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!

#115: Connection Lost

It’s hard to imagine our lives without the constant presence of social media: it's a place to mingle, a source of news (however unreliable), and a form of entertainment. The jury’s still out on whether this omnipresence is good or bad, but what’s undeniable is that when a social media giant like Facebook goes down, as it did earlier this week, many of us feel as if we’re cut off from something. Taking inspiration from the recent blackout, the prompts for this week’s contest are all about connections, and what happens when they’re broken.

🥇 Winner

“28 Letters” by Alex Sultan

🏆 Winner of Contest #115

A gem can not be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. Sejong swept his books off the shelf. Rain pelted the world outside. The king opened one of his many works, the spine of it splitting under his force, and read off a page. Nongsa jikseol, methods of cultivation in agriculture. A guidebook to farming in Korea’s geography. Words that could keep his people from famine.He threw it into the rain. It splashed against the mud-coated field, water distorting the ink. A second book followed, sliding against the ground, ...

136 comments 136

Read story

⭐️ Shortlisted

“Outage” by Bonnie Jay

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #115

“My time is almost up”I looked to the clock again. The numbers burned bottle green in the dark of my city cubicle. “Two minutes left.” Two minutes of life. Two minutes of breath. Two minutes of me. What to do with the time? I’ve known it was coming for a while now. My body was slowing, I missed the output quotas more often than not. They wouldn’t let me keep going like this, slowing down the entire system.“Mhm” came the staticky response from the other end of the line. I didn’t know what they looked like. I didn’t know what an...

Read story

“Have No Fear, Love” by Patrick Samuel

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #115

When she opens her eyes, all she sees is gray. The gray of a summer storm right before it breaks. Then she remembers that summer is long gone and that she must get up, no matter how much she longs to bury her face in the pillow and forget about the world for just a moment more.Making breakfast in the dark, to save the generator. Like a moth to a flame, her gaze strays towards the kitchen window and the garden outside. A beautiful garden despite everything, she tells herself. You'd never know anyone is buried there.*Lea is still asleep when N...

Read story

“The "M" in FOMO stands for Mars” by Laura Pamenter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #115

The “M” in FOMO stands for Mars By Laura Pamenter I roll over in my cot and look out my oval window to the dusty red horizon. My bedsheets are rough on my bare arms, as they’re made from scratchy canvas, locally grown on our cotton-field where I earn my barely liveable salary. “Be a part of the new world!” they said. “Be the future!” This doesn’t feel like the future; creaky wooden beds, cloth tunics, and cha...

Read story

This week's prompts

One moment your character is talking on the phone with a friend, and the next, the connection is lost. Write a story about what follows.

Thriller and Suspense – 42 stories

Set your story in a town disconnected from the rest of the world.

Dystopian – 36 stories

Write about a character who feels like they're cut off from something.

Angst – 54 stories

Start or end your story with a character scrolling (or doomscrolling) through social media.

Adults – 14 stories

Write a story where a device goes haywire.

Science Fiction – 29 stories

Stories

“28 Letters” by Alex Sultan

🏆 Winner of Contest #115

A gem can not be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. Sejong swept his books off the shelf. Rain pelted the world outside. The king opened one of his many works, the spine of it splitting under his force, and read off a page. Nongsa jikseol, methods of cultivation in agriculture. A guidebook to farming in Korea’s geography. Words that could keep his people from famine.He threw it into the rain. It splashed against the mud-coated field, water distorting the ink. A second book followed, sliding against the ground, ...

136 comments 136

Read story

“Outage” by Bonnie Jay

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #115

“My time is almost up”I looked to the clock again. The numbers burned bottle green in the dark of my city cubicle. “Two minutes left.” Two minutes of life. Two minutes of breath. Two minutes of me. What to do with the time? I’ve known it was coming for a while now. My body was slowing, I missed the output quotas more often than not. They wouldn’t let me keep going like this, slowing down the entire system.“Mhm” came the staticky response from the other end of the line. I didn’t know what they looked like. I didn’t know what an...

Read story

“Cecilia.” by 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐿𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓌𝒶𝓃

Submitted to Contest #115

TW: Su1c1de, Death, Abuse, and Substance AbuseShe took out the knife.Although many people consider her to be- in a sense- the perfect girl, she never really thought about that for herself.She took out her phone.Her fingers, controlled by the inner her, pressed numbers.“Hello? ______? Are you there? Where have you been? We’re worried sick about you!”The girl didn’t even attempt to answer-she knew the connection was way too bad for the other person to hear her voice.“______! Answer! Are you kidnapped? Are you safe? Hello?”The girl turned ...

141 comments 141

Read story

“Fifty Broken Voicemails” by Tommie Michele

Submitted to Contest #115

The phone rings.And rings.And rings. I still my tapping foot and keep count. Five. Six. Seven.“You’ve reached Theodore Tiller. Sorry I wasn’t able to take your call. Leave your number and a message, and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”Even over voicemail, even after the hundredth time I’ve heard those exact same words, his voice never fails to make my breath come just a little quicker.The phone beeps and I take a deep breath. I already have my message for him prepared.“Theo, please. I know you don’t want to talk to me, but just call me ...

Read story

“Phantom Burn” by Greydon Blight

Submitted to Contest #115

As the doctor prods away, I stare up at the ceiling, the red light of the smoke detector slowly blinking. “Already a year,” I mutter under my breath. “Hm?” Dr. Sharma looks up at me, wrapping what remains of my arm in a tight cloth. “Oh! A year since… yes, and in this year, you’ve healed great. The skin has formed over the cut well, and you’ve regained mobility in the elbow too.” “And what good is that when It’s not attached to anything?” I ask as he pushes away from the floor on his office chair, the wheels squeaking as he re...

Read story

“Have No Fear, Love” by Patrick Samuel

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #115

When she opens her eyes, all she sees is gray. The gray of a summer storm right before it breaks. Then she remembers that summer is long gone and that she must get up, no matter how much she longs to bury her face in the pillow and forget about the world for just a moment more.Making breakfast in the dark, to save the generator. Like a moth to a flame, her gaze strays towards the kitchen window and the garden outside. A beautiful garden despite everything, she tells herself. You'd never know anyone is buried there.*Lea is still asleep when N...

Read story

“The Good Girls Of Estheria” by Olisa Okoye

Submitted to Contest #115

All fifty girls in the sanctuary got out of their beds in a frenzy. The cables plugged into their temples throbbed throughout the night and nobody knew why, but it became the major topic for discussion at the cafeteria. “Me thinks it's some kind of fault from the tower,” said Glen, a short girl with a dark bob. Her small frame and coy persona made it easier for the girls to dismiss her as usual. “I felt a throbbing in me fore’ead” Esmeralda whispered. Esmeralda’s green eyes twinkled in a slight craze. She demanded an expl...

Read story

“Breakfast with a Ghost” by Annalisa D.

Submitted to Contest #115

CW: Swearing, blood, death Getting a call at four in the morning on a stormy night, created an instant feeling of gut tangling dread. Luckily, I guess, I was already awake. An unusual nightmare about watching Jonah drown in an icy marsh and not being able to save him woke me with heart palpitations. In the dream, I dove under the water and desperately swam towards him but never actually moved. He floated in the murky, green-brown water in an oddly peaceful way. I swam furiously in place while the pressure b...

Read story

“Schizo” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #115

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Murder, Language.) Some wounds will never heal. That’s why I carry a roll of duct tape wherever I go. I’ll just bleed out until there’s nothing left of my soul. Sure, you could make changes like using super glue instead, but in the end, you realize that you control nothing in life. Yeah, I know I sound like a complete narcissistic ass for saying that, but you don’t know the whole story. When I was born, a Voodoo Man saw fit to place a curse on me. My mother told me all about it when I was just th...

Read story

“Bullyproof” by Rob H

Submitted to Contest #115

Bullyproof Cassie Swenson had always struggled with her weight. She had come to terms with it, and her group of friends were supportive. But moving to a new town and starting at a new school filled her with a dread she hadn’t felt for a long time. She recognized and remembered the fear of meetin...

Read story

“Nowhereville” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #115

It was a dark, desolate road. Swirls of dust engulfed the van as the young college friends made their way toward a lakeside retreat that they had rented for the long weekend. Lisa, the self-proclaimed social media sensation, continuously made Tik Tok videos, and selfies for her Instagram and Facebook pages. Her boyfriend, Jack, found it amusing at first, but grew tired of it after the first couple of weeks. ...

Read story

“ATM” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #115

It began at the local variety store. Overnight, someone or some company installed a portable ATM on the front stoop of Michael’s Convenience Store. Old Man Michael, who only opened the store on weekdays, did not see what happened on the previous weekend. He did not remember placing a call to have it put there, and he knew that there was still a local bank that had their machines “well up and robbing us” (as he said to any of the familiar customers who asked about it). There was no phone or serial number on it (he looked around it twice), but...

Read story

“The "M" in FOMO stands for Mars” by Laura Pamenter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #115

The “M” in FOMO stands for Mars By Laura Pamenter I roll over in my cot and look out my oval window to the dusty red horizon. My bedsheets are rough on my bare arms, as they’re made from scratchy canvas, locally grown on our cotton-field where I earn my barely liveable salary. “Be a part of the new world!” they said. “Be the future!” This doesn’t feel like the future; creaky wooden beds, cloth tunics, and cha...

Read story

“Alien Invasion” by Clark Graham

Submitted to Contest #115

John tinkered with the alarm clock. He didn’t know why he kept it around. It needed to be fixed once a month, it seemed. The thing that came to mind is it had been his father’s before John was born. He only had a few things of his father’s left. The last step, spinning the spring, took the longest. He half-listened to the television program as he worked. Suddenly his attention was drawn away from the clock. The spring flew out of his hands. “This is a special report,” the anchor came on. “We have just heard…” The television buzzed with stati...

Read story

“The Town” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #115

My GPS got me lost…well, that and my desire to take the scenic route and avoid the freeways. The dense woods surrounding the route it had recommended blocked out everything. It was only when the road narrowed and became a potholed mess that I realized that I wasn’t anywhere near where the GPS said I was. I should have been able to see the freeway from here, but there was no infrastructure beyond this ill-maintained forest road. Checking my phone, I saw that I had no signal. The choice was to follow this road that climbed ahead of me in hope...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

175

Contest entries

118

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 15, 2021 EST

Won by Alex Sultan 🏆

Title: 28 Letters

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 ⭢