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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!

This week's prompts

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

Character – 191 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

“Three Minds Intertwined ” by Grace Kalu

Submitted to Contest #105

Lucille's POVI wished I never set foot in this house in the first place because the next I knew, I received the beating of my life. I lay there on the floor, crying, groaning in pain and agony. All I wanted to do was have a little freedom, roam the mysterious streets of my land, but instead, I come home to an unexpected incident. My life couldn't get any worse. "Pull yourself together," I told myself. I took a concentrating shower, bu...

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“Being Keith” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #105

Ethics be damned, Mara was going to do whatever it took to change minds. Mathematic rigor, scientific evidence, even repeated verification by experiment, none of these convince as well as personal experience. It was the quest to make the experience of one person available to others that led to the device in front of her. The real question, of course, was how well the device would translate the experience of her thirty subjects for the wearer of the halo. She’d try it herself, but she was already fitted with the prototype for the other half ...

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“Different” by Em Stolt

Submitted to Contest #105

It all started normal. Every day of every week, the same. Month after month, year after year. The same. It happened fast. The day the rhythm stopped, and his life was changed forever. He was walking. His mind clouded with the events of the day. All the same. He checked his watch. It was the same watch he had bought ten years ago. The day he got the job. An ordinary job. Lots of papers, lots of work. Never changing. The job paid well, just enough to pay the bills and feed him. He didn’t own a car. He didn’t need one. He walked everywhere, eve...

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“Through His Eyes” by Alejandra Mora

Submitted to Contest #105

William was not the man I had thought him to be, and he’d hurt me for the last time. I couldn’t endure anymore of the turmoil he’d been putting me through, the ups and downs, the unpredictable moods, the unfounded jealousy. There had been rumors about him and his last wife, about his being abusive. I didn’t know what to believe though, since he never laid a hand on me. It was quite evident that there had been some buzz worthy drama since everyone in the office advised me against dating him and then eventually marrying him. But I ignored...

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“THE REAPER'S CONVOY” by Cyril Falculan

Submitted to Contest #105

WARNING: MATURE CONTENT FOR 18+ [ If you are below 18, please leave, because it may not be suitable for your age. Thank you J] EL CASA CUATRO Dimly lit luminesce. The cheers of glee audibly roared coming from the sea of men present to watched the silhouette behind closed doors. An array of light, distinct hue and coloured panels ruptured the satisfaction the moment that the music became much slower. Beat awoken bestial pleasure. The primal whistled channel their disgusting drools. You make it look like it’s magic ‘Cause I see nobody, n...

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“"My Eyes Are Dim"” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #105

“My eyes are dim, I cannot see,I have not brought my specs with me.”From the Quartermaster’s Store.“There were foxes - stuffed in little boxes.”From the Quartermaster's Store.Jane died two months before Ginny was born. The awakening for Ginny was traumatic.For Jane, it was also somewhat of a shock. Her massive heart attack dropped her to the ground and the last thing she remembered was talking to her sister-in-law as they sipped cocktails and smoked a forbidden cigarette.Jane had left her Island farm to visit a favourite broth...

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“A Sense of Peace” by Max R

Submitted to Contest #105

POV #1: It was a slow day at the shop today. Usually, there was the familiar buzz of voices and instruments slung together, as people wandered around the big music shop. Today there must've been only three or so people here, and the only noise came from somebody in the back playing bass guitar softly, I was busy filing sheet music in the back warehouse, my least favorite job. It was tedious work, going through hundreds of sheets and walking around filing them in lettered boxes. I grabbed the last box labeled "Classical Nursery Rhymes...

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“OUT OF THE ROSE” by Nabeel Ahsan Lucknow

Submitted to Contest #105

Out of the Rose By William Butler Yeats One winter evening an old knight in rusted chain-armour rode slowly along the woody southern slope of Ben Bulben, watching the sun go down in crimson clouds over the sea. His horse was tired, as after a long journey, and he had upon his helmet the crest of no neighbouring lord or king, but a small rose made of rubies that glimmered every moment to a deeper crimson. His white hair fell in thin curls upon his shoulders, and its disorder added to the melancholy of his face, which was the face of one of th...

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“Assassinator wins. Or does he...... Part 1” by Ayush Kakar

Submitted to Contest #105

I shouted out loudly for my father, only to hear a blank scream. Then silence. What was going on? I had to know! Fighting my tears, I strutted forward. Behind the walls, was a large shadow. Could it be The Assassinator? The Assassinator was said to be the person behind those killings in the neighborhood recently. It all stayed hidden until my mother dialed 911 saying that our neighbor was murdered, only to call attention for the Police the finally send people down The Assassinator. It did serve its purpose. But it called way more attention, ...

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“Grotesque gas giant ” by J D Hernandez

Submitted to Contest #105

Thinking back on my fondest memories occurred in childhood not because they were happier but because it was in them. Suzie Cooper was my best friend. The only person in life to never judge me. She was with me my whole life. Through the good times and the bad. Each marriage birth and death. An in the end all I had was memories. Blissful, awful but mine. It was a cold October the winter of ‘98 when I saw my first dead body. At first we; I and Susie were innocently played by the lake. It was between freezing and thawed. So we paid it little min...

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“Weed in the Garden” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #105

The darkness first took root 2 years ago, like an unimposing weed buried quietly in the garden. I thought nothing of it at first, attributing the momentary lapses in mood and concentration to my strenuous job - just another symptom of 21st century Corporate America, a struggle shared by white-collar workers everywhere. But what did I care? I was meeting my performance targets comfortably, collecting bonus checks and lavish praise from my boss. I was able to provide for Jenny and Asiah. Nothing was amiss! Life was, 98% of the time, quite good...

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“Maggie's Sunglasses” by Danielle Cole

Submitted to Contest #105

Maggie was a sweet quiet polite girl. She liked to read and spent most of her time alone curled up with her favorite book. An innocent enough hobby, but it seemed to dominate Maggie's err, umm 'social life'. This bothered her parents. The truth was that there was absolutely nothing wrong with Maggie. Right now she was just fed up with people, especially those of her own age. Unfortunately, her parents had little insight into this so they worried greatly that the...

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“Stay With Me Forever” by Melford Maderazo

Submitted to Contest #105

I was dreaming of going back to the time I had committed my greatest mistake, to change and correct it. I left the only love of my life because of reasons like misunderstanding and incompatibility. We were always in strife and believed that we were not meant for each other. But, since then, I have realized that I made a mistake leaving her and living my life without her by my side. Since then, I have been thinking about going back to that time so that things would not be like this so that she would have not left me so that she would have not...

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“The most dangerous adventure” by Laurel Maynard

Submitted to Contest #105

The lights flickered overhead. I was getting dizzy, but I had no choice other than to continue on. Our family needed supplies, and we didn't have much time left. I looked at my husband, hoping to communicate all my love for him in with eye contact. I nodded to him silently, and we separated, hoping to cover more ground between the two of us. My beloved, may your journey be successful. I will see you again, I swear it. Oh, gosh, here they come again. The employees at Savings Mart were quite familiar with them by now. They must have moved he...

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“Limes” by Liv D

Submitted to Contest #105

Life shivered and wrapped her cloak more tightly around her. Winters in New York were frigid. She much preferred tropical places, even though she had to drag a cooler around with her so the lemons didn't spoil.The people of New York had a dignified walk to them. Their footfalls were as crisp and rhythmic as the ticking of a metronome. They walked with their shoulders squared and their head down, hands plunged in their pockets. Life's gaze fell on one young man who was an outlier in this ubiquitous scene; his chin was flung towards the sky an...

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$50

Prize money

662

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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