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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#105: Gaining Perspective

Selecting which point of view to tell their story from is one of the most crucial choices an author can make. Whether you opt for the intimacy of first person (“I”), the directness of second person (“you”), or the versatility of third person (“they”), this decision is critically important in creating a story that resonates with readers. Identifying your POV characters is also of the utmost importance: a story might actually be more interesting when told not from the perspective of the action hero, but through the eyes of their overshadowed, long-suffering sidekick.

With this week’s prompts, I’d like you to consider your choice of perspective, and maybe try something new! Put yourself into the shoes of an unexpected character — or ask your character to consider another’s point of view. How meta!

Like I mentioned, we’re currently working on some big changes to Prompts. With that in mind, we’re asking again for you to submit your stories 24 hours earlier than usual, to make those changes possible. The deadline for submitting a story to this week’s contest is 11:59PM EST on Thursday, August 5th. Stay tuned!

🥇 Winner

“The Next Good Day” by Vi Bisky

🏆 Winner of Contest #105

TW: suicideDr. Delaney visits every Tuesday, at eight o’clock sharp. It goes like this: she knocks three times, in succession, but with no particular rhythm; she calls out our name through the door, softly, and only once; she leaves. Though she intrudes on our treasured evenings together, we admire her persistence, her punctuality. Still, we cannot comply with her wishes—even if we begin to listen for the staccato of her feet outside the door. Tonight is no different. She arrives, she knocks, she waits, and so do we.“Levi? It’s Jan,” sh...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“The Syndicated Man” by Lonnie Russo

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #105

“Oh, I swear to God, if you don’t start spinning this goddamn instant, I’m gonna smash your glass in and make the toaster watch.” Gripping the edges of my microwave, tightly enough to feel its corners digging into my palms, I growled and gave it a hearty shake. This animalistic roar echoed off my kitchen’s green floors, and another mighty peal of thunder sounded outside. A flash of lightning painted the room a strange shade of white-olive, the tile catching the glint, and all at once, I felt as though I were the god of storms, speaking my ...

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“Family Tree” by Elli Lewis

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #105

Present Day: LolaWe see our lives as solid. Structures we have built, brick by brick. But I know they are shoddy constructions, not fit for purpose. It’s the illusion of normalcy that is dependable. Just look at my living room, unchanged even as my world crumbles. Only the officers in their uniforms spoil the otherwise familiar scene. And even they will be gone soon.Over the past week, as it all unfolded, I kept thinking about the time Grayson broke his arm. Just a normal Saturday afternoon at the park. A train on a track it had traversed co...

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“Original Sin” by Jon R. Miller

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #105

11.07.2489science-vessel/Danaos[Day 378 of the Chrysalis terra-formation endeavor, pre-oxygenation phase]We're statues sculpted by apprehension and hope while we sit in the command center and wait. The planter-drones sent to the surface should be reporting in any minute now.Some of us stare down our terminals as if to bore holes in them. Other eyes fixate on the front wall-monitor where the planet's amber curvature hazily looms against the backdrop of space. The silence is well nigh sepulchral, making even the susurration of filtered air an...

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“I wish you could see...” by Amanda Chan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #105

I wish you could see the stars the way I do. I wish you could see the night sky and think of the endless possibilities. I wish you could see the ocean, watch the waves, and think of peace. I wish you could see... But you can't. Your eyes are blinded by hate, by hurt, by the pain and suffering this world has bestowed upon you. Your ears have turned deaf to the pleas of the people as you cross the street. Your nose has been desensitised to the pungent smell of the poor. "They deserve it." You say. "They should have worked harder to better ...

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“Lessons for a Medium in Training” by Carrie Fitzgerald

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #105

Just because someone is dead doesn’t mean that they know anything. I know, I know. This is not a sentiment you expect to hear from a medium, but it’s absolutely true. And if you want to be a working medium, you need to understand this. Repeat after me- the newly dead aren’t any smarter than they were when they were alive. Wisdom doesn’t come the moment your heart stops. It takes time and guidance. The problem is most of our clients want to talk to their loved ones soon after the death, when their grief is still fresh. They want to say ...

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This week's prompts

Write a story from the point of view of three different characters.

Character – 190 stories

Write about a person trying to see something from another’s point of view.

Nonfiction – 92 stories

Write your story from the perspective of a side character.

Character – 143 stories

Write a story that switches between first person and third person point of view.

Kids – 100 stories

Write about a character who can suddenly see through another person's eyes — literally.

Adventure – 131 stories

Stories

“The Next Good Day” by Vi Bisky

🏆 Winner of Contest #105

TW: suicideDr. Delaney visits every Tuesday, at eight o’clock sharp. It goes like this: she knocks three times, in succession, but with no particular rhythm; she calls out our name through the door, softly, and only once; she leaves. Though she intrudes on our treasured evenings together, we admire her persistence, her punctuality. Still, we cannot comply with her wishes—even if we begin to listen for the staccato of her feet outside the door. Tonight is no different. She arrives, she knocks, she waits, and so do we.“Levi? It’s Jan,” sh...

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“The Unknown” by Zilla Babbitt

Submitted to Contest #105

Content warning: suicideThe unknown man lies dead in the barn for three days, and on the fourth we bury him. We tried to bury him before but had to wait, the ground was so hard. Gunne, who tried to dig the plot in the cemetery down the road, says it was like trying to break ice with a toothpick. So we wait until the March thaw frees the ground enough to dig up cold earth for a resting place. We wanted to do everything right, lay him there with all the rites and prayers and everything, as if he had been our own dear brother.The second ni...

138 comments 138

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“Everything Is a Gift” by Stevie B

Submitted to Contest #105

From the perspective of where one witness sat at the arena that night, this was all she could offer to the police about the incident: “I saw nothing. I was in the restroom when it happened.”Then, from another one: “I was taking notes on what Mr. Jeffers was saying, so, when it all happened I was looking down at my notebook. Yeah, I guess I saw nothing.”After interviewing nearly two hundred attendees at the traumatically truncated event, after hearing an oddly similar account from those situated in various locations around the sprawling stadi...

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“A Life of Regret” by Kanika G

Submitted to Contest #105

When Raj had stealthily installed the iSpy 200 Vision Plus device on his wife’s prescription glasses two weeks ago, he had no idea the device would enable him to watch and hear from her perspective—in a way, relive—her last day alive. It was this morning Raj had received the Bluedart courier with the pen drive containing the recording of the last day of Mira’s life—her first and only day of wearing her glasses with the iSpy installed—just before the horrific car accident in which her car had been hit on the rear by another fast-moving vehicl...

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“In My Shoes” by 𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 𝕁𝕒𝕕𝕖

Submitted to Contest #105

I was the next Heiress to the throne of Dreamland. I felt lucky. I felt scared. I felt excited. And I felt nervous. I also felt-well, the list would be too long to tell.Dreamland was a magical place, where all your dreams come true. Now that I think about it, that kind of sounds clichè or something someone would tell you when you walk into an amusement park.Let me start again. Dreamland was a magical place where dreams were real. Where dreams came alive. Where dreams were crazy, amazing things. And sometimes they were scary.I felt like I was...

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“Ignited” by Skyler Woods

Submitted to Contest #105

Ben had a smoking addiction, and he wanted to quit. Sometimes Ben would smoke twelve-packs of cigarettes within two hours. Sometimes Ben would smoke so much that when he went to use the bathroom, his urine would smell like cigarette smoke. Ben smoked for comfort, but also now and then something supernatural would happen to Ben’s body after he would come in contact with a cigarette. Ben pretended he couldn’t understand what was happening to him, but he knew. It all started a few months ago at a funeral service where Ben had to attend. Be...

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“At the Summit of Sunflower” by Gip Roberts

Submitted to Contest #105

I already knew there would be no mountain here. That isn't the reason I came. But I can tell by the vacant looks on the other folks' faces, they assumed there would be. Mt. Sunflower; it's the highest point in Kansas and is labeled as such on the map. At over four thousand feet, it's easy to be misled if you don't know a thing or two about the state.I find the whispering wind healing. It makes the grass breathe, much like the wind on an alpine meadow. The view here is of square miles of blonde vegetation, one after another, melting into a so...

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“Golden Repair” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #105

I’m not going to say another word. There’s really no point. We go round and round and round. It’s just so tedious.Of course this is a waste of time—and money. But I’ve found that in almost thirty years of marriage to her, she is an expert at doing both—often simultaneously. She could teach classes on how to waste her time and my money to make herself feel better. Does she want me to be happier? Then she should just let me be me. She remembers me, right? Same guy she’s known for decades. I’m not that hard to figure out.I work. ...

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“Project: Harrison” by Emre Yalcin

Submitted to Contest #105

Chapter 1: Harry “I’m hungry, I should eat something before I pass out. Maybe waiting to eat with friends would be a better idea. I don’t know. Somehow the ache in my belly jumped onto my throat. I feel like there is an acid in my mouth. I feel an urge to spit it out. Where was I? Right, I was hungry. I should eat something before I pass out. Maybe waiting to eat with frien…” “The voice that you are hearing belongs to my friend, Harry. He has been locked to ummm… a nuthouse you say?” “That’s right Ridley.” “Right. To a nuthouse a whi...

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“In My Mind” by Riley B.

Submitted to Contest #105

Note - Suicidal Elements The red light of the alarm clock blares in my black room, but it hasn’t had my attention for the last several hours. Studying the ceiling has become my new pastime. My eyes stare at the white drywall looming above me, willing it to come crashing down. If only, I thought. It’d be the perfect excuse to miss work tomorrow. They don’t need me anyway, I’d only be getting in everyone’s way like I always do. 4:00 A.M. Two hours until I need to get up so I can make it to work on time. I slam my fist against the nei...

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“To Gift a Plum Blossom” by Yolanda Wu

Submitted to Contest #105

Zengmei poked her earlobe with her gold demon-spike of an earring a good five times before she finally found where the hole was and pushed it through. Her maid, Tian Wen, was looming over her, carefully gathering the top part of her hair into a jade comb carved with peonies.It was the one Song Fenghai – second son of the Song Sect of Lushan – had given to her as an engagement gift. The wedding was due to occur a few weeks from now.It was a wedding of necessity. Zengmei had no interest in love anyway.Her sister, Ruilan, had taken a child of t...

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“Elevator 7” by Lynn Penny

Submitted to Contest #105

Everett woke his son—Simone—up bright and early, holding out the nice-looking outfit his mother had picked out. Heaven knows why they decided that allowing a 4-year-old to come into a business office for “bring your kid to work day” was a good idea, but Everett wasn’t about to argue. Anastasia thought it would be good for Simone, and Everett wasn’t about to argue with her.Happy wife, happy life.What harm could come from bringing his cute kid to work? Maybe they would lay off giving him extra work to do, as no one wanted to deal with a bored ...

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“Dear Mother” by LN K

Submitted to Contest #105

There was only one person Tom could blame for his predicament. He stared at the box that sat beside him, a box filled with letters his mother never received. He had sent them, of course, each time he would mail it and each time the letter would be returned to him. So often this happened that he had begun to store them in a box. When Tom was taken, they had at least allowed him to keep the box. What they hadn’t allowed was the letter opener he had with him. One person to blame, he thought.He reached for the first letter in his organized ...

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“Gimme the mic!” by Keya J.

Submitted to Contest #105

Ouch, Judah! You’re pinching my hair. Ouch. Now give me the mic. Judah! There is no way you’ll be able to explain the beginning. Judah!Uhm, hi guys. Sorry about that. My brother is just...ugh! Nevermind. *sighs* Yes, so..first of all, I actually never wanted to do this but my uncle offered me free pizzas for a year if I do so, which of course, I couldn’t deny (what? It’s pizza). So, without further delay, let’s start. Okay so..let me take you back to November 28th. It was-Ella! I should’ve never let you do this! You never gave the introducti...

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“Love Me Now, Forever” by Shinta Harini

Submitted to Contest #105

I could barely believe my eyes. There you were, standing by the gate, fully clad in elegant attire, a satin shirt, woolen breeches, a long, stately robe. I could not contain myself; I was so amazed. I drank you whole, the sight of you, to my heart's content.But then I stopped. I froze in my attempt to quench my longing for you. Almost shamefully.For I caught in your eyes – your eyes, the luminous, blue orbs – a marred soul, abysmal sorrow that went so deep no one could reach, heal, or take it away from you.I retreated. Recoiled – and backed ...

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$50

Prize money

661

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 05, 2021 EST

Won by Vi Bisky 🏆

Title: The Next Good Day

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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