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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

“Name Generator: Avery Daloni ” by Aaliyah Wight

Submitted to Contest #130

It was dark, cold, and at least half the children on the train were sick from the constant rocking of the train car. None of us knew where we were going except me. I know, I have read about this day in books for years. Our parents sent us away due to global warming. They will most likely all die. But us? We are going to a new place called MARS. We will be the only living species left. Right now though we are on our way to NASA. To fly to MARS. “I'm tired”. My little sister Emma moaned. “Lay down on my lap and close your eyes, we ...

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“The Locked Door” by Phoenix Vee

Submitted to Contest #130

Note: Hello, this is my first time posting to a prompt and I'd love some feedback. :) English is not my first language, so if you spot anything weird I'd love to learn how to make it better. Thank you.Aurelie hopped along the gallant red and purple patterned carpet, playing her favourite game. The thick, grey castle walls were painted in the flickering light of torches mounted in steel holders, shaped like the snarling fangs of tiny dragons. She stopped by a set of heavy wooden doors. One had cracked open and warm light flooded out into the ...

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“The Locked Door” by CJ Shutt

Submitted to Contest #130

The door stood there, a silent Sentinel, the one barrier that couldn't be broken. It has always been that way, the one door we were forbidden to open. Like most things in life this would just push me to want to know exactly what was so important, the secret that was held behind that closed portal. My entire childhood was a never-ending plot to pry the door from its hinges and bask in the revealing of the age-old question. This wasn't just your regular interior door, th...

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“The Locked Door” by Elizabeth Lopez

Submitted to Contest #130

Lila has always been a curious girl. It was what made her so good at science. She had to know the answer and she'd spend hours trying to find it. So of course she wanted to know what was behind the locked door that her mother forbade her to open. And just like misery loves company, a curious mind is also quite imaginative. Her whole life she has spent thinking up scenarios of what it could be. 'It must be a room' she thought at first, since that was the obvious choice. She had asked, begged and pleaded with her mother to just give her a hint...

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“The Locked Door” by Deborah Trahan

Submitted to Contest #130

Nestled in the snow tops of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Bristol, Tennessee, a secluded luxury cabin beckoned Avana and Tom McLain to its three-story abode overlooking acres of timber. It was a steal of a deal, Avana told her husband when she discovered the rental on Vrbo’s website. But after delayed flights and a rental car mix-up in Knoxville, Avana had little patience left to rebuff the caretaker’s crankiness, a man clearly annoyed with the couple’s late arrival. “Yeah,” muttered the white-bearded man, probably in his mid-60s. He spat ...

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“The Locked Door” by Nick Cevennes

Submitted to Contest #130

The Locked Door Nick Cevennes Autumn 1891, London, England. Litchfield Dimitri collapsed on the bed as soon as he got home. Finally, he decided that, he was in deep aversion with this life, this repression, this silence, the stench of engine oil he smelled when the sea breeze found him along the sunless streets, and his attitude towards this life, this repression, this silence. He took off his black bowler hat with its bent brim and hesitated to put it over his face to blind him from the sickening pale yellow light. Hours passed by as he...

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“The Locked Door” by Wysteria Mae

Submitted to Contest #130

I watched her movements carefully, it wasn’t much to look at: her sitting there in silence, staring at that blank page in her diary. Silent and poised, pen in hand, waiting only for the words to write, for the right way to express them. A few minutes pass, and she gives up. Slowly, haltingly, she closes the book once more. She’s been staring at that blank page, the first page, the one that’s been screaming for something–anything–to be written, for over a year now. I’ve stolen glimpses into her journal before, its spine worn and soft...

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“The Locked Door” by Robert Smith

Submitted to Contest #130

The Locked Door I don't know where the house is. It isn't a real house. It is a house in my mind. I own other houses there. I used to move among them with some frequency, but less so in recent years. This house seems to be in the country and appears to be old, judging from its fieldstone foundation and walls. My wife and I have lived here a little while. I believe this to be so, because I am frustrated with what we have not yet done about the place. Yes, we have made some progress. The dining room stands out, in par...

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“The Locked Door” by Kyle Whitmore

Submitted to Contest #130

Memories are forever, that’s what they say. Another visit to my childhood home reminds me of those sweet memories. The grass is green and full; the tree is fruitful. The covered porch still provides protection from the rain and is home to a great spot to pull out a book on a cool spring morning; a morning like this one. Walking up to the front door allowed for plenty of time to let it all sink in. The happiness, the sadness. The good, the bad. It feels real. The screen door greeted me with its groaning. This sound became the norm when I wou...

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“Locked Door” by Elizabeth Heberle

Submitted to Contest #130

The boys were sitting still and watching some cartoon with furry animals from a make believe world. I hated these shows. I struggled with my desire for perfection and finally making it past the finish line. Did these shows help me be a better mom? And what is the finish line? I always wanted to be a wife and mother. I found my husband late in life, when it felt as if everyone was married, raising school age children, and surviving milestones. After many Hail Mary's, solitude, and surrender, I found some gra...

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“The Locked Door” by Jennifer R Boyd

Submitted to Contest #130

I saw him standing there waiting on me like he had been there for ages. I’m not sure what he as waiting for or why he was waiting. I knew I needed to either run or stand and fight. Well, being that I always fought, no matter what, I thought about the best way to approach the situation, so…I sat there and watched. I studied him like there was a lesson to learn. I didn’t want to make any mistakes when I finally made the decision. You see, I had to get out and get free. I had been trapped for days and I wasn’t...

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“The Crime of the Orange Inspector” by H. C. Black

Submitted to Contest #130

“‘Adorbiez,’ I get it. They’re orb-shaped and they’re adorable. Funny!” The FDA inspector stopped rolling the navel orange in his palm when he realized the fruit vendor hadn’t congratulated him on his cleverness. “Adorb was my great-grandfather’s name.” “Oh- I mean-”“Nah, I’m just joshing,” the vendor cut across the fumbled apology and clapped a big hand on his shoulder. “You got it in one. Name’s Cuthbert Maxwell. Let me get that badge and we’ll get this meeting started, eh?”The inspector passed over the shiny shield that proudly ...

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“Electric Plague” by Joosep Kivastik

Submitted to Contest #130

I walked down 7th avenue taking in the sunshine and fresh air. Mark was waiting for me on the corner of 45th, quiet as usual. He was leaning on the hood of his busted-up Tesla Van and smoking a pack of Lucky Strike. He greeted me with a big smile as if happy to spend some time with anybody. “Heya, Kiddo!” he said. “Want one?” “Hey, Mark,” I said and shook my head. I wasn’t ready to give up the feeling of fresh air in my lungs. Maybe in a few years, but not yet. “Okay, I’ll finish this one, and then we’ll get a move on. Ready for your first d...

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“Bard's Shrine” by S.N. Sproull

Submitted to Contest #130

Language and art. Everyone can probably find some degree of fun in mixing the two, even if only for a moment. Meanwhile, the poet makes this his occupation — if not his life. Why a poet does what he does, I suppose, could remain a mystery to all but himself. Maybe some of them feel poetry provides them with a far deeper, more meaningful and beautiful language. Perhaps others treat it like a business of puzzles. I suspect some poets could suffer migraines at the mere sight of a student meticulously dissecting the rhythm and ...

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“The Devil's Rise” by Goddess V

Submitted to Contest #130

***These names may sound familiar but the story and the characters are all fiction. Clouds of flour filled the space and covered different parts of their bodies. The shop’s windows were open to the eternal-Summer breeze. People that walked by would look in quickly, entranced by the smell and vibe, but nervous to actually go in. Lucifer walked around the space in his white attire and black apron. He moved a pan from the counter to the oven. His forehead h...

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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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