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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 – 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

“Understanding Happiness Through Grief” by Aidan Goble

Submitted to Contest #105

Jennie had always been inexplicably intrigued by Stephanie's natural ability to be bright and bubbly all of the time. Stephanie, without a doubt, was always the centre of attention without any effort whatsoever. No matter where she went, people flocked to her like sheep following a shepherd. Jennie however, had always been alone. This was, of course, by choice. After having been sent into foster care when her parents had passed in a car accident, and being thrown from terrible home to terrible home, Jennie had silently vowed to stay secluded...

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“Among The Grasslands. ” by Takar Shawe

Submitted to Contest #105

The cup was warm in his hands. It was a nice compliment to the blanket that now draped around his shoulders. They had hiked what seemed like all day. The wind cut through the mountains like a knife, so cold and crisp that it stung his cheeks. He had tried to cover his face but it was no use. His feet were not used to the terrain or the weather either. The socks he packed only helped for the first few hours before the frigid air found its way into his boots and now as he sat cross legged on the floor they ached so bad it was as though...

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“The Forgotten Love Interest” by Tayler Gentry

Submitted to Contest #105

I look over at Emily, the main character of this story. At this time in the story, everything seems to be going well for her. She is in her last year of college and will graduate with a degree in history at the elite university she attends. She is in a serious relationship with her boyfriend of three years and I wouldn't be surprised if they got engaged soon. Life has been handed to her. My connection to Emily is nothing significant. I am her best friend's younger brother. I grew up being around my sister Charlie and Emily and hanging out ...

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“The Ordinary Life of Sato” by Adra Verse

Submitted to Contest #105

Welcome to a new episode of „The Amazing Life of Yuta“! Let’s see what kind of adventure awaits him today! Yuta was slowly walking with his friends to school while chatting with them. They grabbed a quick drink on the way. All of a sudden, a truck was driving towards Yuta’s best friend Reno. What could Yuta possibly do? He activated his psychokinesis, and stopped the driving truck, while also keeping the driver safe. What a hero! „How boring“, I thought to myself. Being a side-character in this boring, generic series is annoying. ...

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“Her assuring smile” by Madeeha Alvi

Submitted to Contest #105

I must be overthinking, maybe they just know eachother because they're in same class last year. Yes it's most likely to be that. Kelvin will never like someone who's a complete dumbo with nerdy glasses. But why do they smile whenever they look at eachother? I'm seriously getting crazy thinking about them. My train of thoughts got intruppted by my Susan. "Hazel? You alright? Oh please don't tell me you were thinking about them again" "What the heck are you talking about? I was just thinking about how to bully Clara today. You got any ideas?" ...

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“Stepping Stone” by Kinsey McIntyre

Submitted to Contest #105

The sky was on fire. Ash speckled the sky like a sick imitation of stars, glittering as they fell into the void that was the flames swallowing up the street. Homes used to exist there. People had lived and loved and now died on the street that had meant so much to them. John stared up at the false stars with a grimace on his face, waiting for the pain in his abdomen to fade into oblivion just as he would do soon. The battle had been gruesome. He had done his best to escape; packed up his car and made his way to the end of his driveway befo...

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“Amber-Rose and the Stone Heart” by Rachael Clark

Submitted to Contest #105

CW: gore, violence“Remind me again why I decided to tag along?” I complained as the water flooded into the room at an alarming rate. My sneakers were wet and squishy in seconds.“This is not the time!” Amber-Rose yelled back at me, running her hands along the cracks in the stone floor. She was likely searching for a hidden trapdoor, no doubt.“What can I do?” I asked her. “Keep your head above the water, and whatever you do, don’t drown. Okay?”“Easier said than done.” I looked back the way we had come. The exit had been tightly seal...

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“The Woodsman and the Wolf” by Heather Mayson

Submitted to Contest #105

The frost lingering longer in the mornings let me know that winter was closing in on us yet again. I liked to blame the frost for my aching bones, for my need to linger under the covers next to my wife’s warm body. I had worked out in the woods all my life. I was used to the toll of being a woodsman. Never once did I think to blame the stiffness in my shoulders or my back on my advancing years. I would drop dead wielding an ax if it pleased God. A gentle laugh beside me served as a reminder that I had yet to rise f...

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“Sticks and Stones” by Maria Griffin

Submitted to Contest #105

They wanted me! I was in Ms. Jones’s office. She was my guidance counselor, and had been keeping close tabs on me ever since my dad left. I had pretended to do the whole grieving act, with the fake tears, anger, guilt, the whole deal. Yet she seemed to know that I was faking. The truth is I haven’t really had time to feel anything. Once he left, my mom fell apart. She stopped going to work, so we lost our house. We moved to a shitty apartment on Essex Street, and it ...

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“Through my eyes. ” by Minnie Malfoy

Submitted to Contest #105

Something in my heart tugged as I stared at them from their shadow. The better half of me felt happy for him as he stood there with her, a smile that reached their ears plastered on both of their faces, their arms wrapped around each other’s waist as they smiled down at the crowd they had gathered from defeating the kingdom’s enemy, the one who had made their everyday a living hell and had placed fear within them all. He had been toying with them all for all these years and now that his childhood friend and his lover had gotten rid of him, t...

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“A trap within a trap ” by Anna Carter

Submitted to Contest #105

The battle was in full swing at that point. The sound of steel scraping across steal, the low hum of magic and a sudden explosion when the spell met its target. The air was filled with the smell of blood and burned flesh something that normally would make Leland highly uncomfortable but right now he didn’t have a choice but to push through the discomfort, his life and the life of his friends depended on all of them staying focused. Another one of the priest's guards charged at him with a sword raised high above his head, Leland immediately f...

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“Essence of Darkness” by Elizabeth Maxson

Submitted to Contest #105

I am the essence of darkness. I never disappear even when the sunlight does. My world is silence or maybe it is just me. I’ve never been able to converse with Lugh, but we have grown together. I have followed him everywhere. I was on the water when he dove off the high dive for the first time. I was on the wall when he broke up with his first girlfriend. I even flash on the walls when he is sleeping as cars pass by his windows. We’ve been together through bunk beds, dorms, and now this apartment.I have tried to have friends.&n...

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“The Sidekick” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #105

From the moment someone was to meet Gavin, he could understand that something was strange with the guy. Of course strange doesn't mean that he was the weird kind of strange, or dumb for that matter. He was actually quite a brilliant character and an observant personality for what is worth it. From the moment I stepped into his office, in Cardon street, relying just a few minutes away from our house in the neighborhood, he pulled out some Sherlock Holmes tricks on me and made some accurate descriptions on my behalf that weren't quite obvious ...

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“Side character” by L. Stevens

Submitted to Contest #105

Dear you, I see how you look at her, and I know how you feel. I know that you like me, but also, I know that she can't escape from your thoughts. I can’t be compared to her, and I never will. I don’t wanna be a second choice for someone who I would pick first. And don’t get me wrong, I like you too, I just don’t appreciate the fact that I have to spend time with you and her every day and overlook that I feel jealous. Not of her, but the emotion that you feel towards her. I know her since forever and I’m close to her as a best friend could ...

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“Dragons and Dreams” by Day 🌙

Submitted to Contest #105

As Nera lead the charge against the dragons, I watched from the right wing. Nera and I had been friends for so long, but now that she was “the chosen one”, she didn’t acknowledge my existence. I’m not bitter, but… I miss the old days. “C’mon, Daemyn!” Nera called, snapping me out of my sleep. “Let’s go.” I blinked at her, and she wiped her eyes. “Daemyn, I learned something horrible about the kingdom. We have to go, or else I’ll die!” Shaking my head, I groggily turned to look at her. “What?” “No time for questions, we have to go!” Nera tugg...

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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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