Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#110: Hit the Road, Jack

On September 5th, 1957, Jack Kerouac published On the Road — a hugely influential novel, swelling with jazz, heat, and Americana, that follows free-spirited mavericks Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty on their travels across the States. To celebrate its 64th anniversary, this week’s prompts all take place on the long and winding road (or right next to it). Safe travels!

This week's prompts

Set your story in a roadside diner.

Dystopian – 59 stories

Write about a couple who fall out on the road.

Valentine's Day – 16 stories

Start your story with a vehicle pulling over for a hitchhiker.

Horror – 47 stories

Write about a character on the road — and on the run.

Adventure – 40 stories

Start your story with the line “We have plenty of time,” and/or end it with the line “We were never going to make it.”

Angst – 47 stories

Stories

“This Is Worse” by Shelby Schwartz

Submitted to Contest #110

I don't know how long I've been on this road. It seems never ending. One long road with trees on either side. The other end covered in fog. I thought I would be off it by now. I'm not sure how long I've been walking. Ten minutes, an hour. Time is nothing to me now. Especially when you can't see the sun. It's so gloomy and cold. Fog is heavy over me, I can only see a few feet in front of me. I pray a car doesn't come along and hit me. Though, that would probably be a better punishment.I left home in a rush after the accident. Though, I know n...

Read story

“A Greasy Spoon Interlude” by Liam Murphy

Submitted to Contest #110

A Greasy Spoon Interlude Georgia tucked into her mixed grill with gusto; I had always envied her appetite. It was mid-July and hot as hell. The diner was by the roadside of interstate 55, a lot of miles from everywhere. I had met Georgia in college, where she was taking a master’s in veterinary studies, and I was majoring in biology. I loved her from the moment I set eyes on her. She walked straight up to me, introduced herself, and asked me my name. From that day forward, she insisted on calling me Abi-normal instead of the usual “Gale-f...

Read story

“hand in hand in the diner” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #110

As a matter of a habit shared with many in town, he pulls off the road, and into the always occupied parking lot at a place known locally as ‘the diner’. It looks a lot like the famous painting “Nighthawks’ from the 1940s, with nearly wall to wall, floor to ceiling windows, but it is almost always crowded, not the nearly empty lonely diner of the painting. And it is early afternoon light. He had a quick and unsatisfying breakfast, and is hungry now. ...

Read story

“Two Seconds” by Damien Roberts

Submitted to Contest #110

"We have plenty of time." "Time isn't the problem." "It never is." The world hung silent around them, Agents Aleph-6 and -14. Between them, an upturned manhole cover held a tangle of multicoloured cables around a digital display on a steel case. Aleph-14 blocked the light from the street lights, but the beams of a black London cab struck the device from just a few car lengths away, casting a web of shadows through the cables and over the road beyond. A confused crowd watched silently around them. Although the agents shared thoughts a...

Read story

“The Hitchhiker” by Vincent McDonald

Submitted to Contest #110

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her. It had to be fifteen below zero outside, and there she was, shorts and a T-shirt, standing on the side of the road, barefoot, like some crazy person. At first, I thought she was frozen to death or something awful, because she didn’t move a single inch as my ol’ rig Lucille got closer. I told myself to keep going, told myself that this wasn't my problem, but I couldn't just leave her there. I came to a stop, rig...

Read story

“The Unseen Four at Mattie's Diner” by Elizabeth Fenley

Submitted to Contest #110

The Unseen Four at Mattie’s Diner “We have long known it would come to this.” “True.” “Why now?” The three paused their conversation, unspoken syllables hanging in the air between them, invisible to Mattie as she walked by to top off coffee at another table, cast them a quick glance reassuring herself they didn’t need refills, and returned to the counter of the diner. Though their projected appearance was innocuously, humanly non-descript, they saw each other as they truly were: a Kelpie water spirit with devilish horns atop her pale, h...

Read story

“Most Nights” by Dhruv Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #110

Most nights, Eleanor Robin manned the counter of Lazy Night Diner with a cigarette in one hand and a flask full of vodka and orange juice by her hip. Of course, it was strictly against protocol for any employee of the diner to be drinking on the job, but her own boss Clyde Wilkins was such a boozer that she could smell the whiskey on his breath the moment he’d hired her. He was rarely in - always with some excuse about his car, his home, or his wife, and he was never in during the night. Since Eleanor exclusively worked the night shift, she ...

Read story

“Fuzzy Dice” by Leslie Strom

Submitted to Contest #110

Fuzzy Dice The sky looks like it was touched by Claude Monet, the faint brush strokes of the colours of the sunset. His artwork of nature and executing his view point enthrals me to join a painting class every Thursday evening. I hope that the sight will bring inspiration during tonight’s class. The drive after work is across the city calms my nerves after a long day. I try to focus on the illusions of shadows and colour during my drive to free me of the days stressors. After class I feel refreshed and so happy that I joined the clas...

Read story

“Renewed Spontineity” by Lori Colt

Submitted to Contest #110

“What’ll you have handsome?" The waitress asking me smiles. She appears to be in her late sixties, blue eye shadow solidified into deep crevices making her eyelids look like a slightly schizophrenic map for some uncharted backcountry. I stare at her for a moment, wondering if I might recognize her before responding, “Something different. I’m in a rut, a holding pattern if you will, and I need to try new things. Typically, I would order the meatloaf so surprise me,” I say before adding, “oh, and a coke too please.” “Well, we don’t get t...

Read story

“Lady Luck” by Clyde Laffan

Submitted to Contest #110

WARNING! CONTAINS SOME COARSE LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE & SEXUAL REFERENCES. Lady Luck By Clyde Laffan Danny had never hitchhiked before. Neither had Will, and it was his idea. One he would regret until his dying day, which was not too far off. The two laid in bed, planning their move to Hollywood. Will was excited about hitchhiking; "We'll just be like Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassidy from On The Road." "I don't know who they are," his boyfriend lied. Danny lacked Will's enthusiasm. He picked up his phone and s...

Read story

“Goodbye Walter” by Elizabeth Maxson

Submitted to Contest #110

The car had been giving us trouble for weeks, but we could not get rid of it. It was our only means of transportation. The vibrant blue of its youth had been riddled with rust holes, dents, and scratches over its fifteen years of ownership. It had been my parents’ car. A 1989 Dodge Omni that had seen more of the country than most people do in a lifetime. When I finally moved out after my third year of college, my parents gifted the car to me. It had always been a trusty ride and Walter, my affectionate name for him, always go...

Read story

“THE WRONG SIDE OF NOWHERE” by David D'EttoreUser

Submitted to Contest #110

THE WRONG SIDE OF NOWHERE It was a lazy afternoon, one of those hot and humid days when people look for a cool place and a cold drink, and dogs seek out the shade to lie down and not move unless they have to. Danny Weston pushed open the tavern door and scanned the premises as he headed to the end of the bar. Not many people he observed. Two people were at the bar. Two others were playing pool. A third group sat in a nearb...

Read story

“It's all in the bling.” by Ian Barrett

Submitted to Contest #110

Laura didn’t want to go see Jake’s parents. They were what she would call rich. Rich by her standards because she grew up in the trailer park and his mother always found ways to remind her of that. His father wasn’t so bad. He was quiet and polite but distant. But the mother was relentless in her criticisms. Sometimes it was in the form of underhanded comments or the way she would explain things to her like she was a 5 year old. It was something different every time. She had talked to Jake about it but he would always say...

Read story

“Under the Overpass” by Susan Whitlock

Submitted to Contest #110

“Like another refill?” the pretty waitress offered, leaning over to pour before waiting for an answer. She was young, but had been waiting tables for two years and knew a customer like this guy would sit here drinking refills till the next meal time rolled around, if management would allow it. Albert nodded his shaggy head and smiled up into her blue eyes and midwestern friendliness. “What’s your name, honey?” h...

Read story

“The Runaways” by Matt Slater

Submitted to Contest #110

11:00 PM, Friday, December 31st, 19990.75 miles outside of Leavenworth, WashingtonEvan Samuels drove his truck up the mountain. His breath was shaky, and he remained focused on the road ahead despite the fact that his brain was processing 2,000 thoughts per second.He was dressed rather slovenly: torn jeans, one gray sock, one blue sock, five-year-old tennis shoes that were showing their age, a camo t-shirt, a flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off, a beige double-breasted coat, and titanium tunnels stretching his earlobes to a centimeter....

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

209

Contest entries

144

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 10, 2021 EST

Won by JanetthePlanet 66 🏆

Title: My Mother's Dreams.

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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢