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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

“Passing Time” by Brandy Roan

Submitted to Contest #105

The sunflowers had bloomed the week prior, the heat pulling them higher with each passing day, touching the sky with what seemed to be sheer elegance. Claire admired them as she slowly paced the perimeter of the garden, her fingertips grazing the tops of the purple hull peas. The breeze picked up a bit, pulling strands of her blond hair from her back braid and guiding them in an unsynchronized dance. It delivered a scent of the gardenia from the back porch to the far end of the garden where she now stood watching the birds sway in and out, w...

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“The Glance” by Papia Ray

Submitted to Contest #105

The Glance Papia Ray No matter what, my steps would inevitably lead me to the park and to the bench under the gulmohur tree. It reminded me of special times and ...

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“Mother in law” by Ishika Kaur

Submitted to Contest #105

“Mum, why does Grandma treat me differently? Dick and Heather get treated well,” I asked. There was no response from my parents. My dad looked at my mother and she looked back at him without any response. “ Now, finish up your dinner, ” my dad smiled. I silently ate my dinner. Then, my dad’s mother came down.She looked at me from her giant black eyes and I shivered down my spine. “Filipino food!” she said in disgust. “Yes, I cooked Filipino food. James wanted filipino food,” my mother answered rudely. “Anna, cook some...

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“A fallen angel” by Gloria Scarioni

Submitted to Contest #105

1st person: My legs burnt from the long climb but the tyrant’s surprise and dread at seeing me made it all worth it. After months of on and off fighting, I realized this would be my final stand. Win or lose, no in between. I couldn’t afford to lose, I had a kingdom to rule. This selfish woman wanted to usurp my throne, however, I was determined to defend it with my life. She used to be my lover, my soulmate; every time I called her “my princess” she would blush so sweetly. We had planned our wedding for years but when my father died it had b...

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“My Mothers Eyes” by Stacey Iannazzo

Submitted to Contest #105

My mothers glasses. I kept them in a drawer. They had been there for almost 10 years. Truth is I kept them there because I didn’t know what else to do with them when she died. She’d been cremated after a long and painful fight with lung cancer. The disease was cruel, slowly chipping away at the person she was before. Her body diminished, refused to gain weight, and oxygen tubing ran around her once rosy cheeks. She had no energy at the end, no energy to do much else but watch the tv and wait for visitors. I would visit, at 40 years...

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“I LIKE YOU JUST BECAUSE...” by Briana Jolie

Submitted to Contest #105

The sweet, old, musky scent wafting to my nose as it lingers to every flipping page, reading the book: “I Like You Just Because”, in this little park bench, a wooden seat made of a strong narra tree that is neatly varnished was my best sitting place. The much-needed fragrant, a humbling breeze of air with the sun shining brilliantly in the clear, blue sky giving me the picture-perfect day. Swaying my feet as I sit, and ecstatically reading the phrases “I like you because… and I like you just because”. It didn’t take an aeon for the changing ...

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“A TWIST OF FATES” by Garima Kaur Chhabra

Submitted to Contest #105

it had been a week since Kavya's mother passed away. her relationship was never good with her father as if it only existed because of her mother. she was hence coping up with the trauma of her mother's passing away for 6 days now, that too all alone. she was lying on the bed doing nothing, while tears slipped along her cheek skin. she sat up on the bed and wiped her tears off her face. she kept thinking about the thing that her mother told her just one day before her demise. she told her to check her cupboard. it had been 6 days to that and ...

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“I See Through A Glass Darkly” by George Davis

Submitted to Contest #105

I See Through A Glass Darkly—George Davis This bizarre tale began three years ago. It was the strangest occurrence one might experience. I could see through another person’s eyes. No longer was I, Alfred Middleton the bright, witty man I’d known for the last forty years. I became a new person. Pardon me for blowing my own horn. I say all this to help you understand what has happened to me. I was a teacher at Bickford High School for fifteen years, graduating from the University of Maine, magna cum laude. A fir...

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“Sugar Moon” by Hannah .

Submitted to Contest #105

The pearly white moon shone over me. I was covered in grime. Plumping myself on the rocking chair, the frail object broke into shreds. I scowled. I stood up, wandering around the peculiar room. A neon jar rolled across the room. Picking it up, I carefully examined it’s label. Another jar, this time purple, rolled across the room. I set the neon jar on the desk and picked up the purple one. I was still curiously observing the item when a gigantic sky blue jar fell from the ceiling. Appalled, I became silent. After a little while, I gradually ...

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“The Prison Camp” by HBR Patel

Submitted to Contest #105

'Keep up the pace, my love,' said Tim to his wife, Eva. 'I am trying. The pain is holding me back,' said Eva. Tim looked down to Eva's right thigh, where a bullet went through. The only good thing about that bullet wound was that it stopped bleeding. Tim attended to the bullet wound instantly, and that helped stop the bleeding. But the Diclofenac failed to make its impact. 'I am feeling dizzy,' said Eva holding her hand and running simultaneously. Tim stopped and looked at her. They were escaping the prison compound. The alien sp...

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“The Superhero Swap” by LM Konkel-Dixon

Submitted to Contest #105

Villains attacked all the time. Society adjusted as much as it could in the face of blatantly overpowered beings using said powers over others. Heroes, either solo or in groupings, arrived swiftly at every scene, but there were casualties. Always casualties. Adria grew up in this chaotic world, and while most of her peers revered heroes and were more than happy to rely on them for their wellbeing, Adria was not. She shucked her rose-colored glasses early in life, favoring the cold hard reality to easily broken lies. Adira worked hard, took e...

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“Gifted” by Arwaa Ta

Submitted to Contest #105

“ SHUT UP” I threw my phone away it was annoying I couldn’t handle it. “ wake up lazy head, and why the hell is your phone on the floor?” My mom picks my phone , puts it beside me and then she pulls the sheets off of me. “ HEY”. “ Don’t make me drag you out”. “Ok mom I’m up”. ” good”. I look at her eyes before she leaves my room, when i looked at her eyes, it was like they were telling somet about her, describing her, sad and worried, I shook my head to clear my thought. ” are you ok”. “yeah“ I forced a smile on my face. That’s weird, it’s p...

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“While You Were Plotting” by Kevin Roller

Submitted to Contest #105

Don't you have anything better to do? his brother asked.Sam Roebuck smiled. Not at the moment, he thought back. But you seem rather busy at the moment.Not everyone can swill whiskey and idly write all day, his twin brother, Liam Roebuck, thought as he entered the warehouse. Triple homicides don't solve themselves.And best sellers that pay for the lake house don't write themselves, either, Sam retorted. Now shut up and do your job.Liam glanced at a nearby window and gave his reflection the middle finger. Sam grinned wider. He and his brother ...

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“Enacting the Unfamiliar and the Unknown” by Zain Faaris

Submitted to Contest #105

I CANNOT believe what I am looking at!It’s…..breathtaking! Jaw-dropping! Awe-inspiring…..I have only come across this through third-person accounts. Through the tales told by those who are no longer with us. Through reading texts that have been long since forgotten, its language having morphed into something else, entirely.I was tempering my expectations, trying to rationalize myself that what I might end up seeing, won’t be as spectacular and grandeur as I might imagine myself of it being. Since I love fleshing out my imaginative streaks in...

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“A New Triad” by Alexander Kozdra

Submitted to Contest #105

The father looked like he’d suddenly started taking AA seriously. He had freshly combed hair with a face that screamed sadness. The son, sitting opposite him in the booth, had the fresh-faced weary look you’d expect from someone who’d never see his mommy again. “You can get anything you want." “I’m not hungry.” “Ice cream and french fries. Or Eggs and steak. You gotta eat up, to be strong.” “I don’t want to eat.” I came around carrying decaf left, regular right. “Can I get y’all anything to drink to get started?” He motioned to t...

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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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