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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 Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #130

Amidst the City’s newest skyscrapers The 30th Street Hotel stood as an ode to the elegance of older generations, carrying within its walls and rooms and hallways the sins of its occupants.Darrell had never been inside the hotel, but one evening, a call came from the hotel's manager, requesting his services. He stood in the lobby, basked in the jazz music radiating from the hotel’s atrium and admired the flickering lights of the chandelier. Lavender lifting from the front desk as excitable guest waited to check-in and o...

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“The Boy with the Golden Tattoo” by Professor Alan Dale Dickinson

Submitted to Contest #130

THE BOY WITH THE GOLDEN TATTOO By Professor Alan Dale Dickinson [Copyrighted] Charles Warner Kennedy “Charlie” O’Brien, was the “Boy with the Golden Tattoo.” His Tat was that of an American Bald Eagle, with its wings spread full length, its claws sticking out and looking very menacing, and its golden beak appearing to be razor sharp! It covered almost his entire back, and it was also in color, unlike most tattoos. Charlie is not a boy any longer, albeit, he as a boy of age...

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“Truth be Told” by Dasheen White

Submitted to Contest #130

What is truth? We live in a world where everyone wants to be heard and no one wants to listen. The goal in communication seems to be to get the point across instead of listening to the other party to see another point of view. Not many people look at a situation with an objective eye, nine times out of ten they view it with judgmental vision. Perception can be tainted by many things, prejudices, past experiences with someone or something etc. If you were to ask three people what truth is to them, I believe you will get three different answer...

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“Inferno Dreams: A Marisol and Rick Romance (#2 in Series on Reedsy)” by Mary Jo Fortes

Submitted to Contest #130

[NOTE: Contains Sexual Content] She saw him again today—not for one of their “Special Days,” as they refer to their secret times of stolen intimacy, but just out and about. That was enough to heighten all her senses—to make colors brighter, the sound of her own breathing louder, the sun on her face warmer, the memory of his earthy smell more intoxicating, and the bite of the chilled iced water she was drinking almost sting her mouth and throat. It was enough to make her feel as if her heart would pound out of her chest; enough to arouse h...

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“The shrouded frog” by Alicia Coggins

Submitted to Contest #130

The shrouded frog The day had come for the dreaded ceremony and all she could do was hiccup the tears back. She was not at any point okay with what was to happen today but had been informed there was no way around it. If she wanted to keep her GPA at such a perfectionist status she had to perform the autopsy and it had to be today or she would not receive credit and wouldn't be allowed to continue in the program. She had been accepted into a summer science program but this was one of the requirements, not to mention she wouldn't graduate w...

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“What's In a Name?” by Eben Swanson

Submitted to Contest #130

Vagabond Genesis believed everything about a name is not only crucial as to what it implies, propagates, and elevates, but also predetermines the first impression of the one who has no knowledge of the stranger who stands before them. Not just the moral or ethical implications a name exudes, but the fireworks or meltdown that is promoted on the big screen of inquisitiveness everyone possesses, but often fears to allow the examination of that dark side of the moon within us all. Names...

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“Scoundrel's birthright” by Ruby Lewis

Submitted to Contest #130

I heard about Dad’s death from the news. It’s not the way most people hear about that sort of thing, but it’s exactly how I expected to find out. His face has been staring out from every available screen since then, people thronging around them like flies to honey. I’ve seen tears. Real tears. Tears from people who probably hadn’t even shared the same air with him. Strangers kneeling in the streets and sobbing into jacket sleeves and newspapers as reporters all over the world scramble to write the best coverage of such a miraculous man.&...

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“How To Steal A Heart” by Maude Jensen

Submitted to Contest #130

How To Steal A HeartBy Adrienne Wilde Bennett Hale was walking along the beach shore in the sunny Florida Keys, wearing nothing but his board shorts and a smile, when he noticed the most striking eyes and smile ever seen on a woman before. Her bright ocean blue eyes were a stark contrast to her smooth, creamy porcelain skin and her full red lips. But it was her smile that caught his eyes as she was laughing at something one of her companions had obviously said. Her long, medium...

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“Secret of the Scarred Schoolboys” by Catherine Craig

Submitted to Contest #130

Tom smoothed Erin’s fringe back from her forehead. Even at five years old she still had marshmallow cheeks and milky skin dusted with cinnamon freckles. “What about pirates? Will the magic wall stop pirates?” Her eyes grew wide at the thought. “Yes, my darling. It stops pirates, and robbers and all sorts of bad guys.” It was past her bedtime, but the latest news report of a missing nine year old had sent her low threshold anxiety over the edge. “Will it stop someone trying to steal me?” Her voice quaked and her pulse thr...

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“The Shadows in the City” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #130

Betty could have been a millionaire if she’d bet on the first words she would hear every time she returned home from work to the little walk-up apartment she shared with her mother.“What took you so long? You know I’ve been here by myself all day.”Never, “How was your day?”, "How are you feeling?" or, “Are you tired?”Betty had long since given up on responding. She’d hand her mother her cigarettes, and on a Friday, her paycheck, and go into the kitchen to make dinner. The old woman spent her days in the armchair by the window watching the ne...

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“Death of a Fake Monkey” by Lisa Endicott

Submitted to Contest #130

TW: Mild swearing and murder. “Hello? Is this Investigator Mia Ashe?” A wavering voice echoed through my phone. “Yes. Who is this, and why are you calling at 2 in the morning? My office opens at 9.” I grumbled and dragged my two quilts up over my chilling arms. I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus. “He’s dead. My monkey is dead.” “I think you better call a vet. I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do to save a monkey that’s already dead.” I shook my head and moved my finger to end the call. I was used to receiving prank calls and weir...

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“The Brute in the Night” by Scott Huntley

Submitted to Contest #130

Trigger warning - contains scenes of violence, strong language, transphobia and mature themes. Darkness flooded every line of sight as Otis gently opened her eyes. An intense, throbbing pain radiated from the back of her head. The fog lifted from her slumber, and she remembered why her father locked her in the closet. She was frightened. Father has never been this enraged ever before, Otis pondered and curled up into a ball on the floor between two shoe boxes. She shouldn’t have told him. Jacob Hill was once a loving and charismatic fa...

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“Lonely Evil” by T.S. Robinson

Submitted to Contest #130

And then she noticed, everything was quiet.The crickets, frogs, and cicadas that had been playing a loud symphony only seconds earlier were silent. Mara looked around. She couldn't even hear the rushing water of the river that was just a few feet away. She stood up from the rock she had been sitting on. A feeling of uneasiness was creeping over her. Looking out over the water, she noticed that the moonlight she had been watching shimmer on the surface was no longer there. The water had taken on a darker hue and seemed almost like ink. It swa...

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“Clerics Crypt” by Daniel Doggett

Submitted to Contest #130

" Yet again. Its a CRYPT!" Alera said. "Yes it is, so what?" I repeated. "Your telling me that you were hired to rob not just a grave, but The Clerics Crypt, and you want me to go with you?" "Well yeah who else would I take with me. Really Alera your my best friend, I wouldn't have it any other way." "Your insane. Get out Harnic, don't come back again." I didn't understand the problem at the time, but standing here now I thought I might. Staring into the eerie blackness of the cemetery was unnerving. I looked up at the middays sun th...

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“The Lake” by Don Money

Submitted to Contest #130

The small cove with its gently curving shoreline on one side and jagged rock outcroppings on the other sat in a tranquil state off the main avenue of the lake. It was visited occasionally by teens that came to dive off the cliffs, fishermen zigzagging across it in search of a change of luck, and the waves that rolled in from passing boats. The divers never stayed for more than one jump, even the bravest among them felt something ominous about the quiet cove. The fishermen who visited never even got a nibble on their lines, almost as i...

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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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