Write about someone who is learning to recognize and take credit for their own achievements.

Posted in Character on Apr 21, 2023

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✍️ 18 stories

“The Watch” by C. Charles

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #195

The faint buzz from the fluorescent lights overhead was vaguely grating, like when you’re about to drift into sleep on a hot summer night and you hear a mosquito fly by your head, not so close that you wake up fully, but close enough that it pulls you from the edge of sleep. The lights tinged the break room in a faint, stomach-churning green, made worse by how white the room was. The walls were white, the cupboards were white, the fridge, the tables, the chairs. White. The sickly green hue was made worse by the grey, shadowless light ...

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“It’s Just a Sketch” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #195

His pencil flew across the page as Mark looked up and down between his notebook and his teacher. He was sketching her while she read a textbook to the class. He sketched the desk she was standing behind and even the smart board behind her. He loved to sketch, even though he knew he wasn’t good. But that didn’t stop him, he just made sure no one saw them. He was always careful to hide his drawings, mostly in his math book, since his math teacher only made them use it at home, he knew he wouldn’t have to open it in front of anyone. ...

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“Mousee” by Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #195

Amanda's body shook as she bolted the cabin door, then stared at her bloody body and clothing. She checked on Lily, her infant daughter, who'd cried herself to sleep. Amanda washed the blood from her body, then soaked her clothes in the washtub. She pulled on some of Jame's clothes. She wondered what her family would think of her now. Several years earlier, Amanda's nickname, in Boston, was 'mouse' - she hated that. She'd been a small, shy, timid child and the victim of bullying. Her own brother started calling her, Mousee' and the name...

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“Ionica” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #195

“It looks just like a picture I saw once. Did you do it?” said Debra, my sister-in-law. Debra was admiring the “Lady with an Ermine," a painting hanging above our piano on our living room wall.“Oh, no!” Ionica exclaimed. “That painting is famous. It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.” Ionica, my wife, a Romanian portrait artist, was a little flustered at the suggestion that she could do such a painting.“Then what is it?” quizzed Debra, somewhat rudely. “It’s not a photograph…”“It’s master copy,” Ionica interrupted. She put her wine glass down...

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“The Great Emerald Heist” by Steven Smith

Submitted to Contest #195

No boy ever learned the concept of justice right off without the whipping post. Elective goodness seemed too complicated, too many fruits of temptation not to slip into vice and transgression. The trick, it seemed, was to sidestep a whipping or a clout to the head. Taking something that didn’t belong to you—many parents agreed on that sermonette--just wasn’t done. Walking the path of thievery was risky. You never knew if some stout mother lying in wait with a wooden spoon might lay a purple knot on your coconut.Sin and sanction seemed a...

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“The Original ” by A.J Roberts

Submitted to Contest #195

"I am not the original, but I do carry her memories." The clone thought as she gazed at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her long brown hair mimicked a lightning bolt victim. She reached for a thick handled brush while she contemplated her situation. "The original was a secret rebel writer who was kidnapped and executed. No one ever noticed that she left for the grocery store and never came back. I was created and programmed before the execution. The government discovered the ...

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“Two Journeys, One Path” by Ian James

Submitted to Contest #195

The man strode with purpose through the bustling street, resolute and unwavering. The traffic lights dared not impede him, nor did the chaotic rush of vehicles, each blaring their own cacophonous tune. For his mind was set on one destination, a place where he could finally lay to rest the unbearable weight of his pain.And thus he tread, each footfall bringing him closer to his aim. Yet he paused for a moment when he stumbled upon a towering tower, the very one he had once set his sights upon. He tilted his head back and beheld its spire stre...

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“It Wasn't Me” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #195

“You killed him!” “Well, I…” says the round shouldered man, intently hunched over his computer, his tired, saggy face illuminated by the blue screen glow. The lighting helps him look like a forlorn gargoyle. “He’s dead! And you did it!” says the other occupant of the room as he leans back in his chair watching another screen, a screen linked to CCTV in a way that isn’t at all usual. CCTV that unwittingly records the demise of the latest ordered hit. “It wasn’t me,” says the hunched man. His name is Gareth and he isn’t used to conversat...

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“The Ballad of David and Sarah” by David Reynders

Submitted to Contest #195

David had always been the type to downplay his own achievements. Even when he received praise from others, he would brush it off and attribute his success to luck or help from others. It wasn't until he started working with a new mentor, a successful businesswoman named Sarah, that he realized the importance of recognizing and taking credit for his own accomplishments. Sarah would often ask him about his recent successes, and David would struggle to come up with anything noteworthy to share. One day, Sarah sat David down and asked him to...

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“Betsy’s Rainy Day” by Christine Casey

Submitted to Contest #195

Betsy was in a mood. Normally she worked quietly in her cube leaving only to go to the occasional meeting. She rarely ventured off her floor except to go to the lunchroom. Even that was rare as she usually ate her lunch in front of her computer while surfing the internet for the latest news on her favorite celebrity. Today felt different. It started when she walked into the building and the man in front of her, shook his wet umbrella, soaking her in the process. She waited patiently to smile a...

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“A Counselor's inner dialogue ” by Nabi H. Akhtar

Submitted to Contest #195

“He’s one of the good ones Jolene,” I said to my wife who was standing over the kettle across the room. She was pouring the hot liquid over the coffee beans which were slowly releasing their fragrant musk around our small 2-bedroom apartment. “Anything to go along with it?”, I asked my wife as she handed me my cup. She sauntered back over to the cupboards and pulled out a pack of lemon biscuits. She plonked herself on the couch besides me. “Well, if he’s so good maybe he would have given you some money instead of just calling you to that stu...

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“Top of the class” by Amy Arora

Submitted to Contest #195

The box bedroom at the back of the house was a hallowed place. Heavy curtains and shaded lightbulbs gave the impression that it was trapped in time. Leila bent to remove her shoes then decided against it, and placed one trainer over the threshold, then the other.The wall ahead was loaded with cups, ribbons, and medals. Her mother always left a candle burning; the scent of lavender clung to the nostrils. Leila perused the shelf: award for academic achievement, first in class, top student… best in show. A framed photograph showed her standing ...

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“The Interview” by Michaela Gallien

Submitted to Contest #195

“How do I look?” She did a turn. “That’s the outfit?” Her furrowed brow and pursed lips were a clear sign of disapproval. She frowned. “What’s wrong with it?” “Claire, this is the job of your dreams. This outfit is so plain, how do you expect to stand out?” Claire looked down at her white button up blouse and gray slacks. She sighed and flopped down into the chair closest to her. “Since you’re such a fashion expert, Abby, what do you suggest I wear?” Abby skyrocketed out of her chair and toward the bedroom. “I thought you’d never ask,” she c...

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“The Third” by S.A. Nur

Submitted to Contest #195

Ambushed by a horde of tears, Arsalan was struggling to pull the fuschia silk tent through her outstretched arms. This dress was, in his opinion, a monstrous creation: an offensively shiny frock with underside threads irritating his daughter’s tender, eczema-prone skin. Plus, the fact that they only had jeans as bottoms and not the traditional Pakistani chooridar pajama, wasn’t helping. It made her look like…like…well, like she had been dressed by a single dad with too much on his expanding plate. To add to her humiliation, all he ...

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“Seasoned like Chili Paddy” by Yenty Yenty

Submitted to Contest #195

Growing up in Indonesia, I was surrounded by the rich and diverse flavors of the local cuisine. From sweet to savory, spicy to mild, the food here is a true reflection of the country's culture and history. Amongst the many flavors that I have come to appreciate over the years, one of my favorites is the unique taste of the Chili Paddy pepper.The Chili Paddy is a fruit and plant belonging to the genus Capsicum, which is commonly found in Indonesia. The fruit grows facing upwards and can be recognized by its green color when it is young, and i...

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Write about someone who is learning to recognize and take credit for their own achievements.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 18 stories

“The Watch” by C. Charles

“It’s Just a Sketch” by Daniel Rogers

“Mousee” by Patricia Merewether

“Ionica” by Joe Smallwood

“The Great Emerald Heist” by Steven Smith

“The Original ” by A.J Roberts

“Two Journeys, One Path” by Ian James

“It Wasn't Me” by Jed Cope

“The Ballad of David and Sarah” by David Reynders

“Betsy’s Rainy Day” by Christine Casey

“A Counselor's inner dialogue ” by Nabi H. Akhtar

“Top of the class” by Amy Arora

“The Interview” by Michaela Gallien

“The Third” by S.A. Nur

“Seasoned like Chili Paddy” by Yenty Yenty

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a staff room of an essential profession that is often undervalued — nurses, cafeteria staff, sanitation workers, etc.

Write a story from the point of view of a sidekick, or someone who is happy to stay away from the limelight.

Write a story about someone who receives — or makes — a life-changing, anonymous donation.

Write a story that includes the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Contest #195

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

207

Contest entries

92

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: