Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#132: Time to Blume

On February 12th, Judy Blume turns 84 — and her bestselling book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, is finally becoming a feature film this year. To celebrate, we’re featuring prompts based on the YA classic released over 50 years ago.

If you need a refresher, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret follows 6th grader Margaret Simon in her quest for a religious identity. Her mother was raised Christian, her father Jewish. They’ve decided not to impose one belief or the other on their daughter, but that leaves Margaret longing for a god of her own to talk to.

Dive into this blast-from-the-past and relive your childhood reading by writing a story based on one of our five Judy Blume prompts.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character saying “Are you there, God? It’s me…”

Dialogue – 108 stories

Write a story where a character is exploring their religious or spiritual identity.

Fiction – 59 stories

Write a story about a couple with fundamentally different beliefs.

Valentine's Day – 23 stories

End your story with a character saying “Thank you, God. Thanks an awful lot.” (sarcastically or not).

Dialogue – 44 stories

Write a story about a teenager whose family is moving.

Teens – 46 stories

Stories

“Jesus Wore a Brown Jacket ” by Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #132

Are you there, God? It’s me, Mallory. My momma is dying. I’m scared. I’ve never watched anyone die. I’ve never been without my momma either. Dear God, I know I’m grown, but I don’t feel so grown right now. On a cold, bitter January night at two in the morning, my sisters slept upstairs while I stayed downstairs with Momma. Taking care of Momma had become a twenty-four-hour job. We took shifts around the clock to take care of her, so everyone could get some rest. Momma’s diagnosis less than two months ago had been nothing less than...

Read story

“First Love” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #132

Mia’s forehead was sore from where it hit the cool, glass pane of the window as her mother weaved through the single roadway up into the mountains. Their destination: Estes Park, Colorado. The bright, June sun cascaded into their car warming Mia from the black tank top she had donned for the occasion. Her thighs pinked up with every passing minute. She gazed at the rows and rows of evergreen trees with a forlorn expression. Her fingers moved rapidly in her lap and she counted the days, hours, minutes that she had left in these mountains.“Tak...

Read story

“10-year anniversary” by Danny G

Submitted to Contest #132

Jack pushed the door open, stumbling in. He drunkenly fumbled for the lights, then he gave up. What did it matter anyway?It was dark in the apartment but even in his drunken haze he knew the way. Five steps forward and you’re in the kitchen. Five more and you’re in the lounge. Two steps left, three more forward and…“Ouch!”Maybe drunken steps are different. Longer maybe? Or maybe it’s the wrong apartment. Jack fumbled around, found a switch and flipped it.The lights flickered on.“Hmm” he mumbled. He was in the kitchen. The halos of light boun...

Read story

“A Cult Unloaded” by Thomas Giorgione

Submitted to Contest #132

Content warning: violence, references to sexual abuse, and language.Humble was coming, and he would keep them warm. They called themselves Unity. On January 6th at precisely 10:00 p.m. Unity crowded into the compound’s central tent, and the North Dakotan air frosted their bald heads. No one complained—no one dared speak—they all knew the rules.Beckett Gorman, Humbles second in command, prepared to start his “unloading.” He paced naked behind the tent. I’m going to die tonight, Beckett thought. The sharp winter winds drilled into him. Why isn...

Read story

“He Took His Wings, And Fled” by James Miller

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #132

It was in an impassioned service of worship at Water's Edge Evangelical Church, sitting at the far end of a packed pew, that Mateo decided he did not want to believe in God. He didn’t disbelieve. Rather, he didn’t want to affirm belief. If it came his turn to profess, he intended, like a nervous freshman on the first day of class, to answer, “Pass.” A sweating, invigorated preacher stalked the stage in premium denim and a tailored silk button down. “Satan is on the prowl!” he insisted. “He just wants to waste your time. If he can’t make yo...

Read story

“One of us is right, one of us will die.” by Holly Guy

Submitted to Contest #132

TW: mental health issues, physical abuse, suicide I’m awake as the strangled sobs dance around the room. Their haunted songs fill me with dread and force me to my feet. I throw the covers from my body and the chill in the room instantly nips at my skin. I bite back a swear word as I stumble forward, searching for the owner of that cry I know all too well. My wife is collapsed at the door frame, hand over her mouth. Her body heaves and she chokes out those awful cries that regularly leave those once kissable lips. She can’t hear me as I ...

Read story

“A Lot Can Happen in Five Minutes” by Clyde Laffan

Submitted to Contest #132

CONTENT WARNING; STRONG LANGUAGE, SEX SCENES “11 minutes sir, until impact, that’s what CNN says.” Sir cowers on all fours, placing his desk between him and the nuclear warhead that is now minutes away from turning our school into a barbecue pit. He pokes his phone’s darkened screen hard with his index finger, tap, tap, tap. He’s trying to call his wife or kids or something; I doubt he has a mistress, not Sir. He’s going to tell them he loves them, apologise for being a lousy dad and a crap husband, sorry yet again for having ere...

Read story

“Chalk and Cheese” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #132

“All marriages are arranged; some by the bride and the groom and others…well, by others!” boomed the baritone.“I don’t agree Ram. A person should be able to choose a partner for themselves.”“Janaki, don’t put these silly ideas into kids’ heads now. Aren’t we happy together?”“Well, we got lucky!”“Even though we are like…”“Chalk and cheese?” Ma had said and let out a throaty laugh.I was thirteen at the time and was certain I had met the love of my life. I too had joined in the laughter thinking of it as a bad joke. One never knows what th...

Read story

“Missionary Position” by Jonathan Blaauw

Submitted to Contest #132

[TW: Possible strong language]At one time or another, each of us will pause to ask ourselves the age-old question What is the meaning of life? The natural follow-up to Why am I here? is Where am I going? For many, these moments of cosmic contemplation are short-lived. We pause, we reflect, maybe we vow to be a better person, to start giving to charity or going to church, and then we go right back to living as we were. Some, however, embrace these lucid intervals and use them to inspire real change.When Simon enc...

Read story

“Blind Wait” by PJ Aitken

Submitted to Contest #132

“Hiya chucks! It’s that time of the day again where we play a game of “Blind Wait” in this hospital reception to entertain all of you as you wait a ridiculously long time to see a doctor.“Remember this is only possible because of the wonderful way our National Health Service in the UK is criminally underfunded. All those lorra lorra promises of extra funding for the NHS that never happened post-Brexit, writing off billions of public money on pandemic fraudsters and purchasing billions of pounds worth of rubbish PPE!! You lucky things!“Now yo...

Read story

“A Family Attrition” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #132

“Bless me father for I have sinned.” How many times have you heard that phrase? To me, they’re simply empty words on deaf ears from forced confessions of the indoctrinated - a practice passed down by each generation to the next gullible crowd of oppressed souls, fearful of divine retribution. I was born into an Irish Catholic family, so these archaic beliefs were acted out before me every Saturday and Sunday, firstly at confession then followed by the next evening with holy communion. As a reluctant child dragged to the weekly ritu...

Read story

“The Regular” by Jasmine Crafts

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #132

My sister June and I can feel change coming the way some people can smell snow before it falls. When you’re about to leave a place, the electricity of impending change zaps around it. Things you never noticed before seem precious and things that you use every day have to prove themselves worthy of the space they’d take up in a box. We have moved 23 times in the 18 years since I came along. That is how Dad always says it, like I was just passing through and decided to stay. “Before you came along, Mom and I used to sleep between sand ...

Read story

“Light In The Darkness” by Michael Schulwitz

Submitted to Contest #132

Are you there God? It’s me Michael. I know I haven’t talked to you in a while, I guess because I had nothing really to talk about. But life has been hard, seems like every corner I turn, I am getting kicked and beat down. Bills are piling up; work increased my hours but not my pay. Food, water, shelter all essential items that require to live all require so much money, more then I make. Working 60 plus hours a week, trying to support my children, and only making $12.50 an hour, while there are children working at fast food restaurants making...

Read story

“A Prayer for the Strong” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #132

Are you there, God? It’s me. I’d like to know If there’s a prayer For the strong? You see, I’m strong. I know I’m strong Because all day I go from house to house And I sit at tables And people tell me What a wonderful person My husband was And they offer me coffee Good coffee Gourmet The kind you get As part of a subscription service Where every month It’s Peru or Argentina And when you make it The whole house fills up With that potent roasted smell That makes you feel Taken care of These people In these houses They take care of me...

Read story

“COVID Tutors Rescue a Student” by Bruce Friedman

Submitted to Contest #132

Warning: Some sexual patter and innuendos.The day started off in a normal way. I was scheduled to tutor Michelle at her usual time of 10 o’clock in the morning. She logged on and I was waiting for her. We began our session with our usual greeting. Everything seemed normal with her at that time but events quickly deteriorated.“Good morning, Michelle,” I said. “Are you ready to get to work, starting with our math drill? We are a little behind but don’t get discouraged. We can easily catch up.”“I’m not so sure about that, Gordo. I’m not in...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

127

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 11, 2022 EST

Won by Adam El Nabli 🏆

Title: Inshallah

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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢