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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#1: Birthdays

The Reedsy writing prompts newsletter started almost three years ago, and over the past few years, the simple concept of sending out five weekly writing ideas has allowed us to connect with thousands of fantastic authors around the world. This week marks the 150th edition of our prompts newsletter, and to celebrate, we’re excited to launch our brand new Reedsy Prompts page which will host our writing contest moving forward! Also to celebrate our prompts newsletter turning 150 weeks old, the theme this week is — what else — birthdays!

This week's prompts

Write a story about a stressed parent planning their child's birthday.

Adults – 22 stories

Write a story about a sweet sixteen.

Short Story – 13 stories

Write a story about someone turning 100 years old.

Fiction – 47 stories

Write a story about someone trying to find the perfect birthday gift.

Short Story – 19 stories

Write a story about a birthday party with a major plot twist.

Funny – 38 stories

Stories

“Death's Pink and Glittery Birthday Party” by Cathy Bryant

Submitted to Contest #1

Mrs. Morrison was too busy to die."I've simply got far too much going on," she said to Death, who was waiting in her hall, tapping his bony feet and sighing."You have no choice!" Death rasped, in the eerie voice that usually reduced mortals to timid acceptance of their fate."Oh, I'll come with you, all right," said Mrs. Morrison, in an affable, soothing sort of voice that got on Death's nerves. "I do understand. You've got a job to do. But so have I, you see. I'm doing the birthday party for my little niece Katie (she's so sweet you wouldn't...

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“Happy Birthday, Baby” by Gary Hoffman

Submitted to Contest #1

Happy Birthday, Baby Half a dozen servers gathered around Vince's table and sang a jazzed-up version of Happy Birthday to him. There was a lot of hand clapping and stomping of feet. He shot his wife an I-thought-we-agreed-to-not-do-this-kind-of-crap look, but smiled at the singers. He politely said, "Thank you," when they finished. One of them reminded him of his secretary, Alfreda. Al as she preferred to be called. She might have liked a masculine name, but she was all woman, something Vince discovered a mo...

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“Change of Plans” by Abigail Mohn

Submitted to Contest #1

My fifteenth birthday party started out normal. It was the same as any other birthday. I had invited five friends over for a sleepover on a Friday night, and they all arrived within fifteen minutes of the start time. As usual, over-achiever Lindsey was the first to arrive, ten minutes before the party had actually started. Typical Lindsey. “Did I miss anything?” she asked, her big brown eyes open even wider in her earnestness. “Well,” I replied, “You are the first to arrive, so it would be hard to have missed anything.” Lindsey exhaled...

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“Jason Huff's Wife” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #1

Jason Huff's WifeJason Huff, age forty, spent his adult life trying to get rich. He spent money at race tracks, gambled wherever there was a casino, and even bought two greyhounds that he raised to race, but they came out of every gate walking instead of running. Jason never got rich gambling, but he won enough to keep himself from starving and able to travel to the next casino or race track. He would go anywhere where he could gamble. Once in a while, he would go to a county fair that had harness racing. Before the races began, he wou...

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“The Stolen Birthday” by Rayven Fuller

Submitted to Contest #1

I hate birthdays. My thirteenth birthday diminished any thrill I’ve ever had about celebrating my “special day”. I used to adore my birthday. It was the one day a year that I was able to do whatever I wanted. It was the one day a year that I felt unique and blissful, until I turned thirteen years old, and my birthday was stolen from me. Ripped away from the depths of my soul.I remember it like it was yesterday, waking up to the gratifying smell of my mother’s confetti birthday pancakes with a hint of crispy bacon and warm maple syrup. I reme...

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“Party Time” by Elizabeth Barnes

Submitted to Contest #1

“Do you think 10 year olds even have birthday parties anymore?...I mean, Chloe has never been invited to any…” “Babe, it’s going to be fine.” “It has to be fine. Doesn’t it? I mean it will be...right?” “Right.” He rubbed the knots in her shoulders. She grimaced. “Crap!, I didn’t ask about allergies...do you think any of the kids have food allergies? All I need is for someone to start swelling or vomiting or breaking into hives. Chloe would be mortified if I killed one of her new friends.” She turned and smooshed her face into his...

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“The Perfect Day” by Ella Spencer

Submitted to Contest #1

Jenna had never been in to sports. However, she felt that pushing a shopping cart down the aisles of Target should be made an extreme sport. She quickly swerved her cart out of the way to avoid wiping out a toddler. The mother gave Jenna a death glare. Jenna didn’t care. All she was focused on was getting all the supplies she could for her daughter’s 13th birthday party. Her gorgeous little Lola was becoming a teenager… and Jenna could definitely tell. Jenna had already planned a party for Lola, only to be told that it wasn’t good enough. Lo...

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“A MADDENING BIRTHDAY BASH” by Deeksha Arora

Submitted to Contest #1

The day was hot and humid with sun shining so high and the clouds seemed as if just painted in the sky.Everyone was just running around here and there on orders of Steephee, mother of three year old Savvy whose birthday party preparations were on. The birthday was on the very next day.Steephee was all set with the caterer, decorator, tattoo guy, puppet show organizer, joy ride man and so on.A huge mango cake was already orderd as mango was Savvy’s favorite.Savvy was going to the best school of the city, the school of filthy rich people, wher...

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“Birthday Parties, Batman and Brothers” by Abigail Mohn

Submitted to Contest #1

Jacob sighed and rested his head on the table. He then proceeded to bang his head against the wood five, then ten times. “I am a terrible father,” he whispered, ignoring the already growing pain in his head. Okay, Jacob, stop being dramatic. Jacob thought. It’s just planning a birthday party. You can do this. His little boy was turning six in one week. In previous years, Jacob’s wife had done the planning, but she was currently in Washington D.C. helping her sister with the new baby. His poor sister-in-law. She currently ha...

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“Family Means Love” by Ellis Nash

Submitted to Contest #1

Julie sat with Alan - her boyfriend - on the sofa. The only reason they had been able to sit down was that Alan had thrown all “the crap” onto the floor. Julie had tutted when he said that.“Good thing Will wasn’t here to hear that.”“He’s almost 12, Julie. I’m pretty sure he’s picked up even worse words from school.”Julie shrugged. She highly doubted that. As far as she knew, Will didn’t talk to anyone at school. He was an only child and he didn’t have any friends, that she was aware of. She always knew he was quiet and he preferred to read a...

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“The Unicorn Incident ” by Sarah O'Grady

Submitted to Contest #1

‘With sparkles!’ My five-year-old little girl screamed from before flouncing off into her bedroom to join her Barbies in yet another EastEnders-style life story. As I sat there at the kitchen table, pages spewed out across it, all covered with scribbled down telephone numbers, slightly legible shopping lists and the occasional doodle, I started to question my sanity for the thousandth time regarding why I had chosen to plan a unicorn themed birthday party for my five year old. ‘Because she’s your daughter and you love her.’ I mumbled to...

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“Mary's Big Day” by Nate Kroeker

Submitted to Contest #1

"It has to be perfect. It has to be. It has to be!" Mary's voice was growing shrill. "You don't understand! He needs it to be exactly right!" The poor freckly teen stared at her with wide eyes from behind the register. This obviously crazed woman was losing it; her meltdown had been building throughout their interaction and was seemingly reaching its boiling point. Mary's hair was disheveled and her neatly-rolled sleeves had come undone as she slammed her hands on the check-out counter. "I'm sorry ma'am, we just don't have any green balloons...

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“Clairvoyant” by Cindy Reynolds

Submitted to Contest #1

A middle-aged woman with concern whittled intensely into her features paced anxiously in her kitchen. The linoleum on her floor creaked as furious feet shuffled across them, with flecks of chewed cuticles falling onto them precariously. A man of five decades and the salt-and-pepper hair to show for it eyed the fiercely striding blur of a woman. “He doesn’t want AirPods, obviously,” she finally uttered, glancing up from her stare on the worn linoleum to look at the man. “He’s never been a kid who keeps up with the trends.”“Well,” the man repl...

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“A Romantic Reunion on a Child's Birthday” by Stan-Collins Ubaka

Submitted to Contest #1

Outside Junic lodge, a male and a female dog growled and barked. Inside, Mr. Matthew sat in the swivel chair by the window flipping through the pages of the book he was trying hard to read. He was distracted by the dogs' incessant growling and barking. The dogs growled and started barking again, something they had been doing intermittently for God-knows-how-long. It wasn't the sort of barking made when a dog sees a new person around their territory. The barking was as if they were fighting for something and it was disturbing the ...

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“Double Digits” by Patti Santucci

Submitted to Contest #1

“Yeah, I can come!” Brittney said. “This is going to be so frickin’ fun!” I held the cell phone tight to my ear, dangling my feet over the edge of the dock, the cool water licking my ankles. I just couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. “Brit, we’re goin’ to have over sixty water balloons. It was supposed to be a surprise but –“ “I bet Robbie throws all his balloons at you!” she interrupted. Only Brittney knew how I felt about Robbie....

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$50

Prize money

139

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 09, 2019 EST

Won by Joseph McLaughlin 🏆

Title: To You

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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