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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

“The Locked Door” by Buddy Lieberman

Submitted to Contest #130

Nico's eyes flicked up from the old, dried out, and dirty newspaper. His heart fluttered. He stood up and took a careful step toward his mom. “M—mum?” His mother's teeth were clenched together and she groaned. The groaning continued for a second, and then let off, and his mother let out a long shuddering breath, shaking her head. “What's happening?” he pressed. A hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved. Nico stumbled toward the other end of the trash filled alley. “Get out of the way,” Nico's father said, “don't make me clean up the m...

4 comments 4
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“Eclipse of Capella” by Shirley Brand

Submitted to Contest #130

Jeff had been a long-time volunteer at the Observatory. Today was going to be one for the books. His years of interest in space as a Space Engineer, working off-planet a good deal of the time during his career. Was definitely adding to the excitement, making this day more special. "This will be so wonderful to see old friends, meet new people." He said as he reached the top step. Watching the Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics. "Scientists teachers, astronauts, astrologers, professors, alike coming to our little corner of the world. B...

0 comments 0
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“Imagine Us in Heaven” by Howard Seeley

Submitted to Contest #130

John Riggall: Inmate 31072Sing-Sing State PrisonOssining, New YorkJuly 7, 1933My Dearest Molly,I’m writing to let you know this will probably be my last day on Earth. My lawyer just informed me my last attempt at an appeal has been denied, and the warden here at Sing-Sing, is in a hurry to introduce me to “Old Sparky”. So, that’s it, unless the governor shows clemency, and I know the chances of that are about one in a million. But don’t cry, my love. I know my words are crushing your heart, but the truth can’t be denied. I killed that w...

3 comments 3
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“The Fall of Hope” by Maddie Richards

Submitted to Contest #130

Once, the soundscape of the city would have been punctuated with bombs as they shrieked through the air, preceded by sirens that wailed in the early hours of the morning. The night was a place of many terrors – the darkness never went uninterrupted too long before a flash and a bang would echo out over the city, white light burning through drapes. But the people of Mount Neau were used to it – Freyja herself knew nothing but the War.            It was when the bombs stopped banging and t...

0 comments 0
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“Spear and the Book” by E. Roux

Submitted to Contest #130

I feel a massive wave of pain on my left side, just below the ribs. Instinctively I place my hand on it. I lift it moments later and see a warm scarlet liquid coming out of my body. Instantly I feel dizzy, the sight of blood causes me that nausea feeling I hate so much. I try to look around for Jack, but my sight becomes blur. My feet feel like jelly, and I expect to crumble on the ground any second now. It all started about two weeks ago. It was a simple mission for such an experienced agent as Jack and everything were going smooth so fa...

0 comments 0
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“The Tomb of Truth” by B.A. ROSE

Submitted to Contest #130

As the hiking tour guide spoke, Astrid looked around. She had signed up with her fiance, but he had broken up with her a week ago. Deciding to go it alone she listened as he he told the group about the legend of the Tomb of Truth. Only those who needed it would find it for it appeared out of nowhere. The stories said that if you went inside and asked what you truly wanted to know, it would tell you. Inside the cave it was said that a huge flame was lit and the sound of drums played. Astrid laughed to herself. She didn’t believe in legends. I...

0 comments 0
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“The Woman in the Mist” by Kyle G

Submitted to Contest #130

Her long silver hair was exactly as he remembered it, her white nightgown, too. Charlie Cowan watched from the sidewalk in the misty gloom as the woman resembling Margaret Cowan, his late wife, walked along the edge of the forest near his house. She glanced back at him, then turned and walked into the woods, fading out of sight into the achromatic haze. Charlie glanced around the field and saw he was alone. He’d hoped by chance that someone might have been happening by—someone who could have confirmed the sighting. But he was alone like he’...

2 comments 2
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“Maybe, Probably” by Tanya Smith

Submitted to Contest #130

       Karie Blake sat in the diner in the center of town looking out at the snow that was beginning to fall. It had started to stick to the ground creating a white fluffy powder, creating a very beautiful scene. She loved the snow, they way it looked, the way it felt under her feet, and most importantly making snow ice cream. She smiled as she remembered when she was a child, how her mom would have her go outside and place a large white bowl on the porch to catch the snow for the ice cream. It had been ...

0 comments 0
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“The Pedestal” by Bryce Benton

Submitted to Contest #130

The two fraternal twin sisters, the red brick dormitory pillars of Texas Woman's University, have risen early to meet me. One stands a little taller than the other. On the horizon I see them marking my destination like pushpins in a paper map, "Larissa and Maria were here." Kneeling before the sisters, older and more humble, bows the Little Chapel in the Woods, and I suspect when I descend on those grounds I'll find some of the woods preserved, never felled and paved over. I expect I'll ramble under the same perennial trees with slightl...

2 comments 2
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“The Children of Dawn” by Kaleb Martin

Submitted to Contest #130

There exists, in a dark and forgotten recess of the universe, a small, red star. It is one among a hundred billion nearly identical suns, and all of these are the least of the stars in the cosmos. But this star is special, for it has a name: Lor. It was given this name by the creatures that live beneath its crimson light, circling slowly on their little rock. This planet sits so near to its star that it becomes tidally locked – one of its faces is perpetually scorched by Lor, while the other is eternally sealed in glaciers taller than any m...

2 comments 2
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“Titan's Voyage” by Kieran Coghlan

Submitted to Contest #130

Atlas shifted the burden of the cosmos on his shoulders as he beheld the bearded man striding across the plains towards him. Amongst mortals, the man would probably have been considered a fearsome sight: near seven foot tall, a staggering combination of muscle and sinew rippling under his tunic. To mighty Atlas though, one mortal looked much the same as another. They were scrawny little things with high-pitched voices, always in a hurry. This one was certainly that, making straight for the titan with an untiring speed. Soon he stood at Atlas...

1 comment 1
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“The Groom In The Night” by Stephen Dexter, Jr.

Submitted to Contest #130

Miro never understood what it meant by the Land of Opportunity until he wore a tuxedo. Delivering dough to Dunkies franchises in the metro Boston area at 4am in a rusty converted mail truck was not what he bargained for. A civil engineer educated at the University of Zagreb, Miro Stanovic didn't have the political or family connections to land a cushy job with the government or one of the former Yugoslavian utility companies, so he (like most of his generation) made his way from Slovenia and eventually Germany, working 13 hour days, sharing ...

2 comments 2
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“Obsidian Plague” by Barbie Blair

Submitted to Contest #130

Obsidian Plague Zoe Burgess’s phone buzzed in her pocket, distracting her from the tour guide’s speech. She stopped to open the Snapchat she’d received and quickly snapped a selfie to send back. Lost in her own internal world momentarily, her friends and the rest of the group continued on their tour of the ruins, slipping out of sight around a bend. Zoe jogged to catch up with everyone, but stopped again, a glint of black catching her eye. She bent down to uncover the shiny object from the dirt and picked it up. It looked almost like a pie...

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“The Circle of Yesterday” by Peter Phoenix

Submitted to Contest #130

“It cannot end like this…” said Kyle, watching through the window of a Drivable Armed Transport Utility Vehicle, how his battle cruiser exploded in the distance. It was one of the new models, among dozens of other first-grade military ships stationed in the military docking bay that was lightening the night sky with bright blue flames. “At least some of us are alive,” said Freya. He wiped blood from his eyes and turned back to his crew. Or what was left of it; only eight of them survived. Despite what just happened, they were standing ...

2 comments 2
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“Dragon's Daughter” by Caroline Smith

Submitted to Contest #130

I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes, all originating from the space in my father’s skull. One night he spun a story in which I was a pilot, flying a ’50s-style turboprop over oceans made of sapphire; in the next, I was a cunning thief, pilfering from greedy ghouls who lined their pockets with the misery of others; yet another night, I was a magician, pulling rabbits out of a hat during the day and frolicking with them on my farm by night. But in my favorite timeline, I was a princess and a knight and a scholar in one. I studied in my cozy corn...

1 comment 1
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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