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!

#118: Metamorphosis

Whichever way you look at it, fall is a season of change. The trees are changing color, the waking hours are getting shorter, and the days are growing colder. It also happens to be Halloween, meaning we might need to gear up for some spooktacular supernatural transformations too… if you believe in that sort of thing!

Whether your characters are enjoying the crunch of fallen leaves, or undergoing a creepy metamorphosis of their own, we hope this week’s prompts help you get the best out of fall this year.

This week's prompts

Start your story with “Today’s the day I change.”

Teens – 54 stories

Write about a character, animal or human, who is reborn as something totally different.

High School – 42 stories

Write your story from the perspective of an outsider watching something or someone change.

Middle School – 45 stories

Your character picks up a fallen leaf and can’t believe what they discover underneath it. What happens next?

Fall – 38 stories

Set your story during a sudden change of season.

Fall – 26 stories

Stories

“My Purpose in Life” by Dean Corbyn

Submitted to Contest #118

Today’s the day I change, I thought to myself as the autumn sun beamed its first light through the undrawn curtains. I could feel my face warm, as it did most mornings. But today, as if knowing it was my special day, it was particularly bright. Even my sickly greenish complexion appeared a healthier shade of orange in its golden glow.Little Timmy’s eyes sprung open; the bright light burning his eyes. He could hardly believe the day had finally arrived. With great excitement, he leapt from his bed and scuttled across the floor, hopping over a...

Read story

“Confessions of the Kentucky Fried Cannibal” by Rabbitt Sharp

Submitted to Contest #118

Trigger Warning: This story has elements of Crime and Horror. It includes descriptions of Violence, Murder, and Cannibalism from the viewpoint of a Serial Killer. ------------- As I sit here in this cage, awaiting my death, I have been moved to tell you a few confessions and explanations for the actions that have sealed my fate this day. You see, I used to think I was a chicken. I know how crazy that sounds. Maybe that is why I feel I need to explain myself. You see, it all started with a dream. You have to expect weird dreams when ...

Read story

“GOOD-GIRL DAISY” by Alizah Muhammad

Submitted to Contest #118

“Today is the day I change” putting on the glasses to complete my look for the day, I uttered to my-self in mirror. “Daisy, you are as beautiful and pure as your name. you be a good girl!” my mother raised me with that. “I am Daisy, a good girl” I grew on that, feeling like a daisy! Mama told me what it is to be good and I listened. Now I work at a show-off company and I am still a good girl. It always worked out for me being nice and staying loved. At the company, we earn points for looking best. The better body, face and features are prefe...

Read story

“Lucy” by Jude S. Walko

Submitted to Contest #118

It was the day after Halloween. All Saint’s day. But as far as Jermaine could see there were no saints to be seen within a very wide radius. The bite in the air had just snapped the coniferous leaves into their colorful reds, yellow and oranges. Change was in the air. He was the son of one of Baltimore’s most famous African American Catholicism mavens. As such he had done his stint in the seminary and had almost taken his vows twice. But his love of the opposite sex, made the Chastity one a hard pill to swallow. His mother had...

Read story

“Weathering the Storm” by Marly Smith

Submitted to Contest #118

People are a lot like caterpillars. There are plenty of caterpillars amongst us, but on occasion we get a glimpse of a butterfly… The wind had changed direction. No longer the soft, warming breeze that blew gently off of the ocean caressing and nurturing me. This wind was angry. It didn’t care if I wasn’t ready for it’s onslaught. The new gust was powerful and merciless and really cold. Really cold. &...

Read story

“Purgatory” by Cydney Cantello

Submitted to Contest #118

It serves me right, I guess, that I should end up like this. Had I known reincarnation was more than just shit being spewed to keep the masses living in mindless fear, I might have lived my past life differently. Though I suppose with people like me running around, it is best the masses live in fear, anyways. It’s hard to say definitively if we would have done things differently when we look at our past actions through the lens of all that we know in the future. I didn’t have a crystal ball full of all the knowledge I have now, not th...

Read story

“A New Journey” by Kara Heisler

Submitted to Contest #118

Warning: Graphic depictions of violence “Faster!” Ash screamed, holding tight to Levi’s jacket. He shoved the older boy forwards, nearly causing him to trip over a fallen tree. The intense growls and shrieks ringing through the thick forest spurred Ash on to sprint even faster. He leapt over roots and dodged the low-hanging branches weighed down by ice covered orange and yellow leaves. All while keeping the other boy in his view. Ash wrenched his thoughts away from visible blood trickling down his friend's back. They would deal wit...

Read story

“The Warrior” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #118

Today’s the day I change. The course of history. From mundane to exalted. The hunchback has a very minute role in it. But I will give her due credit. For I know that the world is never kind to an ugly old woman giving clever advice. When the king walks into my royal chambers, he will find a stranger. A dishevelled woman lying on the floor who is beyond reason. The reason that has been carefully formulated, calibrated and appropriated by men, made elusive to women. Even to the most intelligent and accomplished women. That woman on the floor...

Read story

“The first Christmas” by Nik Lacolere

Submitted to Contest #118

Winter came earlier that year. The wind saw cities collapse. Surrendering to the tempest of October. The hearths of millions could not keep homes warm. This is how I started. This is my tale. In the month before Christmas, when Christmas was not yet marketed or truly existing, and when my clothes and skin still reeked of gut-spillage, shame and defeat, and when the strike of midnight anaesthetized the rare drunks consistently awake, the good-for-nothing ice-prince arrived on the shores of his new homeland. In this story, I am the prince an...

Read story

“The Calendar” by Zachary Seda

Submitted to Contest #118

Leaves blew down the sidewalk on the chilly fall day. Devin shoved his hands in his coat pockets to help them warm up a bit. He cursed himself for not wearing a thicker jacket, being that it was much colder than he anticipated. Yet even the cold wouldn’t completely ruin Devin’s mood. He needed this breath of fresh air before the big presentation he’d be giving later that day. Just thinking about it gave him anxiety, but he stopped that train of thought quickly by looking at his surroundings. Not too far down the city block was a little ant...

Read story

“Waiting For You” by William Alfred

Submitted to Contest #118

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of death and gun violence. Twelve hours. I wake up in a boy’s bed. The light from the sun hurts my eyes. I wish to bury myself in the boy’s wondrous sheets and sleep for a few hours more, but I know that his mother will wake soon and that I have much to do today. So, I rise and pick up my discarded undergarments and dress myself. The boy, of course, has not awoken. He is pale and still. I kiss him on his soft lips before departing through his window. I wander through the boy’s neighborhood for a short time. Th...

Read story

“Paula” by Lonnie Larson

Submitted to Contest #118

“Today is the day that I change my life,” Paul stated as he got ready for school. Little did he know just how true those words would become. Paul was thirteen years old now and it was the first day of Junior High for him. He has three older sisters and they loved to torment him. Their names are; Pamela, Patricia and Penelope. Each one a year older consecutively. He was tired of being picked on and today would be the day that he finally asserted himself. He had no idea what was in store for him. “Stick with me kid,” Penny stated a...

Read story

“The Girl and the Stone” by Zea MindWerl

Submitted to Contest #118

Today’s the day I change. I thought for probably the thousandth time. But for real this time. I’m gonna change, I mean it! Yeah right.It was a Saturday, lovely yellow clouds filled the blue sky and the perfect golden glow of the sunset flowed through them. It was the perfect weather, the perfect day, and yet– I was still lying to myself. Still pretending that I could change, that I even wanted to. If I wanted to, wouldn't I have by now? Why was I such a failure? Such a disappointment. I sat on a bench and looked out over the green hills...

Read story

“Hidden Secrets ” by M. M.

Submitted to Contest #118

November 17, 2021Javier walked across his large yard as usual, taking his Australian shepherd Zooloo out for her morning run. It was still early, the sun was just beginning to rise through soft hazy shades of pinks in the sky, frosted puffs of cotton breath in the air, promising a crisp day ahead. Zooloo ran ahead of him, through the piles of leaves on the far side, near the maple and apple tree's, now darkened with the onset of winter; leaves fallen to the ground, branches bare and cold. Except for the wind rustling, silence permeated his ...

Read story

“Ela” by Eric Diaz

Submitted to Contest #118

Ela woke to a very cold autumn Morning. Not wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of her bed, however, thinking she shouldn't let the day go to waste she forced her self to get up and sluggishly walked into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Ela turned the cold water knob of the faucet and began filling the coffee pot full of water. Looking out the window she took a deep breath, then exhaled, "Must be the first frost of the season," she muttered while noticing a shimmer of white glistening over what used to be a lush green field o...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

205

Contest entries

140

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 05, 2021 EST

Won by Myia Melendy 🏆

Title: beneath the quaking aspen

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 ⭢