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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#130: What's in a Name?

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about names: our names, and the names we give to stories, and the way they shape people’s expectations. So I’ve decided to try something new: as you’ll see, two of this week’s prompts let you play around with our Title Generator and Character Name Generator to spark ideas — and the rest explore what the implications of titles and names can be. Have fun!

This week's prompts

Create a title with our Title Generator, then write a story inspired by it.

Teens – 97 stories

Write about a character whose name you got from our Character Name Generator.

Character – 46 stories

Start your story with someone finding an object labeled with their name.

Horror – 37 stories

Set your story in a nameless world.

Kids – 27 stories

Write a story titled ‘The Locked Door.’

Dark – 77 stories

Stories

“Of Love and Lapis Lazuli” by Scoop Rittersblock

Submitted to Contest #130

It’s Friday night, or so it seems, and I’m shuffling down a damp street bright with neon lights oozing garishly off wide, dewy windows and slippy pavements steaming with excitement and frivolity. I am enjoying the buzz and hum of the Glow-People as they slither and slide around me and the way they duck into bars and melt into the blather-beats of music, laughter and the chemical scent of muscle and yearning, porous skin…some walk arm in arm looking assured and comfortable as if they know where the fuck they are and where the fuck they are go...

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“The Unknown World” by Aryana Lee

Submitted to Contest #130

I don’t know how I got here. I just woke up one day and I was here. Everything is black, white and gray. It’s dull. Yet, perfect. No one gets sick, no one gets hurt whether that be physically or emotionally, and you never hear of anyone dying. I’ve never heard of one bad thing. No one leaves, no one comes in. But if no one can come in, I don’t know I got here. When I woke up a nurse was watching me. She asked me if I was ok. I said yes, but I should’ve said no. I’m not ok. I miss my home. I miss the color and lively kids playing outside. I m...

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“Problematic” by Mariah Wood

Submitted to Contest #130

My legs dangled over the edge of the cliff as I watched the sun setting over the valley. The sand beneath my fingers was red and shiny. I picked up a handful and crunched it in my fist. It bit into my palms sharply, but didn’t draw blood. The grains felt like tiny glass shards and rocks that didn’t want to conform to the shape of my hand. I let the sand fall back to the ground. Down below in the crevices of the valley, between the blue and green of the tree leaves and the orange of the grass, were glowing lights speckling the shadows....

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“Interplanetary Travel” by Taz Aleks

Submitted to Contest #130

The first thing John felt as he stepped from the the gate ramp was the unexpected weight of the atmosphere. Thick and cloyingly hot. It reminded him of heat waves on Earth, when the locals would jokingly insist “but it’s a dry heat”. This was a thick heat. He walked past throngs of tourists, trying to ignore the urge to cough at the unfamiliar air. He made his way to the baggage claim via the helpful pictograph signs on the walls. His steps felt lumbering but he wasn’t jet-lagged. Space-lagged? Ship-lagged. He nearly bumped into...

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“The Locked Door” by Laura Lyra

Submitted to Contest #130

She didn't know that day would be the one. There was no food left in the fridge, and just some old oranges dusting out on the counter. Plus, she ran out of coffee the morning before and was going to buy more on her way to work. And now she couldn't leave anymore. Her reflection stared back at her in the dusted mirror while she wiped a section of it and opened her mouth. Looking deep at her throat, she could only see the darkness and the shade of her uvula. She felt something back there was mildly swollen, but besides that, her biggest prob...

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“The Locked Door” by Olivia Snead

Submitted to Contest #130

The young woman heard the piercing sound of sea gulls screaming. She looked up; they were flying in droves to a destination of safety, for a reason known only to themselves. She scanned the horizon. Mountaintops loomed in the distance, fluffy clouds surrounding the summits. She was clammy, caused by the tropical heat, and her fear. Miles of hot sand was everywhere. Her bare feet hurt with each step on the sharp stones. Who am I, she thought? How did I get here? She held out her hands to examine them. They were small brown hands, scratc...

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“The Locked Door” by Christine Mann

Submitted to Contest #130

As I sat staring at the door wondering if I should knock, it occurred to me that I had no idea if I even wanted to go into that room. Did it even matter anymore? Or was I just overthinking things like I always did? Either way, I needed to make a decision, I couldn’t live this way any longer. The hours I spent alone were not good for my health. Sure I could just live life this way, I mean we love each other and we are happy together but I still feet so lonely. At the same time I thought, why risk losing him, is it real...

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“The Locked Door” by Michael Danyluk

Submitted to Contest #130

Daddy always locks the door; he says it’s to keep the monsters out. He says I’ll leave if he doesn’t lock the door and he doesn’t want the monsters to come and take me away. He says they’ll take both of us away and well be in jail for the rest of our lives forever and ever if we ever get caught in wiggle time, so I can't tell anyone about it. Ever. But why would the monsters come and get me? There were no monsters before. I don't like being in here all the time, because I only have the same toys and I miss going to school. I want to see Br...

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“The Locked Door” by Melissa Woods

Submitted to Contest #130

“You will not go in there!” she hissed. The man closed his eyes and sighed. A breeze stirred the trees outside. Through the window, their shadows fell and quavered from the barred door to the other side of the hallway. Then he was in front of her. “I must,” he said. The words were softly spoken, but his jaw clenched after them and his eyes would not release hers. “No. Not this time,” the woman replied, shaking her head. Moonlight spilled through the window and crossed the new mother's face, contrasting her cheeks with the dark smud...

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“The Locked Door” by Quinn Cain

Submitted to Contest #130

What is taking him so long? It’s been three hours. Michael is never this late from work. Metal coats my mouth. The inside of my lip is raw from the gnawing. A pit’s where my stomach should be. I need to call the police. I hurry towards the phone, leaving behind the freshly matted rug where I’ve been pacing. I grab it off the wall, forcing my fingers to hold steady as I dial 911. Ringing… “911, what's your emergency?” The scratchy voice of a middle-aged woman picks up. “Hi! Sorry, my husband is-” “Hello? Is anybody there?” “Yes! Yes ...

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“The Locked Door” by Lucy G

Submitted to Contest #130

The forest is alive with the sounds of mourning doves singing to each other, perched above the trees, watching me with indifference. Their coos mesh with the chirping of crickets that I can’t see, but I know are somewhere near. Time seemingly stands still in the quiet solitude of the woods. If I focus hard enough, I can hear the gentle hum of the wind as it tickles my skin, raising goosebumps on the exposed part of my forearm. A light but constant chattering of my teeth ensues. The mountain air is always cold, especially this time of year. I...

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“the shattered file” by Coco Ady

Submitted to Contest #130

It's what you tell yourself. To let go of the dream of a family. It's what everyone tells you..but me..my brain. I can’t seem to give up on that hope. Perhaps something is supposed to break inside you when you’re tossed from home to home. Perhaps your spirit is meant to be crushed when your parents abandon you. Perhaps that's why so many of us end up criminals. Not me though. “Melvin.” I glance up, broken from the thoughts that haunt me. Though not really, the dialogue is always there in the back of my mind, even if it's sometimes quie...

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“The Transluscent Statue” by Catherine Kwalton

Submitted to Contest #130

I remember my mother, soft and full of water, opening our front door with a Valentine’s Day gift in her arms. I was ten years old, making a fort of pillows and blankets for my little brothers when I saw her step inside. My mother’s arms were covered in a bulky knitted blue sweater, her beige skin flashing through the holes between the stiches. Her left arm like an L to her chest, carrying a small pink thing squished between wool and cotton swaddling. In the crook of her right arm was the baby car seat, the same one used for the last baby jus...

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“The Word of Angels” by Christine Miller

Submitted to Contest #130

The day was a little too warm now. It’s funny how in such a short amount of time the weather can change so drastically. This time of year in Michigan it was not unheard of to have all four seasons in a single day. Today started as a crisp spring morning, but by noon it was full-blown summer. Sitting on the front porch in the shade of the old oak trees it wasn’t as bad though. The four of them sat and rocked in their rocking chairs, sipping on their coffee. Jewel was the one to finally break the long silence. “So, Grams has wings?” Pa...

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“The Stolen Portrait” by Ramona Scarborough

Submitted to Contest #130

The Stolen Portrait I almost threw the portrait of a young Lenore away. I could tell it was her, but the colors had faded. The paint on the frame had flaked to reveal aged wood beneath. An indistinct signature on the right-hand side prevented me from tossing it into the rubbish bin. I didn’t figure out the connection between the painter and my great-aunt Lenore until much later. Lenore used to tell me, “Darling, I have been everything. I have been an opera singer, a...

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$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

179

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 28, 2022 EST

Won by Allie Erickson 🏆

Title: A Man's Man

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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