail...

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“How to Become a Sociopath in 11 Easy Steps” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #222

The advertisement shining on the telephone pole sang to me. The bright, crisp pink paper had sharp, fresh edges, as if it had been placed there just for me. Other tattered, sad advertisements flittered around it, their slips with phone numbers waving impotently in the breeze. They didn’t seem fated, meant for her. The words Josephine didn’t realize she was seeking until they called out to her near her bus stop. Josephine called the number because she was tired. She had moved to Los Angeles with hopes of being a filmmaker. Everyone said you...

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“A Real Ham-and-Egger” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #222

As a kid I was obsessed with “Macho Man” Randy Savage, but macho I am not. Ever notice how we are all fascinated by stories about our opposite? Take me. I’m a pussy. Not in the sense of being a girly man, but in the sense of being a lazy coward. So, naturally, I am obsessed with Rambo, Full Metal Jacket, Pumping Iron, and any narrative involving one very jacked man fighting his way through a sea of enemies, with certainty of purpose, zero fear of death, wearing his weight in ammo, and possessing an uncanny ability to make everyone in their p...

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“The Turnabout” by Yousef Jeddi

Submitted to Contest #222

Jordan wasn’t sure why she’d humored Kevin for so long. She typically didn’t hesitate to fail a student no matter how tearful their entreaties. Once, she failed a girl who knocked over a traffic cone during a parallel parking attempt. The girl cried as if the world were ending, and when she told her father, he slapped her so hard she lost balance and nearly fell over — possibly concussed. Jordan felt nothing. Kevin was different. She knew she should’ve stopped the test much earlier, probably when he failed to locate the hazard lights in hi...

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“A Humble Headshrinker Deviates” by John Healey

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #222

“Well, I subscribe to the Freudian school of thought.” His thick, veiny hand creaked slowly open and I pulled back the solderin’ iron. He judged my work with eyes that I reckon were prob’ly normal-sized, but were so deep-set that they looked positively tiny, peerin’ out from that overhang forehead of his. That forehead absolutely burstin’ with knowledge. “What this means,” he began, and I moved to the next connection, takin’ his silence as an affirmatory. “Is that our problems, in the end, stem from the impossible expectations thrust u...

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“Lessons On Becoming Invisible ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #222

Craig Sanders hated his biology class, because he had to cross R Hallway in Martin Luther King Jr. High School. When he did he would have to deal with Kensey Waldmeier and his cronies who hung out at the crossing where they would sit ready to pounce on anyone who dared to enter their turf and since the biology classroom was in the middle of this imaginary turf, there was no way he could get out of becoming a victim. Another fact was Rose Talmer was in his class. She was enchanting to the point he was unable to speak ...

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“CRY BABY” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #222

CRY BABYAs he climbed the sheer face of the cliff ahead of her, he indicated, with a pointing of his foot, where she should next place her hand. In this manner, slowly but surely, they finally reached the summit. It was the first time that she had managed to achieve the full climb and she collapsed, exhausted, the bitter wind lashing her face.“We go back”, he said, quietly.She knew that she could not argue with him; his word was law. Yet, the combination of cold, fatigue and the daunting task of descending this rocky outcrop so soon, was jus...

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“Lester ( A Shaggy Dog Story)” by Marvin Furman

Submitted to Contest #222

Warning: The story makes reference to condoms and sexual intercourse. Lester ( A Shaggy Dog Story) By &nb...

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“The Attitude of Gratitude” by Pete K Mally

Submitted to Contest #222

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE Remember to Apply the Attitude of Gratitude and Life will soon go your way. And send. Richard Salsa smiled as he looked at his daily twitter post, ensured it was shared to all his followers, -always hoping for a few new ones, and logged off his laptop before the likes and comments began to flood in and distract him. Extending his smile , the laptop lid closed as he stood up from behind his desk, stretched and looked out of the large east-facing window. Posting on social media and not feel...

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“Ninety-Five Percent” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #222

Dickie Ryder parks his HELP van on the shoulder behind the stranded Mercedes Benz. Pulling his Baltimore Oriole cap down to hide his boyish features, he steps out of the vehicle. Olive Rothchild, a wealthy real estate agent fretting over arriving late for her own dinner party, feels relieved when she sees a scruffy man in an army jacket and work boots ambling toward her. “Thank goodness you came along,” she says. “I’ve always thought that having an emergency repair vehicle along this long stretch of road was a good idea. I never thought I’...

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“The Road to Merton” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #222

September 5, 1993As she looked at herself in the full- length mirror in her parent’s bedroom, Libby couldn’t believe how revolting she looked. She’d gained a bit of weight over the summer holidays. This was mostly due to a sedentary existence of watching Tim Burton films and reading gothic horror fiction while consuming Lion Bars. Her skirt had ridden up to her kidneys due to the increased bulge of her tummy despite several attempts to pull it down. When her Aunty Catherine, whom Libby secretly named 'Lady Catherine of Pompousville' called i...

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Write about a mentor whose methods are controversial.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 22 stories

“In Search of Inspiration” by Michał Przywara

“The Instructor” by Karen Corr

“Ramirez Took My Hand” by Story Time

“The Eggcentric Apprentice: Finnegan's Whimsical Way” by Pino De Francesco

“Teaching Tanri’Sal” by Cecilia Englishby

“How to Become a Sociopath in 11 Easy Steps” by Audrey Knox

“A Real Ham-and-Egger” by Jonathan Page

“The Turnabout” by Yousef Jeddi

“A Humble Headshrinker Deviates” by John Healey

“Lessons On Becoming Invisible ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“CRY BABY” by Charles Corkery

“Lester ( A Shaggy Dog Story)” by Marvin Furman

“The Attitude of Gratitude” by Pete K Mally

“Ninety-Five Percent” by Michael Jefferson

“The Road to Merton” by Rebecca Detti

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a student on their first day of apprenticeship.

Write about a character who has a love/hate relationship with their mentor.

Write a story about a character who finds guidance in an unlikely place.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “You’ve got this.”

Contest #222

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

210

Contest entries

101

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: