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!

#136: The Old College Try

Though its origins are debated, it looks likely that the phrase “the old college try” was first used in baseball. According to Babe Ruth, to “give something the old college try” is to keep going, even when the odds are stacked against you — like chasing a flyball out into foul territory, just in case you somehow make the impossible catch.

There’s a lot to be said for those who keep trying despite knowing that their chances are slim. This week’s prompts take a closer look at those determined (or perhaps foolhardy) folk among us. After all, as the saying goes, God loves a trier.

This week's prompts

Start or end your story with someone saying “You’ll never know unless you try.”

Dialogue – 57 stories

Write about somebody who knows they’re probably going to fail at something, but does it anyway.

Narrative – 32 stories

Write about a character giving something one last shot.

Narrative – 51 stories

Set your story on a baseball field.

Middle School – 39 stories

Write a story where hard work doesn’t pay off.

Angst – 28 stories

Stories

“The Train Wreck” by Samuel Newsome

Submitted to Contest #136

The Train Wreck The day was balmy and warm though winter was not yet done with us. On such a day the hills called out to be trod upon. Ol’ Spot and I set out, in no particular hurry, to mount those hills with whom we had become close friends over the years. Seasons never deterred us but were merely a change in mood, and who of us has not changed our mind or mood on occasion. The slope was steep with small riverlets that would eventually join a creek, then a river or two and finally the ocean. They were...

Read story

“The Wall ” by Carolyn Varvel

Submitted to Contest #136

Write about a character giving something one last shot. The Wall I’m struggling here. My legs burn, my insteps and toes are cramped, my hands look like claws, my arms are shaking. I’m hanging on a very thin rope 45 feet up a climbing wall in the middle of a 3-story department store. I beat the wall with my left toe, searching for a toe hold. I shift my weight, push myself up the wall with my legs while my hands seek hand holds. Sweat burns my eyes, I throw my right arm up to snag the next hold with my frozen clawed hand. I shift too s...

Read story

“Animals Eating” by J.W. Mack

Submitted to Contest #136

The Key West terminal was a white and teal block building. And if not for the planes, it could’ve be mistaken for an HVAC repair shop. The day was humid. There was no tarmac or tunnel, so Ray and I carried our bags across the hot concrete and entered the small, air-conditioned refuge to wait on more bags. The inside was more of the same, a scene from a smuggler film. We got our things and walked out the front. Cars lined the curb and people scurried to get a lift into town. Faces from the plane looked different in the sun, in action. There...

Read story

“The Cursor” by H. Lee Russell

Submitted to Contest #136

The cursor blinks into my staring eyes. There’s nothing scarier than seeing that small dash fade in and out of existence at the top left corner of the page. It taunts me, winking at me with every minute I don’t put my fingers to the keys. My temples ache from staring at the screen for too long. Some music might help, says the right side of my brain while painting a picture that’ll never translate the same on the blank canvas tucked into the back of my closet. Do your damn work, says the left, smoking his twenty-sixth cigare...

Read story

“Trying for a Miracle ” by Egg :)

Submitted to Contest #136

A man of about 50 years sat at a table in a café, coffee in one hand, a book in the other. He had pale skin, contrasting a chestnut brown cut, and amber eyes. He wore ordinary clothes, under a dark coat. The morning rush of the outside city and the café itself didn’t seem to bother him; from the chattering voices to the shove of the people trying to get about. The man sipped his coffee slowly, gaze fixed on the words of a page. So simple, yet so captivating. A waitress came with the man’s food order, and as he adjusted his position to take...

Read story

“The Last Time I Saw Maurice ” by Allen Roy MacPherson

Submitted to Contest #136

The last time I saw Maurice he was getting on a train with Irene. I don't think Irene was really her name. Nor was it Iryna, which she was also called by. I think both were code names, just as mine was Vienna. Maurice's actual name it turned out was indeed Maurice. He was a Catholic theology student and it seems he wanted to stay as close to the truth as ever. A fatal flaw, which for him not only meant no code names but issues of conscience and conflict regarding his own mental and internal debates, sometimes vocalized,...

Read story

“Batter up!” by MIKAYA LANG

Submitted to Contest #136

My first trip to a baseball stadium was an experience that will make a long-lasting impression on me. Having played on a little league team and having the experiences of playing on a little league field, it is nothing compared to what I saw the first time. It was a night game in the month of May. It was a warm night the bright yellowish-orange sun hit my body; my excitement was growing in anticipation of what was going to be a completely new experience for me, I was going to see my first professional baseball game. As we approached the stadi...

Read story

“Elysian Fields ” by Justina Clark

Submitted to Contest #136

“What exactly are you looking for?” Emerson Ferdinand stood center in the homemade baseball field of his childhood home. He was a muscular man with a battered and ragged appearance. In his late thirties at the most, Emerson remembered how the townsfolk would praise his skill and support his ambition. He was on his way to becoming a professional baseball player, even playing a minor league game once in Baltimore. Nowadays, Emerson was eager to lash out and quick-tempered. In memory, the events that caused his spirits to fail were still clea...

Read story

“Love and Baseball” by Alicia Bone

Submitted to Contest #136

Ashley walked the bases slowly of the baseball field up the street from where she lived. Lots of memories were made on this field. She played on a Co-Ed team that practiced here every week. She started walking in a straight line almost as if she were on a tight rope placing one foot ever so carefully in front of the other. That is how her life felt lately, like a fragile balancing act. She felt like she was in a circus instead of on a baseball field. She just wanted to play baseball, the way she used...

Read story

“MY BASEBALL FIELD” by Francesca Amico

Submitted to Contest #136

Glamourous. That’s what I would call my home if someone should ask. I couldn’t show anyone where I reside, though, mostly because I live in a make-believe world where I’m wealthy and successful and have people who do things for me like I used to see on television when I was able to watch it. Things can change suddenly, and we often don’t think about that possibility. I’m referring to our lives. Our lives can change in an instant based on the choices we make. Unfortunately, I chose to believe that my job was secure and that I’d move up t...

Read story

“The Other Girl” by Kk Nelson

Submitted to Contest #136

Dear Journal,I did everything I could. I was everything he ever asked for. I stayed up 'til midnight, keeping watch for his arrival home. I told him I loved him in a thousand ways, excepting my words. I cherished his deepest secrets as if they were my own. His passions became mine, and my eyes only saw him. My mind only thought of him. He was the very breath in my lungs. The very essence of my being. His smile was my sunshine, his eyes were my stars. His voice was the equivalent of a lark's song, his tears the rain that wet the soil of my he...

Read story

“The Infinite Wisdom of the Government” by Judith Teich

Submitted to Contest #136

In the winter of 2018, the job that Sarah had held for the previous 21 years, as a social science researcher in a small federal agency, was eliminated for no apparent reason and with no plan for what was to replace it. Sarah had joined the staff in 1997, and she was committed to the agency’s important mission of overseeing and improving the delivery of services for individuals who suffer from behavioral health disorders. Her years of experience as a clinical social worker in hospital settings had provided a solid foundation for her...

Read story

“Was he worth it?” by Casey H.

Submitted to Contest #136

[Trigger warning: birth experience / labor (I know this can be traumatic for some people, so please proceed with caution. Thank you.)] He arrived at 42 weeks exactly. Everything was normal. Expected. Anticipated. Water breaks. Pain. Drive an hour to the hospital. Every bounce in the car felt like hell. I can't describe the pain of it, because I can't remember it anymore. Wheelchair. Emergency room entrance. Hospital. Maternity ward. Bright, fluorescent lights dulled with the fading memory of that time.... I kept my eyes closed for so m...

Read story

“Tug of War” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #136

Tug of war is a simple concept, usually the rope which is about six inches in diameter and made from rough hemp that chaffs and is rough on the skin. While length may vary, the rope laid out in the “Pit of Death” was approximately fifty feet long and would accommodate two teams of ten each. A red flag signifying the middle was hung over a large man-made mud puddle in which the losing team would most likely be swimming in. Since I was the largest member of our team, I was designated as the anchor and the small members of th...

Read story

“Perseverance is Key” by Rebecca Stack

Submitted to Contest #136

She picks herself up off the floor where she has once again fallen flat on her face; she dusts herself off, attempts to stand tall in the face of adversity. She asks why she keeps putting herself through this when she appears destined to fail. This will be her thirteenth attempt for this day alone, unlucky for some. These legs take some getting used to. They are not her own, alien to her, they will not move the way she wants them to. Willing them does not seem to work, concentrating hard just makes her more and more ...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

207

Contest entries

100

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 11, 2022 EST

Won by Howard Halsall 🏆

Title: Cigarettes: A Romance

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 ⭢