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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 Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #130

A Short Viginette In Four Scenes``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````THE CHARACTERSRene: a charming, sophisticated Parisienne man , who frequents Le Fouquet’s, and enjoys watching people go by. He is wealthy, and loves to look at the mirror a lot, and enjoys all the good things life has to offer. It is all good.Gaby: A young, innocent, raven-haired, Parisienne woman, who only lives only a few blocks from Rene, but the two never met. They lived parallel lives, went to different ...

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“A Perfect Game” by S. Thomson

Submitted to Contest #130

ㅤIt was Friday night at The Mayflower, which meant the peanuts on the bar hadn’t been replaced in days. As the red pool ball sank into the corner pocket, the man with the beard pumped his fist in triumph. The clean-shaven man was pretending not to pay any attention to hide his annoyance at the fact that he was losing, like usual. He placed the blame on the new jeans his girlfriend had bought him, they were too tight around his thighs and plagued him with a constant nagging worry that his arse crack was showing. Avoiding looking down at the t...

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“The Origins of Gavin Swanson” by Klara Loyalty

Submitted to Contest #130

People always ask me how I became successful. You've probably heard of me: Gavin Swanson, the handsome, famous photography guru? I’m a master behind the camera, take pictures that look like magic, and you can almost taste the perfection in my photos. Granted, it wasn’t always that way. I’ve come a long way from that silly teenage boy who used to throw rocks in the creek. It all started one rainy Sunday, on a cold January evening… I watched my rock disappear into the dirty water, bending down to get another one. My best friend Snapper had j...

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“The Locked Door” by Chris Rohe

Submitted to Contest #130

I sit here in demanding patience as my father taught me and his father taught him! Exclaimed Cris from the corner of his bed. He, bent over a writing desk, quill in hand, paper unfolded before him, and a dram of ink near the corner of the parchment. Ink dribbled across the face of parchment as if a nervous servant had handed the pen to his weak shaking hand.Did I not tell you, to handle my quill with the must utmost carefulness? Cris questioned. His head nestled into his upturned right hand cupped into a sort of couch just for the position.R...

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“The Keyhole. ” by Shelby Buchko

Submitted to Contest #130

I pressed my face against the cool metal of the door knob attached to the overly large door in my bedroom. There was a rather large key hole in this particular door knob, so it was easy to look out of. I peered out, listening carefully for any footsteps as I did. I was never able to see much, but it was refreshing to know whether or not they were coming. Straight across from the keyhole was the recliner my father sat in all day when he wasn’t messing with me. He wasn’t in it, but I didn’t hear him near the door either. When I realized...

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“The Corpse in The City” by Barbara Burgess

Submitted to Contest #130

The car comes to a halt at the far edge of the car park behind the bank. Tom sits quietly for a moment as if in a trance, eyes forward. Only his left arm moves as he pulls on the handbrake. His eyes drop, focussing on his finger, pressing the button to release the boot lid. Slowly, he turns his head and glares.“Are you going to help me or not?”Jim lets out a puff of breath, leans his elbow on the car door and stands up. His shoes crunch on the dark gravel. The car park is deserted. With wide eyes scanning the area, he moves to the rear of th...

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“The Locked Door” by Dhruv Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #130

“So, what’s next for you?” The reporter’s gray eyes shone in the bright camera light and seemed to pierce through to her subject’s soul. “I mean, you’ve sold art worth millions, you’ve been philanthropic… You even have your own wing at some museums around the world. Are you going to keep painting, even at this age?”It took her subject everything he had to muster up a response. After thirty seconds, he frowned and muttered, “I… I don’t know. I will keep painting.”“And can you support the claims that the motif of a locked door in all of your p...

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“Pluto Falling” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #130

There’s an old Chinese fable about a farmer who had to journey around two mountains to get his produce to market, adding many unnecessary miles to his trip. One day, he decided that it would be easier to go through the mountains instead and vowed to move the hilly giants himself. Upon hearing this, a wise man asked him how he would achieve this. He explained that he would move it one stone at a time. The wise man calculated that the length of time it would take to move the mountains, would take longer than several generations of deliver...

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“The Yellow Curtain” by Rich Hosek

Submitted to Contest #130

“You can’t possibly have solved the case already,” Jeremy White said in utter disbelief. “We just got here!” “It’s obvious,” Isaac Black replied, in that nonchalant manner that drove Jeremy crazy. “How can you possibly know who killed this woman without knowing who she is, what she looks like or how she died,” Jeremy demanded, exasperated. “You don’t even know what color the drapes are,” he added. “Her name is Beverly Goldman, tall, brunette, green eyes. She was shot. And the curtains are yellow,” Isaac replied without skipping a beat....

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“The Mystery of the Silent Visitor” by MichElle Colpo

Submitted to Contest #130

(Warning: Contains Death due to Catastrophic Event)May 6, 1937 It was the perfect, sunny day for a birthday. That’s what Donna Patricelli was thinking as she looked both ways before crossing the bustling street coming from school. Her best friend Mary Catherine invited her to play Marbles on her block, but Donna had said no, her Ma was making her favorite chocolate cake for her eighth birthday. Ma called it Crescionda di Spoleto. So off Donna went, skipping home in her favorite...

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“The Statement of Officer John Burkle ” by Louise Muller

Submitted to Contest #130

The pages reflect the little light that fills the room. They seem to beg me to pick them up and see what secrets they contain. I know what is written within, yet I burn to have my eyes glide over the words to see the story from another perspective. Finally, a clearing of the throat snaps my attention. Then, a nod, encouraging me to take hold and devour what lies ahead of me. I can no longer contain my curiosity, you see, and so, I grab the folder and begin to read. My name is Officer Burkle, Officer John Burkle, and these are my acco...

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“The Smoke Orphan” by Michelle Cook

Submitted to Contest #130

You asked me what happened, and you are impatient for my answer. There is an investigation to complete. Time is short, I understand.Where can I start but from the beginning? It was the smoke orphan that first drew my eye. Drifting above Rose’s scarlet hair, it seemed to glisten as it dissolved into the foggy atmosphere of the bar. It was like witchcraft. She was the sorceress.Something in me shattered eternally in that dim, sweaty bar. Blind date or not, I knew she was the only one who could hold my fragments together.I should explain. Orpha...

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“Cold Boy” by A T

Submitted to Contest #130

Cold Boy by: Amethyst P [CW: death, implied murder, burning/fire] It wasn’t my fault this time. The stifling silence around the table, the judgmental gazes from four sets of eyes, he stood and slid his chilled food away before turning and walking out of the room. If he imagined hard enough he could almost hear his mother calling for him to return. Return to what? To continue the argument was worse than, what did his grandfather used to say, ‘beating a dead horse’. His grandfather would have sided with him. The hallways were ...

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“Marmaduke Dittman” by Barbara Burgess

Submitted to Contest #130

My name is Marmaduke Dittman. Or Marmy for short. Mum (she calls herself that) tells all her friends that I have a pedigree as long as your arm and my pedigree name is Marmaduke Dittman.Mum doesn’t know where the Dittman bit comes in. She says it’s something to do with a prefix or a suffix or something like that. But the Marmaduke bit is because I’m orange. They call me orange with orange eyes, but really I’m ginger, just like the cat next door that often tries to pick a fight with me.Mum shows her friends the enormous sheet of paper that ha...

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“The Clean Out” by Nancy McAtavey

Submitted to Contest #130

The Clean Out The porch screen door is latched from the inside. I peer through the inner door window into the darkened hallway and the kitchen beyond. The overhead light is off and the chairs are pushed under the table. There’s no sign that she’s been in the kitchen. No coffee cup and spoon. No plate and knife. No butter dish and sugar bowl. I pound on the window. “Aunt Kitty. Are you there?” No answer. “Are you there, AUNT KITTY?” I pound again, this time on the wooden frame of the door. &n...

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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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