Write from the point of view of a character writing a letter to their past or future self.

Posted in Character on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 70 stories

“Best of Luck, Melanie” by Katie Odom

Submitted to Contest #146

To: Melly Belly <cranegamer@arteburn42.com> From: Melanie Arteburn <mbarteburn30@gmail.com> Time: 05/10/2022, 2:11 am EST Subject: URGENT! THIS IS YOU FROM THE FUTURE!!! DO NOT DELETE! To My Younger Self, I have so much to tell you, where to start? If you meet boys named Walker Deager, Richard Smith, or Michael Hill - date them if you wish - but know that it’s doomed from the start, and it’s for the best that you eventually break up. They are still boys when you meet them, and they haven’t learned what it means to love...

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“Dear me…” by Katie Reynolds

Submitted to Contest #146

I opened the wood door and closed it again, taking off my shoes and making my way to the stairs. “I’m home”, I pointlessly yelled to the empty house as I proceeded to make my way up the staircase and to my room. I entered the rectangular box and sat at my desk and opened my backpack. I took out my school work and mulled over it for a bit before deciding that this was useless and I had zero motivation to complete any of the assignments, so I, once again, closed my textbooks and computer that I would leave until it was far too late for any rea...

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“HEY, YOU!” by Nancy Richy

Submitted to Contest #146

Did you ever wish you could go back in time to when you were five years old? That’s a reasonable age – old enough to grasp the difference between right and wrong yet young enough to be just a kid having lots of fun. You have many years to go before you’re even on the cusp of adulthood and there will be an infinite number of opportunities for you to fuck things up. And you will. Being a kid is all about having fun so knock yourself out! It’ll all get real soon enough If I, a mature and seemingly rational woman of the world, could write a ...

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“How I Found Myself” by Greta Bonati

Submitted to Contest #146

There’s very few times in life when one actually chooses to stop and observe. Today, I chose to sit on a bench and simply watch time go by. It’s way harder than it seems. I feel like I should be doing something, or adding to this scenario, maybe some music? Sometimes only the presence of time is taken for granted, whereas it should be cherished. So I choose to sit still. And as I sit here I observe the people walking by, most of them running from the rain. Because that’s what you're expected to do, taught to do. Today I chose the rain suited...

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“Letter between Selves” by Alanna Cieslek

Submitted to Contest #146

Dear Future Self, ‘Previous-self’ speaking here and I just wanted to say I’m sort of sorry. No, I mean I’m really sorry. I know I haven’t treated you well and now you are dealing with the aftermath of those choices. For what it’s worth though, it was fun. I had an absolute blast partying with my friends in high school, college, drinking into the early hours of the morning and feeling invincible. I thought we couldn’t be hurt; nothing bad could happen to us. I know you were being mistreated, but please understand I felt so alive and free. W...

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“From Me to Me, and Me to You” by Cado E.

Submitted to Contest #146

warning: depression, unreliable narratorTo Whom This May Concern,Sometimes I think about the future. And it can be good — and then it can be bad. Sometimes I think about the past. And it can be good — and then it can be bad. Sometimes I think about the present. It can be good — and, yes, bad too. So, where in time is it always good and never bad? Nowhere in time, probably. This is only my personal experience, and my personal experiences might not overlap with yours. Perceptions aren’t like two metal rings that can be interlock...

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“times of quiet growth” by Angel C

Submitted to Contest #146

(Note: story contains brief sexual content). I want to give you some memories now, my friend. Some things you can hold onto as life goes on, and deepens into hardships, and lightens back towards goodness. Sometimes memories can be so tremendously important. They can remind you of a kinder time that now seems elusive. More importantly, they can set the tone for the future, as you look for something, anything, to remind you that life can be okay again. And so, future self, take these two memories and hold them close. Here is the first, the...

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“This is how it ends ” by Adji Nene

Submitted to Contest #146

(This story contains depictions of substance abuse and suicide. Please read at viewers discretions.) Dear Me, younger me, What happened to us? To all the hopes and dreams that we held, as you got older I guess you lost a sense of what you wanted. Remember when we thought we could become an engineer, we always enjoyed looking at cars on the TV with Dad. After engineering we wanted to be doctors, yeah who would’ve thought, we wanted to be saving lives, I’ve lost all motivation to keep working, all motivation to stay alive and yet her...

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“Message In A Bottle” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #146

I’ve never been someone that was appreciative of advice or readily open to suggestions. My friends would say that I gave stubborn people a bad name, but I don’t know why. Friends and family expect this of me and I’m grateful that they still love and tolerate me, anyway. I was thinking about this particular trait, while digging up the driveway of my old family home. My parents still lived there, and they asked if I could help them fix their driveway, as they were both elderly and frail. I’ve had some experience with concrete and cement and ...

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“The Best Wine Comes from Grapes that Struggle” by Lex Lockner

Submitted to Contest #146

Sensitive content: Sexual violence, mental health Kate sneezed as she dropped another cardboard box in the dusty basement of her childhood home. Every time she felt accomplished in loading up an entire box, the room seemed to spit more things out to sort through. She felt annoyed that the sole responsibility for organizing and cleaning up her parents house fell on her. The least Jason could do is step up for once in his life and be a good son. Then again, she really didn’t want to have to interact with her brother, they’ve never had much...

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“Set me free” by Sameen Azmat

Submitted to Contest #146

For the nth time, she crumpled the piece of paper and aimed to throw it in to the bin at the far end of the room. It wasn’t just a dream, she knew it. It was real. As real as her whole existence. When it happened for the first time, she had to pinch herself thrice in order to wake herself up. And then the same dream again. And again. It kept happening for a week until she realized the figure she saw wasn’t a dream and pinching herself or shouting for help wasn’t going to work. She would snap back to reality only wh...

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“How Are You Feeling Today? ” by Eunice Ross

Submitted to Contest #146

You knew that something was off. It was the opposite of harmony. You were playing with your brother and sister just a few feet away when you felt the energy of their conversation. Your palms become sweaty, you start feeling hot, and you are taken out of the imaginative play that you were in with your siblings. Your siblings were too young to notice what was going on. You, however, were old enough to pay attention. Your dad started talking, and you saw your mom storm off before finishing his sentence. She doesn't say anything back, but your d...

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“Dear Past” by Etya Krichmar

Submitted to Contest #146

Dear Past Dear Past, I write this letter to you not to complain about what happened in my life but to offer my words of gratitude. Even though you did not treat me kindly at times, you taught me valuable lessons, and for that, I am grateful. Thank you for letting me know that at seven, I was different, and for twenty-three years of my life inside the USSR, I would not fit in or belong. On my first day of school, inside a schoolyard in Kotovsk, Ukraine, alone and lonely, I expe...

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“Dear Future Self,” by Larrissa Howard

Submitted to Contest #146

Dear future self, What a ride it's been, eh? You're probably much older now, well, you being in the future and all, but I'm sure you won't forget who you were before you grew up and went out into the world. I want to fill you in on everything that has happened, but you probably already know. Since it happened to you too. But I do have a lot of questions. I guess life is a little confusing right now. I guess life will always be a little bit confusing. I mean, I have loads of worries. Friends, family, sports, popularity, image, I could go on...

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“The Time Tunnel” by Howard Seeley

Submitted to Contest #146

Just because an action may be outlawed, doesn’t mean it will never be carried out. For instance, detonating a neutron bomb maybe banned, but still, it is possible for someone to commit such a deadly act. Even if you ever heard someone even suggesting such an insane idea, you may say, “That’s ludicrous! Why would someone do something so dangerous?” And you’d be correct in your assumption if it was one’s intention to wreak havoc on the world. But what if you were wrong? What if this individual want to prove Einstein’s theory of relativity by ...

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Write from the point of view of a character writing a letter to their past or future self.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 70 stories

“Best of Luck, Melanie” by Katie Odom

“Dear me…” by Katie Reynolds

“HEY, YOU!” by Nancy Richy

“How I Found Myself” by Greta Bonati

“Letter between Selves” by Alanna Cieslek

“From Me to Me, and Me to You” by Cado E.

“times of quiet growth” by Angel C

“This is how it ends ” by Adji Nene

“Message In A Bottle” by Mark Nero

“The Best Wine Comes from Grapes that Struggle” by Lex Lockner

“Set me free” by Sameen Azmat

“How Are You Feeling Today? ” by Eunice Ross

“Dear Past” by Etya Krichmar

“Dear Future Self,” by Larrissa Howard

“The Time Tunnel” by Howard Seeley

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character attempting to meditate or do something mindfully.

Set your story in an unlikely sanctuary.

Write about a character discovering a surprising strength in either themself or another.

Start your story during a team building exercise.

Contest #146

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

215

Contest entries

134

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: